I know, I know.
Thinking about self-care amidst the chaos of these times might feel a little ridiculous, somewhat of a distraction, a bit like you are gazing inward when you need to be looking outward.
And, yes, some people might take it to an extreme, focusing only on their own needs and buying a ton of unnecessary products in the name of self-care.
But most of us aren’t like that.
In fact, many of us could probably use a nudge to remind us to take care of ourselves.
After all, how are we supposed to do the important things we are here to do if we’re worn out, frazzled, and just churning through endless to do lists?
So, please let me remind you that it is ok – in fact, it is necessary!- for you take care of yourself, to be kind to yourself, to meet your needs, to rest, to connect, to get away from the push to be bigger, better, more. *
You can take care of yourself for your own sake – after all, literally no one benefits if you forgo self-care. It’s not as if you sacrificing a brief rest means that someone else automatically gets that time.**
And you can do it for the greater good. It will be hard to be part of the solution if you are too worn out to deal with the challenges we are facing – alone and together.
Yet, even when we KNOW that self-care is a good idea, it’s hard for us to take that time, to make that effort.
Luckily, Action for Happiness has a whole calendar of small steps that can help you take good care of yourself this September.
And hopefully it can help you build even stronger self-care habits from now on.
Here’s the calendar:
And here are three self-care tips from Action for Happiness in a video presented by Vanessa King.
So, whaddaya think? Want to give Self-Care September a whirl?
*Ideally, you would have other people supporting you in this/taking good care of you but this post is about ‘Self-Care September’ not ‘Mutual Support May’ or something. Note: Mutual Support May should totally be a thing.
**Yes, I know there are exceptions to this. For example, if you pull a longer shift caring for your sick baby, your partner can have more time to sleep but that’s a short term benefit. It won’t actually be helpful in the long run if you end up getting sick because you are overtired or if you become so resentful that it creates friction in your relationship. Ultimately it would be better for you and your partner to alternate break times so everyone can take good care of themselves and each other.
