Results of Question of the Month – May 2023
This article is from the June 2023 issue.
Q1: How have you been practicing self-care during the pandemic? (Select all that apply.)
| Answer Choices | Responses |
| Taking walks | 78.85% |
| Exercising | 55.77% |
| Listening to music | 57.69% |
| Reading | 82.69% |
| Connecting with family and friends | 59.62% |
| Gardening | 17.31% |
| Bike riding | 17.31% |
| Dancing | 19.23% |
| Cooking | 36.54% |
| Taking regular breaks | 34.62% |
| Eating healthy meals | 46.15% |
| Getting appropriate amounts of sleep | 51.92% |
| Practicing mindfulness | 32.69% |
| Practicing yoga | 30.77% |
| Saying ‘no’ more often | 21.15% |
| Talking to a therapist | 25.00% |
| Periodically taking mental health days | 17.31% |
| Other (please specify) |
| Other responses |
| Started Silent Meditation practice (over ZOOM) with alumni group |
| Taking art classes |
| Vacationing in remote places without Internet to ensure a break from work. |
| Prayer |
| Consistent masking |
| Zooming with friends Zooming my storyhours for ages 0-5 (preferred over Facebook Live so I could see the kids) |
| Religious practice |
| Arts & Crafts |
| Writing / journaling Creating art Cuddling with my cats Gift giving Volunteering Meditation Visiting places where there are animals to pet (i.e. petting zoo, park, dog friendly spots, friend’s houses, etc.) Acknowledging when my spoons are depleted and resort to knives (kidding!) <— utilizing humor (with kindness) to take the edge off of tense situations or just put a smile on someone else’s face Visiting all the doctors for my health issues |
| Attending church and Bible study |
| Spending time with my dog |
| Switched jobs |
| Cold-water lake swimming |
| I gave myself a list of few things I wanted to try to do each day – modest goals of things I really enjoy. Each day I checked in and gave myself a checkmark if I did it. No shame. These were things I really wanted to do: – 10 minutes of piano playing – 10 minutes of my book (audio or reading) – 20 slow breaths in a quiet room – 10 minutes of stretching I felt so great about doing it and it helped me stop doom-scrolling endlessly. |
| Having regular weekly Zoom meetings in the evening with a few coworkers to just hangout and support each other. |
| Continuing even now: Wearing a mask in public indoor spaces; keeping up to date on my vaccines and boosters |
| I took oodles of online classes and events: language classes, cooking classes, book clubs, theatrical performances, etc. Learning has always been my therapy! |
| Oldie but a goodie: treat yo’ self! For me, in the forms of an indulgence now and then, like a donut or some whisky! |
Q2: Is there anything you would like to start doing now to improve your self-care routine?
| Responses |
| Taking ‘time off’, life/work balance seriously. |
| Keep connecting with friends. |
| more strength training (exercise) and being out in nature |
| I would like to participate more in therapy. I just started and already feeling positive results. |
| Regular therapist talks/visits. |
| Get back to eating healthy |
| SLEEP (seeing doctors about that) Getting back into yoga |
| Meditation |
| Reminding myself that it’s okay to take care of myself FIRST. |
| Stop overeating to maintain healthy weight. |
| I want to learn to set boundaries and feel that it’s okay to say no to work projects or social events. |
| Letting go and forgiving |
| Eating healthier. |
| Exercising more |
| healthy eating |
| Exercising, eating healthy meals, saying “no” more often, practicing mindfulness and yoga, and getting more sleep. |
| Talking to a therapist |
| Practicing more “mindfulness” to relieve stress and anxiety |
| Plan my work hours differently. Also, I would LOVE to have a choice to work remotely, at least a day or two a week. Unfortunately, my boss and admin i general are NOT supportive. 🙁 |
| Strength training (although this was a priority even before the pandemic) which I hope to start once I’m retired (which is happening within the current calendar year) |
| My diet is pretty good and I’m all around healthy, but I think it can be better so, gradually making improvements to long-term eating habits. That and, not unrelatedly, getting a green thumb: keeping a plant or two around. |
| Be more consistent in my exercise regime. |
| I’ve kept up this list and change it from time to time when I would rather do other things. Routines and habits really help me resist too much technology and unhealthy eating. |
| Do LESS! |
| Start working less and becoming comfortable with doing “nothing” |
| Getting better about limiting my screen time / scrolling. Sticking to a bedtime routine to get enough sleep. |
| I would like to designate an hour each day for self care and work on getting more sleep. |
| Continue masking. I have an autoimmune condition |
| Journaling + I need to build better sleep habits |
| More exercise since I am not an exerciser due to mobility issues. |
| Exercise more regularly. Increase prayer life. Get more involved at my place of worship. |
| Getting appropriate amounts of sleep and having better sleep “hygiene” |
| Meditation |
We would love to have your feedback on this article(s)!
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