This last Thursday, I shared with our group some helpful hints on keeping up on our self-care.  

After my recent vacation with our my small group, I realized more than ever how much we all need structure and routine in our daily lives.

And of the importance of self-care in our daily routine.

Even though I was traveling with a small group of nine, we all know how it can be to deal with that many different personalities.  

When planning our cruise, we had pre-planned many tours/ shore excursions each day. However due to the recent heatwave, a few of us ended up canceling some of our tours and spending more time on the ship.

At night I joined everyone for dinner, which usually included my Cousin and his wife who were also on the cruise.  Well I discovered on my cruise that my cousin drinks a lot. 

My cousin knew well before the cruise that I didn’t drink any longer, due to the medication I take for my mental health. We all know that alcohol and psych meds don’t mix, right? Well, during our dinners together, he was constantly pushing me to drink, while at the same time challenging my boundaries.

Well it did get me to thinking about our boundaries, and how so very important they are to our mental health. There were some important things I learned while traveling;

1) Be very flexible. Even though you may plan your trip months in advance, as we did. Plans can definitely change at the very last minute. And they do. Others on your trip may get sick, or maybe even get into disagreements while traveling. Or the weather may become a factor as it did for us. 

 2) Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries!!!  I can’t stress enough how important boundaries are for us each and every day. If there’s something that you really don’t want to do, just say so. Make sure and communicate that with your other traveling companions. But also make sure and engage with others in your group, and try not to isolate too much. Remember that you are on vacation! 

 3). Routine…..Try and maintain some sort of routine on your vacation. Structure and lack thereof can become an issue on your vacation if you let it. Do try new things while vacationing, even if it means pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. The dilemma we sometimes face is that there are definitely times when we want to regroup and be by ourselves for a little while. That is fine, but try and do so in moderation. It’s a pretty tough balancing act isn’t it? 

 4) When you’re on vacation, it’s always fun to try new foods. But try and do so without overdoing it. If you’re anything like me, sometimes all of the rich foods really start to catch up with you! 

And some other self-care tips that are always important:

Try and get regular exercise. 

Get plenty of sleep ( this one is probably the most important) 

Drink plenty of water each day.

Use your coping skills to deal with stress.