During the month of September this year, Goshen decided to extend its first Friday theme of self-care for the whole month, making it self care September in downtown Goshen.
To find out more about what self-care meant, Globe News spoke with licensed clinical social worker, Jennifer Miller about what self-care is and its importance. Miller said, “I think about self-care as all of the things that we do to maintain good health and to improve our well being. And so, everyday activities like things that you find fun and relaxing and what energizes us are all part of self-care and I don’t think we couldn’t live without it.”
We also talked with the part-owner and instructor at Spacious Heart Yoga, Liz Shenk, on how mindful exercise can help with self-care. Shenk said, “So September is a self-care month and it also happens to be national yoga. Yoga and exercise are really great ways to not only improve your physical health but also to improve your mental health as well. When you exercise through a mindful way like with yoga or Tai Chi or meditation, then you’re also helping to decrease stress in the body and increase flexibility, increase wellness, and overall well being.
Miller also warns against calling anything self-care. “if it’s something unhealthy or harmful. It doesn’t really count as self-care. So if you’re, you know, using substances or overeating or doing some kind of addictive or self-harming behavior, pornography or gambling or something that doesn’t really qualify, I mean, it probably does in the short term, help you feel better or like relieves the emotional distress of the moment. But really, the long term effects are more harmful than they are helpful.”
Self-care September ends on September 30th. More information about self-care September can be found at downtowngoshen.org.
