Physical Self-Care (Reclaiming and Reconditioning) - Page 2 of 4

Suggestions for Physical Self-Care and Renewal:

• Take a cat nap, stretch break, or a "humor break" during long work hours.
• Leave a stuffy room and get some fresh air.
• Use deep breathing to calm down and get focused.
• Take a walk to get energized or calmed down.
• Slow down the pace: drive, walk, talk and eat more slowly.
• Avoid the "roller-coaster" effects of "pick-me-ups" and "calm-me-downs" such as sugar, caffeine, alcohol and other drugs, nicotine, and adrenaline rushes.
• Switch to decaf coffee or herbal tea - treat yourself to the gourmet versions.
• Get a professional massage once in a while.
• Use a spot massager to ease muscle aches and minor pains.
• Mow the lawn in a completely different pattern or sequence.
• Find and wear clothing or jewelry that is very different from your usual style.
• Change your hair style, your glasses frames, your perfume.
• Change your bedding; buy a new pillow or mattress to get better sleep.
• Make sure your office furniture is ergonomically supportive.

Physical self-care is an area in which most of us could benefit from the added stress of regular exercise. In order to recondition the body and build physical resilience, an exercise program needs to be multifaceted. We need exercise that increases each of the following:

• our endurance (i.e., aerobic exercise),
• our flexibility (i.e., stretching),
• and our strength (i.e., muscle resistance exercises such as calisthenics, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and working with weights).

There are also some very critical conditions which must be met if we want to stick with an exercise program. The exercise should be fun, easy, and not extremely costly or time-consuming.