Self-care is important. We know that. We’ve seen article after article on how relaxing in a bubble bath with a candle, or putting on a face mask and taking time for ourselves can help us feel better.

However, as many of us also know, self-care is not all luxurious bubble baths and ‘Live. Laugh. Love’ signs. It’s getting up, brushing your teeth, taking your meds and getting the housework done.

Recently, self-care has been at the forefront of my life. I have a tendency to get more tired than usual with the pandemic, due to the sheer amount of mental clutter and anxiety in my brain. Along with the other worries a pandemic brings, aside from obviously not wanting to contract the virus, to job security and the money worries that come with it, a lot of us are feeling quite anxious right now.

So how has self-care being playing a part in my life?

Primarily through finding joy in the little things. Staying inside for most of the year and regular human interaction either restricted or illegal, I certainly appreciate the little things more. The things I would have, this time last year, taken for granted. The off chance I get to go out into nature, appreciating the full beauty and life-giving force of the grass, the trees, the rolling hills and of course, the adorable cows, sheep and horses in the fields.

Seeing loved ones, even if partitioned by glass and fabric round our faces, hearing their voices, seeing their smiles, wishing I could do the one thing I always do when I see them: hug them. Talking to them over the phone more than I have before. Tapping more into creative hobbies.

With the sense of collective trauma, panic and at times, outright despair being experienced due to the pandemic, it’s like I’ve automatically gone into ‘therapy mode’.

Write, distract, stay inside, repeat. Write, distract, stay inside, repeat. Create with words. Create with crafts. Watch sustainability content on YouTube, write, apply for jobs, get rejected, apply for more jobs, hope for the best.

That’s pretty much the case for a lot of people right now in the UK. A lot of people have or are losing their jobs due to the pandemic, with most of the country going pretty much back into lockdown. So, we’re doing what we can to get by and stay sane in the process.

Embracing self-care is definitely a necessity, especially in crazy times like these.