Self-Care and Heart Failure

According to www.selfcarefederation.org, “self-care is the practice of individuals looking after their own health using the knowledge and information available to them.” It can range from going for a walk down to taking a nap. Whatever it is that takes you to that happy place is considered a form of self-care.

A nice walk outside is good for your vitamin D intake and it is also good for your mental health, which means it's a double-duty self-care activity. Taking a nap is self-care because we all need rest and relaxation to restore our energy. Naps are also very beneficial for the heart, can reduce stress, and improve your mood.

Besides paying attention to your cardiology appointments, taking medications prescribed by your doctors, limiting salt intake, and keeping logs that track vital signs, there are many other ways in which people with heart failure can practice self-care. Here are some of the things I do for my own self-care.

How I practice self-care

Yoga

Yoga is a discipline that focuses on bringing the mind and the body to harmony. The benefits of yoga range from improving balance and flexibility, to building muscle strength. I have seen studies that show that it's good for cardiovascular health as well. I like to use yoga to work on my balance as well as using it to stretch my body. Working out is also something that I like to do 5-6 days a week because it's good for you to exercise your heart. I also like what it does to my body physically.

It is important that you don't start any exercise programs unless you talk to your doctors.

Meditation and mindfulness

Practicing daily meditation and mindfulness is another thing that I do for my self-care routine. For those of you who don’t know anything about mediation, it is so relaxing. According to Meriam-Webster.com, "meditation is to engage in mental exercises (such as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness."

What I like to do is lie on my back with my eyes closed and focused on my breathing. With each inhale, I am inhaling positive thoughts. With each exhale I am exhaling negative thoughts. I know it sounds weird, but it works for me.

Journaling

This is another form of self-care that is a must for me. It's something new this year that I started doing. And it's a way for me to express myself and my emotions. Whether it is a good or bad day I like to write in it and sometimes I even go back and read previously written journal entries.

Praying

Praying is something that is a must in my self-care routine. Every morning I have a morning devotional time where I read the Daily Bread book with lessons. Afterward, I read my bible and spend time with God praying. I find when I skip this step my mood and my thoughts are negative.

Limiting social media

This can be very important for your mental health as well as a form of self-care. Social media can be an information overload and it connects people and gives people a window into your life. The problem is when you start comparing your life with theirs and wishing that you have a life like theirs. If truth be told, a lot of these people are doing it for likes and more followers. For example, someone may have bought a nice luxury car, but they aren’t showing them struggling or what they have to do just to make the monthly payments on it. The same thing goes with relationships, nobody has the perfect relationship as much as social media makes you think they do. The key is to live your life not based on social media but instead to just live the life that you have.

Self-care with heart failure

These are just a short list of things that I like to do for self-care, but that does not mean that you cannot create something for your own self-care routine.

Other forms of self-care are eating healthy, managing stress, sitting in sunlight, lighting a candle, or reading a book. There are others if you look it up on Google, but don’t limit yourself, because what works for me may not work for you.

What forms of self-care do you participate in? How have they helped you in your heart failure journey?