So you are in a helping, caring, giving, sharing profession. You probably think this is totally normal because so many people that you work with are also doing the same thing, it seems normal.
But I’m here to tell you this is not normal, most people wouldn’t do what you do for any amount of money in the world. Never mind for the amount that you actually do it for.
So if you want to continue to give share, nurture, do for other people, you must push your self-care up to the top of the list. Blah, blah, blah. Everybody talks about self-care.
I know you will say, ‘I don’t have time.’ but I’m telling you, you don’t have time not to do this. You need to figure out how to do things that are going to make you feel well so you can keep doing well for other people.
You are going out when the whole rest of the world is staying in. You’re running to trouble when the rest of the world is running away. How can you do that sustainably if you are not taking care of yourself? You don’t have to do everything, but you have to do something.
I want you to write down three things that you can do to help yourself feel better emotionally. You don’t need anybody to tell you what to do, you know what you need to do. Start with something simple.
What I like to do is I like to associate what I want to do with a cue. A cue is a habit, a trigger, something that I already do. For example, washing your hands. Washing my hands can be a cue, (isn’t it sort of funny to see the rest of the world washing their hands as healthcare workers do!). When I do that it reminds me to do something else (the new habit I want to ingrain)
So maybe putting lotion on your hands instead of just doing it haphazardly, take an extra 15 seconds and luxuriate a little bit. Go ahead, no one will notice!
And as you do that, tell yourself, ‘I’m not in that much of a rush that I can take a few extra seconds to nurture myself.’ It is not about the subtlety of your skin, although that’s a nice bonus.
What it’s about is what’s in between your ears. Every time you take an extra minute to do that you send a message that says, ‘I’m important. I take care of myself, I value myself.’
It’s what’s in between our ears, that’s what we need to deal with. So even if you can’t go to the spa for a week, which you can’t do right now, there are little things that you can do for yourself.
Stop using the time, money, energy, excuse. This has to be a priority. Please hear me. This has to be a priority. Self-care in some form every day, a least a little bit.
Try in the morning, try in the evening, try a little bit in the afternoon, a couple of minutes here or there. It’s not just about your body, it’s about what’s in between your ears.
For emotional wellness in turbulent times, self-care is critical. It is critical and you can’t afford not to do it. So step up, look after yourself first.
We need you to do that. Thank you for what you do, really.
