We have all heard it before – ensure you make time for yourself, who will take care of you if you don’t take care of yourself first? or if you don’t take care of yourself now… you’ll be sorry later!
We all know this advice, yet we still don’t prioritize ourselves on a regular basis… or even at all. Our family, our kids or even our job seem to come first a lot of the time – taking up our time, our thoughts and our energy. Differences in cultural or individual beliefs, life circumstances, financial constraints or even lack of awareness or a support system may factor in to why someone may be practicing only a little to no self-care at all.
I have spectacularly crashed and burned more than once in my life with stress and burnout and some of those situations could have been avoided if I had spent even a fraction of my time listening to what my body and brain were trying to tell me – STOP, BREATHE, TAKE TIME FOR YOU!!!
Wanting to ‘do it all’ and be what I thought society norms classified as ‘successful’ only brought me despair, feelings of not being good enough, exhaustion and sickness. I would usually wait till I could see the bottom of my burnout bucket rushing towards me before I would take action and spend some time taking care of me. It took me years to realize that I sure was working hard at just patching myself up ‘enough’… only to start ‘all refreshed’ down the same path to overcommitment and habitual neglect.
I ran and ran and ignored all the signs that my subconscious and body were sending my way until I literally couldn’t walk at all. A twinge in my hip quickly turned into a completely deteriorated joint in a matter of months – to the point that I was told I needed a hip replacement at 42 years old!
Seriously ?!?! How did that happen???
Apparently, I am a reverse medical marvel as there was absolutely no explanation as to why and how this had happened. (I totally know why now but that is for a different blog post)
The ultimate blessing in that sad turn of events is… that bum hip brought me to a place of realization and self-reflection and for lack of a better phrase – I finally saw the light! Or maybe the light finally shone when I was forced to start to put myself first. I started down a path of prioritizing what I needed to heal myself and maintain my physical and mental well-being.
It wasn’t easy – I realized that my lack of a regular self-care routine was like a bad habit. Habits are hard to break but not insurmountable, it often just comes down to creating a new routine and repetition. Did I relapse and backslide into old behaviours? You bet I did! But it became a lot easier to take those setbacks as learning opportunities and get back to resuming my journey of self-care. And yes – they were learning opportunities!
It was a hard and bumpy road to discover the true importance of self-care, but it has also led me down such an enlightened path of self-love and self-healing. I am about to turn 52 years old and sometimes think it is kind of sad that it took me this long to get it together but also realize that perhaps I wasn’t wise enough or ready to hear the message before now.
Self-care means different things to different people. Spa days and other pampering may be what some people need, and others need to walk in nature or get their hands in the dirt and plant things. Find what rejuvenates and nourishes your soul and not only make time for it… but do it more often.
A regular routine of self-care has turned into a deeper self-love for myself. I AM good enough and there is only one of me and I must share my time and energy with my friends and family… but also with myself. I no longer see the bottom of the burnout bucket and by taking care of myself, everyone in my circle (including me) gets a better, more authentic and patient part of me.
I feel that self-love fell naturally into place once I got a handle on consistent self-care. To me, self-love embodies more than just self-care routines. It involves a deep appreciation, acceptance and compassion for your relationship with yourself. It is about recognizing your inherent worth and taking care of yourself in a way that promotes your well-being and happiness.
Self care is not a luxury, it is a necessity❤️
Self care = self love… which = self healing
Season 10 of Breath Therapy Classes starts tomorrow! This class embodies self-care and self-love! Please join us at the Knox Performance Centre, 1448 5th Ave, Prince George, BC from 5:15-6:30 PST.
Registration for the season ends tonight (which includes recordings)
Drop-ins are always welcome too!
sign up for a monthly class reminder - click HERE
Much love,
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