ta ke i t ea s y Local experts discuss opportunities for self-care, and it all starts with making time B Y V I RG I NI A RO B INS ON
PHOTOGR A PHY BY BRIAN A BROUGH
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EFORE YOU CONTINUE, TAKE A DEEP BREATH.
Now take another one. How do you feel? It’s a question most of us ask as the New Year approaches. How are you doing? What could make your life better? We’re not alone in this exercise, and fortunately, we don’t have to be without assistance; Durham is chock-full of professionals who can help you rejuvenate, whether that’s a quick tap of the reset button or a big change. We asked five experts in a range of fields for their best self-care advice for people with small, intermediate and larger, long-term goals. While their answers reflect their particular fields, two common threads emerge: the willingness to set aside time and the benefits of mindfulness.
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Overwhelmingly, the No. 1 practice that our experts mention for simple, quick (and free!) self-care is meditation and breathing. “We are in such a blaming, judging society,” says Dr. Philip Barr, lead physician at Duke Integrative Medicine, which combines traditional primary care with therapies including nutrition, acupuncture, psychotherapy, yoga and massage. “When that extends to blaming and judging ourselves, the resultant negative self-talk can seriously drive
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december/january 2018