So in my new group (Fall in Love With Life) we’re talking about self-care for the month of April, and I did a little poll to ask what got in the way of people’s self-care. By far the most popular answer was “life gets in the way”. It does. I get that. We forget. We get busy. Self-care is low on the priority list, after everything else that needs doing.
But the choice is in your hands. You get to choose whether to forget, whether to let life get in the way, whether self-care is a high priority to you or not.
Michael Neill, author and coach, says “The most important choice you make is what you choose to make important”.
So what are you making more important than taking care of yourself? At the end of your life, you will not be saying ‘I wish I had done more ironing, worked more hours, or spent less time on myself’. Like anything important, you have to make it important. Don’t let life ‘get in the way’. If you can ensure that life doesn’t interrupt your favourite TV show viewing, you sure as heck can make sure life doesn’t interrupt your self-care.
Of course, sometimes things happen that push us off track. What many of us do though is STAY off track. If something gets in the way of your self-care on Monday, plan some self-care on Tuesday. If something gets in the way of that, plan some self-care on Wednesday. If this goes on for weeks, who and what are you making more important than you? Everyone else and everything else?
Often when this happens, it’s because we’re overcomplicating self-care – trying to do too much (anyone else see the irony in this?) So, if life always seems to get in the way of your self-care, simplify. Make it so easy to take care of you that it’s harder not to do it! Take 5 minutes to do something that nourishes you, execute a well-placed ‘no’, go to bed 10 minutes early, watch the wind in the trees for one minute, take a moment to savour your coffee.
Remember that a little self-care is better than no self-care. I have lots of conversations with clients who didn’t do their self-care – and endless lists of what got in the way for them. That’s life. So notice what’s happening – are there any reasons you’re letting life get in the way? Experiment with new ways to take care of you. Make it easier to do what nourishes you. And never, ever beat yourself up for not doing your self-care. (Again, irony!)
My (ideal) self-care routine involves yoga, Morning Pages, meditation, long hot baths, walks in nature. Some days I just don’t have time to do any of those things. So I do what I can, and as soon as possible I get back to doing as many of these as I have time and space for. I know that if I do those things, I feel better – my body is healthier, my mind is clearer, I’m less emotional and stressed.
A man was walking through the woods when he came upon a woodcutter. After watching him hacking at the same log for a few minutes, he asked to feel the axe. It was blunt and would have struggled to cut butter. “If you sharpen this axe,” he said to the woodcutter, “your work will take half the time and be much easier.” The woodcutter glared back at him and replied “I don’t have time to sharpen this axe; I have all this wood to cut”.
When your axe is sharp, woodcutting is a breeze.
When you are feeling cared for, it is easier to be happy.
When you are feeling cared for, decisions are easier.
When you are feeling cared for, you are a better partner/parent/friend.
When you are feeling cared for, you can work smarter.
When you are feeling cared for, life is easier.
So when life is getting in the way, remind yourself that a little time on self-care will actually allow you to do more and feel better while doing it. It’s a no-brainer…you just need to remember to make it important…which is why having a daily reminder in a Facebook group is a great support for your self-care this month! Have you joined us yet?
Related Posts
