Looking after you

Self-care is taking care of oneself with the aim of improving mental health. When you engage in self-care, you are more likely to feel positive and less likely to suffer from stress. Self-care can strengthen your relationships with others, such as friends and family, because when you feel positive, others feel positive around you due to the contagious nature of emotions.

Effective self-care also means you have more energy and compassion to put into support for your loved ones. Self-care can also help lower your risk of unmanaged stress, as well as mood and anxiety disorders. While we can all benefit from self-care, it’s especially important for people who work in high stress environments or environments with exposure to trauma. Here are some helpful self-care tips to get you started.

Filter your social media

It’s estimated Facebook-using Australians spend an average of 8.5 hours a day on Facebook. According to the Australian Psychological Society, 37 per cent of people who use social media access it within the first 15 minutes of waking up.

If you are a regular social media user, consider what you have included on your newsfeed. Is it filled with images and words that lead