An Ordinary Mom's Musings

When I hear the words “Self-Care”, I often think of a massage, reading a good book, taking a much-needed vacation. All of this IS self-care. But it’s not every day I can take a vacation, or get a massage.

Self-care instead is often far less inspiring. It’s taking those medications and vitamins every day even though you have an extremely strong gag reflex and you despise routines.
Self-care is finding something that you enjoy doing that is physical so you at least get some exercise and then making yourself do it even though you’d much rather curl up with a good book (or a nap).
Self-care is making yourself take care of those things that you really don’t want to do. Those things on your mental list you’ve been putting off for days… (okay weeks, okay, okay, I mean months!). This reduces your mental stress.
Self-care is making the time to pray or meditate a priority.
Self-care will look different for every person, however, all of us will struggle with self-care at some point when life gets crazy. For me, it’s the first thing to go when I’m in survival mode. What is the absolute minimum I have to do today to make it through the day? Food for the kids, get them off to school, make sure everyone has clothes for the next day… That’s done. Good.
I automatically bump any self-care off the list first, when really, self-care should be bumped to the top of the list in these situations because this is what is going to give you the strength and stamina to make it through. I know this and yet every time I find myself repeating the cycle of forgetting self-care until I’m on the verge of collapse. At that point, I am required to make self-care a priority because I’m not doing anyone any good.
So here I am sitting down and writing down that I’m going to give this self-care thing another try. I’m going to try to stick to my routine as if it’s my lifeline. Because it is, in fact, my lifeline.