By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
Self-care and wellness have become top of mind for people all around the world. Self-care can look like therapy to time alone with a book.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote their own health, prevent disease, maintain health and to cope with illness.”
Many can benefit from self-care and veterans are no exception.
“I’ve learned over the years from several different other veterans the importance behind taking care of myself,” said Terrence Hayes, deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. “They taught me that if I take an interest in self care that I would be the best version of myself professionally, personally.”
Hayes shared that mental health is one of the most important ways he practices self-care.
Hayes said he uses “yoga, meditation and exercise” to improve and maintain his mental health.
Eli Williamson, co-founder of Leave No Veterans Behind, told the AFRO that he uses swimming to better his health.
“It’s a place that forces you to breathe,” said Williamson. “You can’t swim being tight, rigid.”
Williamson also views swimming as beneficial in teaching “balance and about relaxation.”
Disconnecting from technology
Hayes said making sure he takes time away from his phone, laptop and the internet helps him enjoy the life in front of him.
“I find that when I tend to disconnect from those items, I’m able to reset my mind,” said Hayes. “I’m able to put things in better perspective and my stress level tends to go down.”
Hayes recognized that in a technological world this can be challenging, but it’s worth it.
“To be able to disconnect from them at least an hour before you lay down for bed is critical,” said Hayes. “You’re allowing your body to truly rest. You have to know when to turn it off so you can actually get that rest time.”
Connecting with others
Though taking a break from technology is encouraged, Williamson said connecting with others is an important aspect of self-care.
“People are very disconnected,” said Williamson. “Right now everyone is connected through phones, but very disconnected interpersonally. They don’t have proximity to one another.”
According to the Army Resilience Directorate, feeling connected with others can help prevent suicide and increase quality of life.
On the flipside of connecting with others, Hayes said making sure he has alone time to journal is important to him because it can be “humbling and restful.”
“Journaling allows me the opportunity to write my thoughts down. Put down things like goals and aspirations,” said Hayes. “I’m able to go back in my journal and see the things that I’ve written and see some of the things I’ve been able to accomplish.”