Taking time for yourself

I took almost eight weeks off from blogging. I needed to stop and assess where I found myself at 60. It wasn’t just reaching a milestone birthday. I needed the time to reflect on what’s next in a time where change is constant.

I did a fair bit of reading – some thoughtful, some frivolous, some challenging. I work a fair bit with mental health so I looked at self care, stress management, and the pandemic.

I came across this fabulous image.  You can find it and a number of other useful resources at cohcwcovidsupport.org. The graphic explains the continuum of stress from “Thriving: I got this” to “In Crisis: I can’t survive this.” I find it useful as it identifies a number of ways stress, especially increasing, constant stress – can appear.

The holidays can be very stressful. There is a lot of pressure to make things perfect, splendid, memorable.  The reality is we are not characters in a Hallmark movie (thank heavens for that!). We are imperfect, flawed human beings and we need to treat ourselves and each other with compassion and care.

Last year I created a wellness advent calendar, a post a day during December 2020. You can find the round up here: https://fitisafeministissue.com/2020/12/26/dec-26-wellness-calendar-collected-edition/

Take a look. Perhaps you will find a few strategies that will help you navigate the year ahead. During my brief blogging hiatus —  such a handy word to describe a pause or a gap in a series or sequence – I learned again how important it is to step outside and take a breath.

This doesn’t mean I shut myself off; it meant I took time to figure out what I needed and how I was going to do it. A good chunk of my paid work is helping organizations create strategic plans. It had been a while since I last created a plan for myself so I took time to create one for the year ahead. I’ll share some of it in future blog posts. It’s been a good break and I am glad to be back.

The Spanish have a proverb: if you don’t know where you are going, then any road will do. Without vision, you cannot imagine what should or will be. A vision guides you in making your purpose real. Your vision is the beacon that lights your way forward. I hope you can create your vision and live it boldly. Be well, stay well.