Taking care of you, even when you are going losing your mind.
It’s very important that a person take care of themselves. Approximately 50 years ago, self-care was basically referred to as your personal hygiene. When you talk to our current elders, they are thinking, “Good, they still know how to brush their teeth, take a shower.” Inevitably, the word leaves them perplexed. The meaning of self-care has really evolved into something entirely different in the days of technology and constant input. For your health and well-being, and sanity, it’s highly important to focus on self-care periodically, if not, DAILY.
My best suggestion to keep stress down is to start small. Therapists are available to us to help, FIND ONE! Your loved ones are going to eventually grow sick of you complaining, I’ve seen it countless times in the groups that I participate in. It is inevitable, so find someone you can complain to, and talk about your pain. In my experience, even my doctors who were confused about my condition were just as weary about my complaining than others around me. I’m ever so grateful to have found a therapist to follow me through my health journey.
Take a Bath, Pamper yourself, Give yourself a facial, whatever you need to do!!!!
Next, try to do something simple like UNPLUG yourself from your phone, from all of the things around you, and just put yourself in TIME OUT. If that needs to be a nap, then take it. Naps are fabulous in giving you a reset at the height of pain. As I have even told one of my children, even when no one understands you have high anxiety, or need to be alone, just tell them you have a MIGRAINE, everyone understands you need that dark quiet room to go lay down in just to re-center, no other explanation needed.
Or read a book! Something that is all your own, doing things for your sanity, and your calmness is important, to lower stress and cortisol levels and hormone responses. All of this is healthy behaviors for your brain!
If Books still aren’t your thing, then set aside time, just enough to listen to your favorite podcast, or catch a show that you have been missing out on while you are in your own space, on your own time. Don’t tell me there’s no time, I know you waste a great deal of minutes watching reels on various social media platforms, when you literally could be spending that time on yourself.
My favorite part of all of these choices is the Naps. Like today, my ears started to burn, my blood pressure was a teeny bit too high for my liking (and for no reason at all other than my bladder has been a little irritated lately), so after dinner, I took a nap. It has become so common place, that now, no one comes looking for me when I disappear. Don’t bother momma if she says no words and disappears. (Trust me, it wasn’t always like that when the children were younger, but with due diligence, you can train yourself to take the time out for yourself and train your family as well.)
After all, if the kids get a nap, and your partner gets to “wind down” from the day, you better darn well put yourself on that list of needing your “wind down” time as well, and it better be put on some form of schedule, so EVERYONE knows, that’s your time!
ALLERGICTO YOURBULLSHIT 