One A Day: Small Daily Acts of Self-Care Go a Long Way to Health

By the We Can Do This COVID-19Public Education Campaign(NAPSI)–The winter holidays have ended, and spring is in sight. As the days start to lengthen, it is a good time to tend to your overall health and well-being, including your mental health, by practicing daily acts of self-care.Mental health and physical health are closely related. Our emotional, psychological, and social well-being affect how we think, feel, and act. Caring for all parts of ourselves helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.Making small healthy choices each day can build habits and make a difference as we move out of winter and into spring. Here are some self-care activities you can fit into your daily routine:• Take breaks to unwind through yoga, music, gardening, or new hobbies. Try new things and make the ones that make you feel good a regular part of your week.• Find ways to connect with family and friends, get support, and share your feelings. Staying in touch with friends and family online or with a phone call or chatting with a neighbor outside can help you connect and keep you from feeling isolated.• Make physical activity part of your daily life. Tending to your health through physical activity doesn’t require a gym membership. Dancing, taking a walk, or even working in your yard or cleaning house can improve your mood and your overall health. • Treat yourself to healthy foods. Splurge when you can on fresh fruits and vegetables. Finding a vegetable that you’ve never had before at a farmer’s market or a grocery that carries foods from another culture and learning how to prepare it can be a fun way to include more fresh food in your diet.• Make sure you are up to date on vaccines, especially COVID-19 vaccines. Updated COVID vaccines can restore protection that may have waned over time and keep you healthy to participate in activities you enjoy. “Staying current on COVID vaccines is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and can give people extra peace of mind about their health,” said Dr. Janice Blanchard, Professor of Emergency Medicine at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “Getting vaccinated provides added protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID, and helps reduce the risk of getting long COVID too.” Move into spring, a time of renewal, with a renewed commitment to healthy habits and actions.For more information about COVID vaccines and to find a vaccine near you, visit vaccines.gov.