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Love was in the air at White Sands Missile Range on Valentine's Day, but it wasn't just the flowers and chocolates that made the day special. The Army Substance Abuse Program hosted an exciting "Invest in Yourself" workshop at the Professional Development Center, teaching the community about self-love and the importance of self-care.
Jessica Williams, who coordinates the White Sands Missile Range Employee Assistance Program, led the class and provided her professional-based definition of self-care:
Self-care is self-initiated daily behaviors that promote taking care of ourselves emotionally, physically and mentally to promote well-being and prevent disease.
For instance, taking time off to relax, getting enough sleep, self-compassion, eating healthy, decorating your work space, decluttering, and seeking support when needed. Engaging in activities similar to these are essential for well-being and can help us to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and improve overall health.
"Self-care helps us manage stress. Stress management is really important because when we are feeling stress, our body creates cortisol, a stress hormone that is stored in our bodies and is in charge of our fight or flight response," said Williams. "Stress is often perceived as a threat to our nervous system. If you are constantly in fight or flight mode because you are in constant stress, the stress gets stored all over your body and starts depleting your natural resources."
Williams explained that long-term stress can slow down the nervous system, dysregulate the digestive system, and cause hormonal imbalance. Engaging in self-care activities can help prevent chronic illness by reducing stress and its negative impacts on the body.
During the class, Williams also highlighted that practicing self-care is not selfish. It is essential to prioritize our well-being; by doing so, we can also take better care of others. Self-care helps us recharge and be more productive and effective in our daily lives. Ultimately, caring for ourselves is good for us and the people around us.
Personal boundaries are the guidelines, rules, or limits a person creates to identify reasonable, safe, and permissible ways for others to behave towards them. These boundaries are essential for our well-being and self-care, as they help us to communicate our needs, protect our time and energy, and maintain healthy relationships.
There are several types of personal boundaries that people may exhibit. One type is rigid boundaries, where a person avoids forming close relationships and showing intimacy. Another type is porous boundaries, where a person overshares personal information. The third type is healthy boundaries, where a person values their own opinions and has a balance between sharing and withholding information. These boundaries can vary depending on situational factors, such as being at work, being in an unfamiliar environment with strangers or cultural expectations.
"Imagine you're a house, and a boundary is your door. A rigid boundary is essentially where you have a closed door, meaning you are not allowing anybody or anything in," said Williams. "You are very protective of yourself, your time, your energy."
Williams shared seven types of personal boundaries that are considered best practices for achieving these goals:
- Mental - freedom to have your own thoughts, values and opinions
- Emotional - how emotionally available you are to others
- Material - monetary decisions, giving or lending to others
- Internal - self-regulation, energy expended on self vs. others
- Conversational - topics that you do and do not feel comfortable discussing
- Physical - privacy, personal space, your body
- Time - how much time you spend with someone or doing something
Each of these boundaries plays a critical role in maintaining our mental, physical, and emotional health, and we can use them to create a balanced and fulfilling life.
Williams also taught the class about discovering their unique love language and how it can help them learn to love themselves. After taking the assessment, the students were excited to learn how to practice self-care based on their love language. Williams provided some eye-opening examples. For instance, for someone whose love language is positive affirmations, journaling is an excellent way to practice self-care. Someone whose love language is receiving gifts can practice self-care by investing in a hobby.
For more information on the Army Substance Abuse Program, Employee Assistance Program or the topics discussed in this article, please contact Jessica Williams at: jessica.l.williams252.civ@army.mil
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