Self-care is an important aspect of a healthy, balanced life. There are six main categories of self care: body, mind, emotions, work (study), relationships and spiritual. For more information on this visit https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au. Self-care is a very individual thing - you might hate having a bath but for someone else it's bliss. Find what works for you and try to schedule in a bit of self care each day. It doesn't have to be expensive or take a lot of time. Taking five minutes to brush your hair before bed is quick and free. You can download our free self-care plan below.
It's the middle of winter and school holidays in Australia and it's tempting to be a couch potato and binge on Netflix and YouTube. Most states are in lockdown or under some restrictions due to Covid but that's no excuse not to move your body. Find a workout on Youtube that you can do in your bedroom, grab a skipping rope and head to the driveway, go for a walk (don't forget your mask if you need one)... just move your body. It will improve your mental and physical health.
Paul Dillon has a really interesting article about e-ciggarettes and vaping. You can read it at his blog, Doing Drugs with Paul Dillon.
These would make a great Easter treat or gift! I burnt myself while I was cooking this weekend. I was roasting the most delicious BBQ beef ribs but when I removed them from the oven I spilt some of the BBQ sauce on my foot. Then I proceeded to slip in the sauce and land on my butt. Somehow I managed to get the ribs onto the kitchen bench on my way down. Thankfully it wasn't a bad burn and I had done a first aid course so I knew to run it under cool water for 20 minutes. I was so fortunate that it wasn't more serious and I was just left with a small red mark on my foot. There are thousands of burn accidents every year. The following information is from St Johns in Victoria:
CLEAR all jewellery and clothing from around the burn area (unless stuck to the skin) COOL place the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes. COVER the burn loosely with cling wrap or a clean, damp lint-free cloth. Don't put anything else on it! Go to the doctor or emergency department if:
I am loving zucchini fritters at the moment. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack. I put feta in mine instead of parmesan. Have a fruit smoothie - find some great recipes at www.taste.com.au
Bake some fruit muffins - my favourite are Donna Hay raspberry and white chocolate muffins Add some fruit to your yoghurt (I add blueberries and some granola too) Have a piece of fruit for an after school snack - have some pre-cut fruit in the fridge ready to go Carry some dried fruit in your bag Eat some frozen fruit - grapes, bananas, blueberries, raspberries Dip some fruit in melted chocolate and cool - I know this is a bit naughty but nice Add some fresh fruit to your cereal Make some fruit kebabs for desserts Make some tutti frutti popsicles - find the recipe at www.healthywa.wa.gov.au Binging is a word you hear a lot - we binge on chocolate, fast food, Netflix, social media, alcohol... I know a lot about binging, I used to have an eating disorder. I know for a fact that in most cases, neither binging or completely denying ourselves is good. It's important to have balance in our lives. There is nothing wrong with chocolate, fast food, Netflix or alcohol as long as it is part of a balanced life (and you are over the legal drinking age). But when we have too much of them - it's not good for us.
Often binging is triggered by certain emotions or feelings such as despair, hopelessness, depression, guilt, shame, pain... Ironically, binging usually increases these feelings, rather than relieve them. There are things you can do to stop these binge sessions - get a big dose of fresh air, get out in nature, do some exercise, catch up with a friend, do a meditation exercise, get creative and make something, practise being mindful... One of the most effective ways of getting our minds off ourselves, our problems and negative feelings is to do something for someone else. Being kind to someone can be a great release valve for those negative emotions. Next time you feel yourself spiralling towards another binge session, do something for someone else - ring or visit a friend (don't just text or message them), make someone a nice card and send it to them, help your mum with the chores, play a board game or computer game with your brother or sister, write positive, encouraging comments on people's social media posts, bake a cake and take it to your neighbour... It's obviously a bit more complicated than what I've outlined above but next time you feel yourself spiralling out of control and tempted to binge on [insert your favourite binge here], be kind to yourself by being mindful and be kind to someone else. It might not solve all your problems, but it might help. Please note the oven temperatures are in Fahrenheit. Click here to convert them to Celsius if you're in Australia. |
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