Where physical health concerns spread, a mental health pandemic followed. There is no question that COVID-19 has shaken most of the world, pausing life as people know it in the face of an uncertain future. The new quarantined reality quickly revealed the psychological impacts of self-isolation and disruption of routine. Mental health has become increasingly relevant as every person faces major changes, challenging them to rebuild peaceful mental spaces from scratch. Finding a new rhythm of life during a time of disruption has been a journey that truly highlights the importance of self-care. Often overlooked, self-care is the purposeful nurturing of an individual’s mental, emotional, and physical health. It is meant to refuel people with small, planned successes defined only by themselves for themselves. Intentionally taking care of oneself is always important, but self-care has become especially valuable for those facing extra challenges to their mental health in quarantine.
If readily practiced, taking self-care pauses can be empowering and comforting amid stress. Normalizing these small changes within daily life can help ground people in continuous proactivity and even uplift entire communities. Research suggests U.S. medical students who report engaging in a range of self-care activities may be more successful in lessening the impacts of stress on quality of life. However, current investigation indicates that students continue to “encounter stigma, time constraints, and other barriers” that often stand in the way of seeking needed support, according to a 2018 study published in the BMC Medical Education Journal. Minimizing these barriers is extremely important to regularly process life stressors in a healthier, planned fashion.
Finding a new rhythm of life during a time of disruption has been a journey that truly highlights the importance of self-care.
The pandemic is an extreme example of the importance of checking in with one another and speaking openly about mental health. Self-care is not selfish, but rather necessary and often misunderstood. Many people have different ways of addressing the stressors of daily life, but widespread conversation about self-care can encourage building healthier and more meaningful habits. The benefits of self-care extend beyond behavioral and emotional, evidently found within physical brain function as well. Studies on mindfulness reveal that the practice of self-care can “reduce activity in the amygdala, the brain region responsible for the fight-or-flight response,” according to David Creswell, director of the Health and Human Performance Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University. People must take care of themselves in order to take care of others, so speaking openly about activities that help people feel more present can make a difference.
The sudden disruption of routine within quarantine has also highlighted its importance to mental health. Research indicates that routine is not only crucial during quarantine, but may also be significant in building a meaningful life. Engaging in a routine may help a person connect with overarching circumstances and better understand relationships with one’s environment. It can foster a sense of meaning and purpose in one’s life. When routines vanished under quarantine, people naturally found new rhythms to live by. It is evident that routines create structure and help make life more understandable with consistent connections.
Research indicates that routine is not only crucial during quarantine, but may also be significant in building a meaningful life.
One popular mode of self-care is skincare. A skincare routine allows for a truly personalized experience that emphasizes individual needs and overall well-being. It offers small pauses of time with oneself to focus on continuous, routine improvement. A key to building a healthy routine is ensuring the activity does not cause stress to execute, which contributes to the subjectivity and individualization of self-care. Skincare is “a form of self-love, self-acceptance, and healing,” said psychotherapist Zakiyyah Abdul-Mateen in a recent InStyle article. “Using skin-to-skin contact, fingers to face, allows the blood to flow while also allowing the muscles in the face to relax,” thus allowing for an experience separate from broader agendas or pressures.
No matter the outcome of the products, developing a routine alone gains traction for larger change and progress. Deciding to cleanse every night or glide on sunscreen every morning can motivate the meal planning that was put aside and eventually help organize upcoming weeks. The benefits of routine skincare for mental health is even becoming relevant within research, as the FDA asks pharmaceutical companies to include quality of life (QoL) scores in dermatology clinical trials. Improvements in quality of life are in many ways just as important as improvements in skin. Such lasting, impactful outcomes of developing a routine of self-care altogether makes it truly valuable for bringing life positive change, added meaning, and self-love.
Real self-care involves finding small ways to improve without self-criticism for failing to meet expectations.
Regardless of what self-care means for each individual, taking the time to practice it regularly can strengthen mental health and ease daily stressors. It boosts self-confidence and is a reminder to oneself and others that personal needs are important. Real self-care involves finding small ways to improve without self-criticism for failing to meet expectations. With the added pressures of protecting oneself and others from the spread, it is especially important to maintain personal mental health and availability before supporting the same in others. In the context of a global pandemic, rebuilding a meaningful routine helped people persevere. Implementing self-care, whether it be seeing a therapist, taking a walk, trying a new hobby, or talking to a friend, is necessary in a fast-paced society. There is still work to be done regarding accessibility in the United States, but mental health has a hopeful future as conversations surrounding it continue to be encouraged. Experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the universal need for meaning and self-love on a global scale.
BMC Medical Education (2018). DOI: 10.1186/s12909-018-1296-x
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2018). DOI: 10.1177/0146167218795133
Frontiers in Psychology (2019). DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02452
Image source: Pixabay.
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