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Organize to Do Self Care
The perfect person of old looked after self first, before looking to help others.--Chuang Tzu
Do you take time for self care? Self care is essential to a fully productive life. Self care sustains you when life demands you step up. What do you do to be ready to play full on? Self care. It is sustenance. Sustenance more than just nourishment and care for your body. Sustenance that includes care for your mental and emotional well-being. Self care is the gas that keeps you going. Logical people would never expect their gas-powered cars to run without gas. Yet those same people often have expectations of themselves to run on empty. Certainly this is easier to see in others than it is in oneself. --Some dismiss self care readily stating they have too little time. The irony is that self care allows increased productivity. If you would like to be more productive, devote time to organize your self care.
There are many different ways to take care of yourself. Each way requires a different amount of time and energy. Longer segments can offer a more thorough sense of rejuvenation. Shorter pieces can be the perfect pick up for today. You can more effectively place these different sized pieces once you see their sizes. --When you have a discreet amount of space to fill, you will be most successful when you place the larger pieces first. If you plan, you can likely create time and energy for larger items like a trip to Machu Picchu. If you leave your self care to chance, you might find an hour here or there, too little even to see the movie you had on your list.
Many think of self care as vacations and trips to get away. These require large blocks of time. Plan these in advance. Then, remember to maintain self care outside these large blocks of time. The since-you-have-too-little-time-for-that-how-can-you-do-self-care style of avoidance is common among those yet to develop the habit of self care. In these situations, you can seek smaller segments of time.
A mid category includes activities shorter than a day. Perhaps a shopping trip, going to the movies, or meeting a friend for coffee. Since these choices are likely smaller than your bucket list items (everything you would like to experience or accomplish in your lifetime), you may benefit from making another list of possibilities that fit in this shorter time period. When your resources are low, it can be more challenging to generate ideas. Your list can come in handy then.
The smaller bits of self care can be the most elusive. The busier you are, the more you will find these short pieces impactful. When you are swamped, you look for a quick pick-me-up. You may add to your tank with certain comfortable clothes, favorite music, and positive thoughts about yourself. Have you ever found that simply by changing who or what you think about you could switch from anger, stress, or tension to feeling joyful and present in the moment? The more positive the thoughts that fill your day, the better the chances you will feel ready to face what’s in front of you.
You can savor life more with self care. When you take the time to fill in the large pieces first, you can increase the odds of doing the things that bring you the most joy. Schedule these annually depending on your calendar. The mid-sized pieces are the “you” time to schedule at least weekly. Then scatter smaller segments throughout your day to maximize your feelings of fullness. You come first. When you take care of yourself, you are better able to take care of others. Take care of yourself more effectively with forethought rather than as an afterthought. ©Caron MacLane
Calendar:
September 23: Autumn Equinox
October 4: Cinnamon Roll Day
October 5-11: Get Organized Week
I am teaching at Evergreen Hospital:
--Dealing with Anger: October 11, 18 and 25 at 6:30pm
--Dealing with Difficult People: November 1 and 8 at 6:30pm
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For more information:
https://weblink.healthlines.org/web3/clSc.do
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Remember, if you would like something to be different in your life,
be sure to do something different!
Contact me now to set up a consultation, my gift to you.
Caron MacLane 253-638-8572
