Self Care if you dare...

Self- care is certainly something there is more talk about these days...it probably ramped up in use during the lockdown experience, and has since continued. With all that is going on in the world, the constancy of it, changes afoot, and impacts on the individual and collective....it is easy to become overwhelmed.

Here are some things to be mindful of considering the above:

* limit the amount of time you spend watching the news, not much happens in a day, limit it to every other day.
* in addition, put limits on the amount of time you spend on devices, social media, podcasts, etc. When you add that to the fact many in the workforce are sitting in front of a screen, that's a lot of time engaging with artificial environments.
* caring for one Self, should be something that is nourishing, fill your cup, allowing your body to recuperate, recover, from the stresses of life. Spending time in nature is one of the most natural ways to fill your cup, as is meditating, receiving a massage, acupuncture, drawing, engaging in a playful activity..

Another part of self-care is boundaries:

Boundaries are a way of deciding what is and isn't okay with you, and then, letting the other know. It takes courage in some relationships to verbalise those, and then, there is the job of maintaining or reinforcing them. This is often most challenging in long term relationships, where the boundaries are being applied for the first time. I have found in such cases needing to reinforce those boundaries and if the person continues to disrespect them, deciding whether I want to continue having a relationship with them, or limit the nature of the relationship, as part of my own self care.

Self-care is also becoming aware of our own behaviours ones which cause .us harm (self-sabotage). For example, at one stage in my life I had a habit of saying yes to helping someone out, without thinking, and then, get resentful because I had overcommitted myself. My habit wasn't serving my wellbeing, so I started buying time, and asking the person if I could get back to them. That gave me the space to think about whether I could do what they were asking, if I even wanted too, and if I even had the time.

Just some of my thoughts on self-care this beautiful winters day here in Sydney! 
Wishing you an enjoyable weekend, and I would love to hear of anything you would like to share regarding the above.