Staying Balanced: Self-Care Secrets For Peace Corps Volunteers
Areas that volunteers should keep an eye on for optimized mental health
Taking care of ourselves is important for everyone, but it's especially crucial for Peace Corps volunteers. An article called "6 Seemingly ‘Harmless’ Habits That Are Prematurely Aging Your Brain" by Sarah Bourassa reminds me why self-care matters during my service. The good news is that learning how to take care of our brain health now, can help us in the future when we need it most. Here are some important things to focus on:
Being Social: During Peace Corps service, we're in a new community, which can sometimes make us feel alone because of different cultures and languages. We need to make friends and connect with others, both in our host community and our Peace Corps cohort. Talking to people and joining community events can make us feel like we belong and keep our brains active.
Learning New Things: It's good for our brains to keep learning. You're already learning a new language, but don't let it stop after PST. Challenging yourself to continue with your language learning is a great way to keep your brain strong. But don't just stop there - read those books you always wanted to, learn new tech/computer/online skills that can help you during your service, and will be great to put on your resume when you COS.
Managing Stress: Peace Corps work can be tough, and it's easy to feel stressed. But finding ways to deal with stress, like taking deep breaths or doing exercise, can help keep our brains healthy. With volunteers being even more connected through the internet, learn all you can about how to manage stress. Life is always going to throw things at you, and this is a great time to perfect some of those skills.
Staying Active: Being a volunteer is a lot more physical than our lives back in the US. But that doesn't mean we should skip the workouts. Even physical people need to stress their hearts regularly. Doing physical activities isn't just good for our bodies. It also keeps our brains sharp. Making sure we move around every day is important for our overall well-being.
By paying attention to these areas of self-care, Peace Corps volunteers can keep their brains healthy and prevent problems in the future. Taking care of our brains now helps us stay sharp for a long time.