What Self-Care means to me
Aug. 2nd, 2018 02:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackjandersonSamantha and Lucy have been all about self-care lately - massages, spa days, yoga, meditation, guided relaxations... that kind of thing. It made me stop and think about what self-care means to me.
It doesn't mean any of that to me. Although I'm not going to turn down a good massage.
To me, it's more about making time for me in my daily life. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day stuff, in the routines of life, in the things that are important to be done. It's about taking the time to stop, put some music on, a mug of coffee and a good book or going out for a meal and a movie with my girls. Sometimes, it's bigger and it's going fishing for the weekend, going to a football match.
I definitely feel better when I take time to connect with people - with Samantha and Lucy, with my son, with my friends. My relationships with the people in my life are important to me so it seems just as important to make sure they're healthy as well.
As I get older, it's important to me to take care of my physical health. I have a number of old injuries that need to be cared for properly. It's been a long, slow, process but I am learning that if my back or my knees start to hurt, I need to stop what I'm doing and care for them - whether that's taking a little break, some gentle stretching, applying heat or ice, or taking painkillers. Sometimes it can mean a massage or a trip to a chiropractor but it's about knowing my body and what I need to do for in that moment.
It doesn't mean any of that to me. Although I'm not going to turn down a good massage.
To me, it's more about making time for me in my daily life. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day stuff, in the routines of life, in the things that are important to be done. It's about taking the time to stop, put some music on, a mug of coffee and a good book or going out for a meal and a movie with my girls. Sometimes, it's bigger and it's going fishing for the weekend, going to a football match.
I definitely feel better when I take time to connect with people - with Samantha and Lucy, with my son, with my friends. My relationships with the people in my life are important to me so it seems just as important to make sure they're healthy as well.
As I get older, it's important to me to take care of my physical health. I have a number of old injuries that need to be cared for properly. It's been a long, slow, process but I am learning that if my back or my knees start to hurt, I need to stop what I'm doing and care for them - whether that's taking a little break, some gentle stretching, applying heat or ice, or taking painkillers. Sometimes it can mean a massage or a trip to a chiropractor but it's about knowing my body and what I need to do for in that moment.