When I first heard the term
“self-care” many years ago, it didn’t quite compute. If you’re like me, when I was growing up, I
was taught to take care of others before my own needs. It is something that is completely engrained
in me and is second nature after more than 50 years of being alive. I’ve always worked hard to follow that in my
own life, sometimes to my own detriment.
I’ve always believed, wrongfully so, that my own needs are always secondary
and if I am taking care of myself, I am being selfish. Just like everything else in life, this area
requires balance. That balance has been
and often, still is difficult for me to find.
Yet, self-care is so vitally important to our well-being. I mean, if you don’t take care of yourself,
how can you possibly take care of anyone else?
Anyone who has ever flown has sat
through the instructions from the flight attendants prior to take off. One of the most important instructions they
always give is about the oxygen masks that will pop down from the overhead
compartment in case of loss of cabin pressure.
What is it they always, without fail instruct the passengers to do? Put the mask on YOURSELF before helping any
small children or incapacitated person near you. That is because if you lose consciousness,
you are incapable of coming to someone else’s aid. In other words, if you don’t take care of
yourself first, not only will you suffer, but so will those around you. Self-care is important to everyone, but
especially those of us living with autoimmune disorders and chronic health
issues. Our bodies require more
self-care than most in order to be able to function at any given time.
So, what does self-care look
like? I imagine it can mean many different
things to many different people. Here
are some things I’ve learned about self-care along my own journey.
1.
Learn and
abide by your limitations
That doesn’t mean, let your
limitations keep you from living your life as fully as you can or to use your limitations
as excuses to keep from doing things. It
just means that we need to listen to our bodies. No one else knows your body like you do. You know what activities require extra energy
from you and what activities wear you down.
In my own case, I have learned that I cannot plan multiple activities
for the same day or even just one all-day activity. My body rebels against me when I expect too
much from it. I need to honor that by
planning accordingly and resting when necessary. Yep, it means that often I have to say no to
activities and events that I would LOVE to take part in. But sometimes self-care simply means saying
no. It is ok to say no. It is not the end of the world. And it doesn’t mean that you always have to
say no. If I say no to things that I
know will prove to be too much for my body to handle, that opens up
opportunities for me to say yes to other things I may not have been able to do
before.
All of us need rest. Those of us with chronic illness or
autoimmune disorders require more than normal.
Honor that. Yes, we need to get
plenty of sleep at night. Each person’s
needs may be different on how much their body actually requires versus someone
else’s needs. Sleep is not the only form
of resting. Down time, just kicking back
with no activities and taking time to relax for a while helps to recharge your
body, as well. My favorite way to relax
is to grab a cup of hot tea and a good book and just lounge and read. I have so many people tell me that they don’t
have time to do sit and read. I
understand that. The busyness of life
gets to us all at times. This is an area
of your life where you need to make time.
Carve out in your schedule a little bit of “me” time to sit and relax
and rest your body and mind for a little while.
3.
Hydration
& healthy eating habits
Again, this is a vital part of
life. I have a bad habit of drinking one
soda per day. I love the
carbonation. But even one per day is so unhealthy
for my body. And, I’ve begun to notice
different things about my body when I drink soda instead of water. I get more muscle cramps, my joints feel
swollen and achy, I end up feeling sluggish and fatigued throughout the
day. When I am drinking plenty of water,
I have found that I have more energy, I feel more focused throughout the day
and the muscle cramps and swollen and achy joints are no longer an issue. Making healthy choices for our meals is
exceedingly important as well. I love
the summer and all of the fresh fruits, veggies and herbs I can purchase at the
local farmer’s market! When I was first
diagnosed, my first response as I was learning to live gluten free was to
purchase and consume the gluten free counterparts to what I used to enjoy prior
to my Celiac diagnosis. Sadly, most of
that was crap! The more processed the
foods are, the less good they do for your body.
The more you can stick with less processed, more naturally gluten free
foods, the better off you will be. You
will feel more energetic and be healthier overall.
4.
Spiritual
health
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| My current personal Bible study is, "Beautiful Brokenness " |
I know this can take many
different forms for many different people.
We are, at our core, spiritual beings.
For me, being a part of a church family helps me find my purpose, my
joy. I work as part of the worship and
service team most Sundays and I love it!
It has grown me so much as a person to be a part of this great team and
to be an active member of this church family.
My time on Sundays as well as the small group Bible study that I help
facilitate really help me rejuvenate for each week. The times that I have to miss for one reason
or another, I can feel it down deep in my soul and I feel emptier and miss it
so much. Being plugged in to this church
family feeds my spirit in ways nothing else I have found ever has. Taking time during the week for my own
personal prayer time and Bible study just adds to that fullness. I have dear friends who take care of their
spiritual health through yoga and meditation.
Others I know actually feed their spiritual beings through their
art. Whatever form it may take, setting
aside time to care for your spiritual self is also very important
5.
Make time
to do activities you enjoy
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| One of my favorite passions and hobbies, photography. |
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| This photo is two things that relax me, crocheting and snuggling with my kitties. |
This past year has not been a
good one for me and my family. While
there have been some very good and enjoyable things about the year, there have
been a lot of hardships and some big, painful losses that have really disrupted
our world. For most of the year, the
activities that have always given me pleasure have taken a backseat and been
set aside. Some of these activities help
keep me centered. Since I was a young
girl I have found release through art and writing. Even if the only person who will ever see my
drawings or paintings or read what I’ve written is me, it is still a way for me
to get in touch with my innermost being.
I also enjoy photography. We have
to make time for the things we enjoy as well as those responsibilities we all
have. We aren’t meant to go through life
just doing a job. Yes, we need to work
in order to make money to be able to pay for the necessities and extras, but we
need to find hobbies that we enjoy, too.
6.
Take time
for something silly and fun once in a while
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| Me with my cousins, Amy & Lori Ann taking some time for fun and just being together a couple of days after our grandma's funeral. |
At our last meeting of the
Western Iowa Celiac & Gluten Free Living group, I passed out some little
gifts. Inside each pouch was a small
notebook, a pen, a trinket reminding each person to never give up and a small
bottle of blowing bubbles. Yes, the
bubbles may seem silly, but it symbolizes to me the simple joys we tend to
forget about and set aside as adults. I,
personally, have fun blowing bubbles. It
requires very little from you and you can’t help but laugh and smile while you
are doing it. I’ve found that doing
something fun helps ease away the tension and stresses of life.
Is anyone wondering what the
small notebooks and pens in the pouches were for? They were for each person to write down ideas
in their own lives for how they can practice self-care. So, now that you know what self-care looks
like to me, tell me how you practice self-care in your own life.
Until next week, be well and be
happy.
