PW01. Physical

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Welcome to Self Care: Session 01.

Here you can download the session PDF below by clicking on the button, or continue scrolling to fill out the private digital version.

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For easy access to handouts or worksheets referred to in the session, please use the links below, or continue scrolling.

ADLs WORKSHEET

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Session Digital Version

Entering your name, email address and hitting “Submit” after you complete the session sends a digital file, including all your responses, to you within the hour. Having a record of your thoughts will increase your understanding and help you learn. As you progress through CRAFT Connect you will be able to measure that progress.

Name

First Name

Last Name

1. Our physical well-being is connected to our emotional health. As we learn more about the nature of our bodies, we begin to recognize the importance of caring for our physical health. Although our bodies suffer from natural limitations, there are important ways to care for our bodies, so we have the strength and stamina to maneuver through life’s challenges. Sometimes we neglect taking care of our physical bodies, and don’t recognize that our physical health directly affects our mental health and well-being.

Discuss: Why is it important to understand the connection between our physical health practices and our emotions?

2. We might notice people around us who seem to be more energetic and joyful? One of the greatest reasons people have more energy and are overall happier is the good habits they have formed over time. Sometimes we fall into traps of bad habits or neglect daily rituals that directly affect our physical health. When we form and observe healthy habits, our bodies and our minds naturally respond positively, and we feel overall healthier and happier.

Discuss: What are some things you could incorporate into your daily life that would help you both physically and emotionally?

GET MOVING ACTIVITY

Step 1: If you are able, stand up for one minute and do something to move like stretch, walk around, or do jumping jacks. (If you need to stay seated, try and move your arms, legs, toes, and so forth.)

Discuss: How did this short activity make you feel? What blessings come from using our physical bodies?

3. Have you ever felt that your life is like a “rubber band”, stretched to its maximum, ready to snap? The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Regular exercise, which can be useful for anyone at any age or fitness level, is a healthy and highly effective approach of releasing the rubber band. Your exercise options are endless; walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, gardening, dancing – even household chores. Exercise improves mental health by helping to reduce anxiety, depression, and negative mood and increase self- esteem and cognitive functioning. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal. This is because physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier, more relaxed and less anxious.

NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN'T EXERCISED FOR A LONG TIME, HAVE CHRONIC HEALTH PROBLEMS (HEART DISEASE, DIABETES, ARTHRITIS) OR OTHER CONCERNS, CHECK WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL BEFORE STARTING A NEW EXERCISE PLAN.

ENJOYABLE ACTIVITY

Step 1. Individually make a list of physical activities you enjoy doing, which increase your chances of making regular exercise a habit.

Step 2. Decide how much time you will spend a day during the week doing these activities

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Step 3. Share your plan with a partner.

4. Maintaining good personal hygiene includes bathing regularly, washing your hands, brushing your teeth and wearing clean clothing. It also includes making safe and healthy decisions when interacting with others. Implementing good personal hygiene practices has both health and social reasons and benefits. See “Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) Worksheet”.

Discuss: What have you learned about the importance of good personal hygiene so that you might be able to keep yourself clean and healthy throughout your life and avoid the social stigma that can accompany poor hygiene habits?

5. How much sleep do I need? Everyone is unique so there are no official guidelines about how much sleep you should get each night. On average, a normal amount of sleep for an adult is considered to be around seven to eight hours a night. Children and babies may sleep for much longer than this, older adults may sleep for less. What is important is whether you feel you get enough sleep, and whether your sleep is of good quality. You are probably not getting enough good quality sleep if you constantly feel tired throughout the day and it’s affecting the normal functioning of everyday life.

Discuss: How can fatigue affect our ability to make decisions, solve problems, control our emotions or behavior and handled change?

IMPROVE SLEEP ACTIVITY

Improving your sleep habits may be helped by understanding how much sleep you are currently getting.

Step 1. On your own chart your sleep patterns for the next seven nights.

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Satuday

Step 2: Come prepared to the next session to pair up with another person and share what you wrote.

Discuss: What are some barriers that may make it difficult for you to sleep?

6. What can I do if I can’t sleep?

• Keep to a regular sleep schedule as much as possible • Try a short “power” nap if it’s difficult to stay awake during the day • Relax and reduce distractions in your bedroom • Exercise daily • Avoid going to bed hungry or overeating at dinner • Never TRY to sleep

Discuss: What other ideas have worked for you? How do you think these ideas could help you better manage your sleep habits?

7. "Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller. Rest is more than just getting enough sleep. The world is fast-paced and we may feel pressured to keep up. We may be in a phase of life that seems overwhelming (such as parents of young children or caring for a sick loved one).

SLOW DOWN ACTIVITY

Step 1: Individually consider the following questions:

In what areas of my life do I need to slow down?

What could I do that would provide me rest?

When could I create space in my daily routine to rest?

Step 2: With a partner, talk about what you can do to rest more.

8. “For adults a healthy diet includes the following: Fruit, vegetables, legumes (e.g. lentils and beans), nuts and whole grains (e.g. unprocessed maize, millet, oats, wheat and brown rice). At least 400 g (i.e. five portions) of fruit and vegetables per day excluding potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava and other starchy roots.” World Health Organization (WHO), 2018

FOOD DIARY ACTIVITY

Step 1: As a group decide which day of the next week to keep a food diary,

Step 2: On that day make a list of everything you ate or drank yesterday by main food category -- fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, dairy and other. Use “Other” for anything that doesn’t fit into a category. (Do not include water.)

Fruits category

Vegetables category

Grains category

Protein category

Protein is found in a variety of foods including beans and peas, dairy products, eggs, grains and vegetables (these generally provide less protein than is found in other sources), meats and poultry, nuts and seeds, seafood (fish and shellfish) and soy products. (FDA 2018)

Dairy category

Other category

Step 3: Based on your food diary card answering these questions:

Food category that would be healthy to increase eating:

Food in that category I have not listed that I could increase eating:

Food category that would be healthy to decrease eating:

Food in that category that I could change to something healthier:

Step 4: Come prepared to the next session to share what you wrote.

9. Unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity are leading global risks to health. These three food groups can cause many health problems so need to be eaten ‘sparingly’. Sugars. Medical experts recommend keeping intake of added sugars to about 200 calories per day, but the average intake in some age groups is almost twice that amount. The leading sources of added sugars are soda pop, cakes, cookies, candy, and ice cream. Sodium. Usually consumed as salt, can increase blood pressure and risks for heart attacks and strokes. Most of our salt comes in processed foods. Fats. Fats in our foods can add to obesity and heart disease. Fried foods and processed foods are usually high in fats.

Discuss: Pair up with another person and talk about practical ways to lower sugars, salt and fat in your daily diets.

10. One final note. If you become so preoccupied with food and weight issues that you find it harder and harder to focus on other aspects of your life, it may be an early sign of an eating disorder. Check with medical professionals about your eating habits, behaviors and beliefs (NAMI, 2020).

Think: Take a few minutes to quietly think about what you learned in this session. Write your thoughts below.

What are the most important things I learned?

What will I do differently because of what I learned?

11. These are our commitments for this week. We will start our next session by reporting on them. This week I will:

• Follow my physical activity plan. • Analyze my sleep patterns. • Keep a food diary • Record a week of Activities of Daily Living on the worksheet. • Share what I am learning with my family, friends and community.

Session Digital Version

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) Worksheet

PW02. Healthy Thinking