Real Self Care

Before I got sick, I associated self care with relaxation.  Candles, bubble baths, and incense come to mind.  

When you're dealing with a chronic condition, however, self care can be a lot less glamorous.  Sometimes, self-care means disappointing other people, leaving things "unfinished", and learning to be ok with that. I'm still working on it.  

I'm not talking about being inconsiderate to others or being irresponsible.  I'm talking about taking steps in my life to protect the precious resource that is my energy.  I'm talking about taking care of myself and accepting that sometimes I'm not going to meet other's expectations.  It's hard, since so much of society has taught us to value ourselves based on our productivity, and I was raised believing that I needed to take care of other's feelings over my own.  

When I find myself struggling with difficult feelings around this, I remind myself that my value does not come from validation from others or what I produce.  I am simply valuable because I am.  

If you're struggling with similar issues around self-care, and what that means for you, feel free to reach out to me.  I'd love to help you develop tools to build self-care.