05/31/2022
We know that self-care is vital to our well-being.
We know that it is not a luxury, we know it should be a priority.
Yet, we sometimes fall short on this.
We forget our tools, practices, rituals.
May was a rough month for me. Still in physical pain to the point I couldn’t stand, sit, or walk for any period of time. I was constantly fidgeting to find a way to settle that wasn’t painful. The only time I left my apartment was to go to the doctor or pharmacy.
Things have weighed heavily on me too. The manner of passing of a country music legend, assault on women's rights, and the mass shootings in a supermarket and a school. I'm so crushed by the pain people are in, the lack of humanity and compassion, the refusal of authorities to take action to prevent such incidents. The determination to remove women's choice but not protecting children in school.
On one end, I just want to stay curled up under the covers, and on the other, I want to act, but don’t know what I can do. Staying under the covers is not helping anyone, and certainly not helping me. I admit it, I let my self-care fall to the side. Yet, this is when we really need to ramp up our self-care. Take the time to self-soothe in a healthy manner. Feel the feelings, take the nap, spend some time alone, ask for help, seek comfort with loved ones. Breathe, meditate to regulate your system.
How do you move through the difficult periods? What are your tools for self-care even when you don't feel like it?