Feature Friday: Self Care

Happy Friday! I originally always wait to put up our Holiday decorations until after Thanksgiving, but I’m kinda thinking that I might put them up earlier. I LOVE the holidays so much and the 4 weeks that our decorations are up never seems long enough. Anyone else put their decorations up earlier than normal this year? I think we’ll still wait for our tree though because this scene happens every year 🤦🏼‍♀️

I wanted to do a post special for self-care because it’s the Holiday season and with the pandemic, everything just seems like A LOT. Especially if you’re working in the healthcare industry (or have a spouse/family member/ friend that works in it)- always worrying about bringing the virus to/from work and dealing with all of the extra special precautions being mandated or restricted now. It’s tough and certainly not easy.

Know your limits. Know when you’ve extended yourself too much or when you’re starting to get burnt-out. It’s ok to take a step-back. You’re not doing anyone any favors if you’re not able to take care of yourself first. It’s OK to acknowledge that you haven’t been - don’t beat yourself up over it - acknowledge and move forward. I love to over-commit myself and have slowly learned that I’m doing a disservice to everyone when I do that. Rested is best.

Find your favorite hobbies and make time for them. It doesn’t need to be running. It doesn’t even need to be anything active. Maybe it’s reading for 30 minutes or having an extra cup of coffee/tea. Just give yourself some time to ‘fill your cup’ however and whatever you want to fill it with (wine, anyone? 🤷🏼‍♀️… JK, unless a glass of wine is your self-care then go for it!)

Don’t feel guilty for your time. Even if you have fifty other things to get done, it’s so important to do ‘you’ first. Maybe that means getting up earlier (OR sleeping in more rather than getting up early)- try out some ways to help you give yourself some time to rejuvenate. It’s ok if not every meal is hand-made or that you didn’t set the coffee maker or laundry doesn’t get done today. No one is perfect and no one is ‘doing it all’ .

The most important thing? Be kind. To yourself. To others. Because these are challenging times for all🧡