Are you feeling exhausted or overwhelmed? Start with how you are looking after you and put yourself first. You will thank yourself and so will your employer, business or family.
I've just booked to get my nails done. That's self care, right?
Well, yes it is. The thing is...getting my nails done isn't going to be enough to get me to okay. What do I mean by that? Let me explain. I'm not great at putting myself first.
The phrase "put your own oxygen mask on before helping others". Hmmm.
The times I have ended up eating lunch at 4 in the afternoon because I've been sidetracked by work.
The times where I've said that I'll skip that yoga/run/walk to "just get this done".
The times where "I'll just respond to this email" even though it's late in the evening and a better choice would have been to put the devices down ages ago to ensure I get a decent nights sleep.
Is it just me? Or does any of this resonate with you?
I'm currently working hard to uncover why my wiring has defaulted to this. Is it my childhood? Is it me taking my role in HR to the extreme?
What I do know is that without help being okay (or even better!) I really can't help and support others, so ironically, I will be doing precisely the opposite of the professional I want to be! Ignoring my needs has taken me to burnout, completely stressing my body out to the point where I was struggling to physically get out of bed in the morning and risking more serious thyroid and auto-immune related illnesses. The day those test results came in was a wake-up call, let me tell you!
As a result, whilst I'm not perfect and I now recognise that self-care is more than a haircut, a bath, or getting my nails done. It's making sure I'm meeting my own fundamental needs.
I know what my needs are: sleep (8hrs - I'm kidding myself if I think it's less!), water (2 litres a day, more if I'm exercising and/or it's hot), movement (not always pushing myself to run but a mindful walk, yoga, dancing), good quality food, cooked from scratch (not processed food).
Sounds really simple, but sometimes I could still do better.
Are you feeling exhausted or overwhelmed? Start with how you are looking after you and put yourself first. You will thank yourself and so will your employer, business or family! What's the reason you don't? That's a matter for on-going personal development.
Want to reflect more? Try the below to support your discovery:
The Art of Extreme Self-Care, Cheryl Richardson
Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee