International Self-Care Day: What’s Your ONE THING?

MHA Admin

Wed, 07/24/2024 – 09:25

Self-care has recently become a buzzword used to describe things from taking a bubble bath to improving your spending habits. There are messages all around us that encourage “self-care” and the infinite ways we could and should be taking care of ourselves. Self-care to the max

When I was first beginning my recovery journey after experiencing bipolar symptoms, I tried to do as many self-care practices as I could fit in a day. I woke up at 5 a.m., started my yoga practice, then meditated for 30 minutes, then journaled for 30 minutes, then read a book for 30 minutes, then went on a 3-mile run, and then did 30 minutes of strength-training exercises.

By the time I finished all of these, it was already time for lunch. While I was proud of myself, I was also exhausted. I knew this wouldn’t be sustainable once I started working full-time again. I was desperate to not struggle with my bipolar symptoms, but also needed a more simple way to do “self-care.”

The ONE THING

Recently, I’ve been reading the book, “The ONE THING” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. In the book, the authors talk about how “extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus.” The question they encourage you to ask yourself is: “What’s the one thing I can do, such that by doing it everything else is easier or unnecessary?”

I realized that this could be applied to every area of my life and, suddenly, self-care didn’t seem so daunting anymore. When I looked at my morning routine, I asked myself, “What is the ONE THING in this long list of things that has the most positive impact on my day?”

I realized that because I am neurodivergent and have bipolar disorder, cardiovascular activity was the most helpful for my mental health so I could feel balanced and focused. I decided to make running my ONE THING that would help start my day. I quickly realized that this meant yoga or stretching would become necessary so I wouldn’t be walking around like the Tin Man all day. So this supplemented my ONE THING, but all the other activities from my morning routine are now things I do when I have time and feel they would support me.

I decided to use this method for other aspects of my life:

My ONE THING for my spiritual health: Attend services at the Unitarian Universalist Church down the street every Sunday at 10 a.m.

My ONE THING for my social health: Call one friend once per week while going for a walk after work.

My ONE THING for my financial health: Wait 24 hours before making a big purchase.

What’s your ONE THING?

Our modern world pulls our attention in so many directions. It can be so grounding to just focus on ONE THING.

When you think about your own self-care practices, is there anything that stands out to you as the most beneficial? Maybe it’s your reiki practice, walking your dog, your morning coffee, volunteering with your favorite organization, or decluttering your home.

These activities will be fun-sized, manageable, and sustainable. Choose something you know you can do over and over again without getting burnt out. Celebrate yourself when you do these activities, no matter how small they may seem! Self-care happens in these mini, intentional actions and their benefits compound over time.

Everyone’s ONE THING will be different. But figuring out which self-care practice might be most impactful in different areas of your life can help simplify the process and create more peace in your life.

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DID YOU KNOW?

The Capital City Emergency “Level II” Trauma & Wellness Center will house a “state of the art” Outreach Community Resource Center, that will provide case management, mental health community advocacy, and oversight from the M.I. Mother’s Keeper mental health advocates. 
 
The Capital City Emergency “Level II” Trauma & Wellness Center will offer patrons access to immediate coverage by general surgeons as well as coverage by the specialties of orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care.
 
Our goal is to help people in the best way possible in an effort to preserve and to save more lives in the Nation’s Capital and beyond.

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Emergency

Code Red
Gunshot Victim
Life Threatening Wounds
Physical Assault Victim
Severely Injured Auto Accident Victim
Burn Victim
Epilepsy/Seizures
Cardiovascular
Choking & Breathing Obstructions
and more…

trauma

Child Sex Assault Victim
Domestic Violence Victim
Drug Overdose
Rape/Sex Crime Victim
Suicide Watch
Trafficking Victim
Nervous Breakdown
and more…

Mental Health

At Capital City Emergency Trauma & Wellness Center patrons with mental health emergencies that include life threatening situations in which an individual is imminently threatening harm to self or others, severely disoriented or out of touch with reality, has a severe inability to function or is otherwise distraught and out of control, will have access to quality and psychiatric emergency services and referrals.

Physical Health

Whether your life threatening medical emergency involves excessive or uncontrollable bleeding, head injury. difficulty with breathing, severe pain, heart attack, vision impairments, stroke, physically collapsing, or seizure related, rest assured that our professionals will properly assess and evaluate the level of response that will be most needed to help provide stabilized care solutions and minimize complications as well as reduce early mortality.

Holistic Healthcare

We offer healthcare solutions that will support the whole person which includes their physical, psychological, emotional, social, & spiritual wellbeing. Research supports that because your mental state can affect your overall health we support and offer the inclusion of complimentary and alternative medicine(CAM) practitioners and naturopathic doctor recommendations and referrals as a part of our Outreach Community Resource Center’s care regimen and support.

Rehabilitative

Emergency care can typically result in traumatic injuries for which rehabilitation becomes an essential component of care in trying to achieve the best long-term outcomes for the patient. In addition to speeding up recovery times and helping to prevent further complications, rehabilitative care also helps to support a patient’s self-managed recovery once discharged from our facility. Our Outreach Community Resource Center works closely with our trauma center’s discharge department to assure that patrons requiring these services are linked with qualified professionals who will be accountable to the standard of care required to help the patron be successful in their recovery.

Social Services

Our “state of the art” Outreach Community Resource Center intends to promote “expansive” beneficial community enriching services, programs, case management, & linkage to “approved” partner resources and supports in all of the following intended areas and more:

Social Services

  • Clothing
  • Food Pantry
  • Housing/Shelter
  • I.D. Credentials
  • Senior Wellness Check
  • Toiletries
  • Transportation
  • Etc.

Extended Family Services

  • Child Care
  • Credit Counseling
  • Family Court Services
  • Legal Aide

Career Training

  • Apprenticeship programs
  • Computer/Graphics Training
  • Culinary Program  
  • GED Courses
  • Hospitality Training
  • Job Etiquette & Grooming
  • Resume’ Prep
  • Sales Training
  • Software/Technology workshops
  • Small Business Training

Return Citizen
Program Partner
(Bridging the Gap)

  • Case Management
  • Temporary Boarding/Housing
  • Transitional Program Registration

Prevention/Intervention Outreach,
Workshops, & Programs

  • After-school Behavioral Health Program
  • Civic Engagement / Volunteer Sign-up
  • Fatherhood Rites of Passage
  • Gun Violence Town Hall Forum
  • Life Coaching & Coping Strategies
  • Marriage Counseling Workshops
  • Medicare Informational Workshops
  • Mentorship Training
  • Parental Classes
  • Support Groups
  • Town Hall Discussions
  • Violence De-Escalation Training
  • Voter Registration

Nutritional Outreach

  • Cooking Demonstrations
  • Dietary Programs
  • Exercise Classes
  • Recipe Sharing Workshops
  • Meal Prep

Community Outreach

The Healthy DC & Me Leadership Coalition is partnering with the M.I. Mother’s Keeper Mental Health advocacy organization to provide outreach services on the community level as an aid in reducing the existent health inequities that many District citizens are facing as a direct result of the presence of debilitating social determinants and the lack of culturally appropriate care choices and realities for community members residing in marginalized and lower-income communities.

It is the vision and intentions of the M.I. Mother’s Keeper Mental Health Advocates organization to help improve the quality of living for citizens living in our Nation’s Capital and beyond by overseeing the delicate linkage to services and by maintaining higher standards of care accountability for deserving citizens of the Nation’s Capital.

For more information or to enroll as one of our service providers, please email us at:
info@healthydcandme.org