The Best Valentine's Gift

Valentines is fast approaching and of course we want to talk about the best kind of love today...self-love! Be sure to set some time aside for your mental health needs, show some love by prioritizing YOU.

So how are some ways we can do this?

💗 Do something you love: Carve out some time this week to focus on a hobby or pastime that you love. Get out your paint, brush off your bicycle, find your old scrapbook...whatever it is that will give you some joy and much needed peace.

💗 BREATHE! Take even five minutes out of your day to simply breathe. There are lots of great meditation apps and videos that can give you meditated breathing exercises which is a great place to start until it becomes more of a habit.

💗 Find forgiveness: letting go of grudges and practicing forgiveness, research has shown that it can help lower stress levels and even a lower risk of a heart attack.

Check out this Forbes articles for more details and ways to practice self-care this Valentines: https://buff.ly/3HvAduo

A Month of Kindness

It's the month of kindness, so why not start by being kind to YOU. WebMD has an excellent article with ways you can start being being kinder to yourself for the purpose of nurturing your mental health.

What does it mean to be kind to yourself?

✔️ Speaking to yourself with kindness, the way you might speak with a loved one.

✔️ Understanding that pain is universal, you are not alone.

✔️ Looking at your emotions in a point blank way that neither suppresses nor exaggerates them

✔️ Setting realistic expectations for yourself

♥️ 🫶 ♥️

Here are the tips that are highlighted -

1. Show up for your difficult feelings

2. Do things you like.

3. Center on what you value.

4. Ground yourself

5. Savor your physical senses.

6. Hug yourself

7. Notice what you are grateful for.

Read the full article here to dig deeper on each tip: https://buff.ly/3JtaNjE

#standupaj #prevention #mentalhealth #selfcare #selflove #wellness #healthliving #goodcleanfun #bekindtoyourself #selfcareisntselfish

Self-Care Habits for the New Year

It’s a new year and maybe there’s some things you want to change for the better. Don’t try to change anything overnight, new healthy habits take time and effort. Self-Care practices are good for any time but maybe you’re feeling more motivated with a fresh year so here are some tips to get you started.

💠Listen to YOU: Be open to your own wants and needs. Don’t push away negative emotions, instead listen to what they are trying to teach you and learn from them.

💠 New Hobby: Discover or rediscover a new hobby that will bring joy to your life. It’s important that we create the time and effort for putting ourselves first throughout the week to recenter and re-energize.

💠 Be Kind: Think about how you talk to or about yourself. Begin the practice of talking to yourself the way you would a friend or loved one. You deserve the same understanding and kindness you would give to someone else.

These are just a few points from the “Reframe your self-care habits for the new year” article, so be sure to check out the full thing for more details and ideas. https://buff.ly/3GrgP0X

#standupaj #prevention #drugawareness #drugfreeyouth #addiction #recovery #mentalhealth #apachejunction #talkearlytalkoften #talktheyhearyou