That text message can wait...

I'm BACK!!!   I want to go ahead and apologize to all my readers for my lack of posts.  In the past 2 months I  have left my past job and started a new one.  It has been a blessed change that was none too soon in making.  For those that do not know I am a social worker who works in the mental health and substance abuse field. I left a job where my primary duties was intense crisis situations in the emergency room setting. 

Now to be honest the crisis situations were not why I left but the  burn out that was occurring due to poor management.  I have now transitioned to a role as a therapist at another institution and I am very happy.  I want to talk about self care in this post. Start the conversation here and continue it throughout my upcoming posts.

Self-care is a concept I throw around on the daily with clients.  Checking in, educating, and empowering them to care for themselves.  It is probably the most under utilized coping tool out there.  

We spend our days in a flurry of emails, texts, meetings, school programs, art projects, homework, chores, carpooling, and I'm sure 100 other things.  We become so entrenched in the day to day and just getting by we lose sight of the big picture which is "us".

"Us" is who completes these tasks, carries us through life, and is with us at the end.  It is the carries "us" through life part we miss out on most often.  The whole "you can't see the forest through the trees" thing is so true, and the forest is "us".

We wonder why we have headaches, stomach problems, weight gain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, irritability, and a slew of other problems.  We experience these things because our bodies are desperately trying to get our attention and we just keep pressing forward. " I'll pop some Advil, pepto, and ambien" and it will be ok.  Well it won't.  Stress kills.  It affects our body's natural rythem and ability to stay healthy ( more on this to come).  

Now I know I just painted a grim picture but take a minute and just breathe.  Breathing in and out.  Imagine a ballon in your stomach inflating on the inhale and deflating on the exhale.  Visualize a different picture for yourself.  I picture without the constant need to struggle through another day.  Visualize a day of serenity and peace. Visualize a restful sleep, a headache free day, no stomachs pains day.   Paint that picture.  Wether your in a garden, on a beach, top of a mountain, or cozy in your bed. All while breathing in and out.  Feeling your stomach rise and fall.  Go ahead take a minute.. The rest can wait.

Now I hope you took a minute to paint that picture and breathe.  What you did in that moment is self care.  While you were breathing and visualizing you were resting, rebuilding, and revitalizing.  You used a form of mindfulness: deep breathing and imagery.  You took a moment to care for yourself.

There are so many ways to care for yourself.  It starts small with the intention to be kind to oneself, to love oneself, and to start caring for oneself.  

Choosing to eat differently or recommit to a healthier lifestyle is one but so is taking time throughout your day to reconnect with oneself. To be present in your moment in time: hold it, taste it, and love it.  

For me leaving a job that was slowly killing me through stress was my self care.  I'm reconnecting and recommitting to love myself everyday.  It starts small and it will grow if you foster it.  

I hope through this blog I can not only share recipes but also the need for love and caring for oneself.  We only get one life to live... That text message can wait.