Self Care, why is it so difficult for me?
Posted on July 15, 2010 by Crystal Church, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
My testimony about self care in my personal development journey
Crystal Church
Personal Development Life Coach
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Why is self-care so difficult for me?
I thought this was the perfect topic since I have been sick for the past two days. I have been literally beating myself up because I feel very non-productive. I try to work despite feeling horrible and make myself feel even worse. I don’t feel worthy of just laying on the couch. I don’t really want to focus on why I do this (I know it stems from things ingrained in me from earlier in life)but what I do want to focus on is how to change it. If I don’t change how I take care of myself, I will end up sick like I am today.
So, what does self care look like to me. It looks like working with balance. Taking time out of my day every few hours. Since I work from home, sometimes I find myself overworking. If I were at a job place I would take breaks every so often because it is mandatory. I need to implement this same behavior at home. I also need to be consistent in taking days off. As my own boss, I need to stick to a schedule and take at least 2 days off per week to avoid burnout and illness. I need to be honest with myself and when I am feeling an emotion, I need to address it. Not stuff it and ignore it so it can come out as anger, or illness.
As I sit here and type this, I am thinking to myself how simple these things sound. But time and time again, I ignore my body and then I have a breakdown in my system whether it be physical or mental. I do not want to continue to do this. I have received some great ideas from my life coach, and actually they have been assignments. She knows if she assigns me something, I will do it. I am driven, so she taps into that. What she is so clever about though, is what she assigns. For instance, she will tell me that each day of the week I have to do something fun. Even if it is for five minutes. This I also find difficult but rewarding when I adhere to it.
The simple act of pampering one’s self is not what I was raised to believe is good. It has always been perceived as lazy. This has created a very hard working individual in me, but it also creates turmoil. I get sick. I either mentally freak out on someone, or I get physically ill. One way or another my body is going to let me know I need to slow down. So, I am going to make a bullet list at the end of this post and make it my top priority to stick to it!
Crystal’s Self Care List:
- Take breaks during my work day, at least every 2 hours
- Take at least 2 days off each week
- Do 1 fun thing everyday, even if it is only for 5 minutes
- Do something indulgent at least once a month (pedicure, massage, etc)
- Acknowledge and deal with feelings that pop up, do not ignore them
- Keep telling myself I am not lazy and I deserve “Crystal” time
