So, if you have been reading my blog for a while, I am sure you noticed that I have not been around for a minute. Nothing new has come out this month! I do hope you were going back to enjoy a blog post you may have missed though. Your support is greatly appreciated. Sometimes you have to take a break. So I did!

This has been a season of busyness. I am always doing things. Working on trying not to be  “busy” though because I miss so many things that I really need in my life like family moments and that time we all need to sit back and just smell the roses. July has been a month of busyness. The good thing was that I was busy taking care of me and my family so I do not apologize for that. It is something that we all needed. Especially me!

What have i been up to

I have been all over the place preparing for my youngest son’s first year of homeschooling through high school, my middle son’s next year in a new private college, and my oldest son preparing to expand his little family and become a dad. Not to mention doing some upgrades in my home and working part time. Phew, just saying all of that brings every emotion imaginable to my mind. Do I smile, cry, or scream right now? I don’t know. Maybe I will do them all when it’s all said and done.

Taking care of ourselves is not selfish. Not at all. Sometimes you have to take a break. I mean, imagine finishing what’s left in your cup and your hungry baby comes to you thirsty. What can you give them? Now you are both in need. We have to take time to do the things that fill us up. That is different for each one of us so I would not dare try to tell you what to do to be filled. You know what will do it! Maybe it’s getting away to walk in nature or read a good book. A bath, a drive, or even a vacation away from it all.

Whatever it is, we NEED it. When we don’t receive it, our bodies will let us know what is most needed at the time and physical show us what happens when the need goes unfulfilled. The most important thing to do then is to give your body what it is asking for…yes, even if it is a nap!

self care is not selfish

 

Self care is not being selfish or self-indulgent. Remember that. It means that you are taking time to care for yourself so that you can be healthy, well, and so that you can get done what you desire to be done. You can help and care for others when you are properly helped and cared for. That starts with you!

When we take care of ourselves, we are better able to cope with the daily stressors in our lives. We can prevent illness and dis-ease (yes, I said it that way) in our minds and bodies. Self care helps us to have more positive health outcomes, like resilience, living longer, and being able to manage stress when we practice self care. We may even experience more happiness and joy in our lives. There is no need to apologize for taking the time to do so. The people that love us should care enough to make space for that and celebrate it.

doing what we have to do

Sometimes you have to take a break. Like now! If you are anything like me, outside of the things that are happening in our personal lives, we are still in this pandemic. We are still dealing with everything that is happening in the world because of it. Anyone else tired of wearing a mask but will wear that thing until real relief is on the way? I want to protect everyone I come in contact with. I can’t imagine being the cause of someone having a bad experience with COVID. Let alone my own family members is I come in contact with someone with it. I am not gonna lie and say that I am over it, for real. Wear it, I shall though.

Self care has really become more mainstream now since the lockdowns and quarantining began. It is more about tuning in to one’s needs and meeting those needs. What took us so long to get to this place? We have always had needs that needed to be met right? Whatever your need is, take time and make it a priority. YOU are a priority. They or that thing can wait.

health care

Health care is a part of self care. Learning more about what your body needs by getting bloodwork and paying attention to how your body feels after you eat or encounter certain people, for example. Important! It is all self care and important in your overall wellbeing. I finally get to coach people in these areas and it feels so good. Being a wellness coach was always a dream of mine and I finally took the time to listen to not just what my body needed but what my heart was craving and that was to help others while helping myself. I love what I do! I feel like I am living a dream.

Take all of the steps you need to tend to your physical and emotional health in ways that are best for you. Not trying to sound mean or anything but if you leave this earth because you helped the world and stressed yourself to death, the people who are left behind will just find someone else to do what you did for them. Be an advocate and protector of you! You have no idea how much more you are helping the people you love. You can’t really give anything at all from an empty cup. Fill your cup and give from your overflow. Sometimes you have to take a break.

Now go show up for yourself!