You have probably heard the term self-care before. Doing things that will replenish you physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. It basically means caring for yourself.
Back home in Africa, a lot of self-care happens almost naturally. Random visits from friends and family just because they hadn’t seen you in a while, sometimes they even bring food. These were times of heated discussions, belly laughter, and may even lead to dancing. Walking to a neighbor’s house, going out to play soccer in the neighborhood, etc., that sense of community that I talked about previously.
When we were kids, my siblings and I would randomly go into my parents’ room, put on some music and dance. It was a lot of fun. Sometimes we sat around with relatives and played card games or watched movies. Now with the increase in technology, some things are different. However, the pace of life is still much slower in many African countries than it is in the U.S. Thus, opportunities for self-care could be easier to come by, which could prevent burnout.
Burnout is when you are “soul-tired,” physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted due to accumulated stress. This is common for people who are constantly working. Sadly, due to multiple factors, many African immigrants work long hours. Some have non-transferable degrees from Africa hence they can’t get good jobs while others’ immigration status wouldn’t allow them to have a well-paid position.
Regardless, many are supporting relatives or friends back in their native countries while trying to make their own ends meet in the U.S. This calls for a lot of odd jobs with long late hours. Basically, all the jobs that everyone else who can afford not to do won’t do, these are some of the jobs many immigrants end up doing. Not because they are not smart or intelligent or incapable to do other jobs, but because of systematic restrictions on what’s available to them. This is a topic for another day. Right now, I want to talk about how to prevent yourself from dying due to burnout.
How can YOU do more self-care?
- Pace yourself – set a few limits. Even with all the people you have to feed and all the bills you need to pay, you won’t be able to do any of it if you are sick or dead. So, it’s okay to take a few hours off.
- Take breaks and do something relaxing or energizing. If you are having a hard time with the first point and you can’t take any hours off, then try taking short breaks during work. Taking a break anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes throughout your long days can give you a boost. Rather than using that time to worry about what else you have to do, try sitting some place quiet, take a power nap (a 15 to 20 minute nap). Such short naps have been shown to increase memory, learning, and productivity while reducing stress. The trick is not to sleep for too long (over 30 or 45 minutes) because then you will get into a deeper sleep, which can lead to you waking up feeling even more tired. Some people say they can’t fall asleep in 15 to 20 minutes, that’s alright, just closing your eyes for that long can help.
- Food, sleep, and exercise. These are the three most important basics to not only physical health but mental and emotional health as well. No matter how busy your schedule is, make it a point to have these three aspects in check. Eating nourishing good foods (not fast food), getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night (more is required if you are a teenager), and doing some form of exercise. It could be difficult finding time to exercise, so consider different ways to be physically activity, walking to work or after work, riding a bicycle, dancing at home, taking a fitness class, stretching in the morning or before bed.
- Live within your means. We like to look good, African clothes, hair and nails done, you name yours. Those things can be good forms of self care as well, but if you are spending to the point of worrying about how you will pay your bills, then maybe you shouldn’t spend that much on these accessories each month. Create a budget first! Budgetnista could help with that.
- Find time to do something you enjoy weekly. What is something you enjoy doing? I love dancing, taking baths, hanging out with friends, spending time in prayer and Bible reading. What’s your thing? Find the time to do it even if it is just for a short time during the week.
- Call a friend or better yet, go visit them. Remember how easy it was to do this back home? You may need to be more intentional about planning to visit friends (and family). On the other hand, I know Africans who spend too much time doing activities with other people that they can get burnout from this. Again, pace yourself! If you are starting to get tired, slow down.
- Stop and ask yourself how you are doing. Many of us just go from one thing to the next, it’s so easy to keep going. Develop a habit of stopping and checking in with yourself. How are you really doing? Are you stressed out? Overthinking something? Haven’t slept well for a few days? Worrying about something? Check in and if you are struggling, STOP and take a break, do number 5. If you are still struggling, do number 6 and tell this person about your struggle.
So what is one thing out of the seven that you can commit to until the end of the year? Make it a goal to enter into 2020 feeling refreshed and energized.
Wao!! Very interesting. I mirror myself as I read from start to end. Thanks for reminding of the things I need to do to better myself. More grace, more blessings in your career. ❤️❤️🙏🙏
I’m glad it was a good reminder for you Cecilia. Thank you! Take care of yourself 🙂
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