self-care

one of my best friends, captain stressy pants, is nearing burnout and as far as i can tell, has very little time for self-care. 

i want to talk about what self-care means. 

i have not been practicing self-care in my time off. i have been sitting around, napping, watching tv, and killing time. 

the only 2 things that i have been doing that involves self-care has been blogging, and going to therapy. 

so it's time for me to write about it, and then begin to DO it. 

so what IS self-care anyway? 

it is doing things that make you feel good. it is taking the time to make yourself important. 

self-care means only taking on what you can handle. it means choosing to put yourself first once in awhile. CP says, "whenever i think of self-care i always think about when you fly on an airplane and the emergency instructions tell you to put your oxygen mask on first before helping others." .it means taking time to do the things that make you happy, like making music, or going for a walk, doing yoga, and having fun. as a new mom, CP says that you don't find time for self-care, you have to advocate for yourself and ASK for it. 

i asked LES what she thinks about self-care. she replied:

i feel a constant drive to do things, be for others, take care of others, move forward … i feel like stopping and putting me first means putting others last and doing that makes me feel worse and then not at all self-carish ... i practice self-preservation, like having a cup of tea and being silent … even if just for a moment… it restores me enough to keep going

i assured her that self-preservation is a form of self-care. taking time in your day to take care of yourself and tend to your needs. even if that means a cup of tea. 

captain stressy pants is close to burnout because of her job. so i thought i would share these tips on how to practice self-care at work:

the biggest problem that we have with self-care is that the word "self" sounds like the word "selfish" ... but putting your needs ahead of others isn't selfish, it is self-preservation. 

saying "no" is a complex but simple way to practice self-care. something that we certainly need to do more of, and feel less guilty about. as i said in a previous post, nosy nora says that saying no is simple ... "it starts with your tongue on the back of your teeth and ends with your lips in a circle."

today i challenge you to take a few minutes to do something entirely for yourself. something that makes you feel good. it could be as simple as sitting at the table and eating an apple. 

be kind to yourself,

xoxo

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