How is your self-care?
I am going to be honest; it’s been a rough start to 2022.
The world is screaming at the rooftops that we all need good SELF-CARE. And rightly so.
We live in a fast-paced society that seems like all we’re doing is putting out fires. Everything & everybody needs our time & attention. It leaves us feeling exhausted just with day-to-day events.
And then when an unexpected medical crisis happens with our loved one or ourselves, we can feel at a loss of what to do.
As many of you know, my 79-year-old mother is in a memory care community. Three days after Christmas, my mother had fallen in the middle of the night & broke her leg.
She had surgery & was in the hospital for a week.
Now she will be in rehab for the next several weeks, with the hope to get her back to memory care.
So, I’d like to share my deconstructing of how I did with my SELF-CARE during this personal crisis.
As I coach, I encourage my clients to ask the three questions below with a big caveat – don’t answer these questions with “if only I had” or “I should have”.
That is just going to cause a spiral of doubt and unnecessary guilt.
Constructive Feedback of Self-Care
What Went Well??
Kept my routine of reading a daily Christian devotion to prepare my spirit for the day
Stayed hydrated & avoided junk food.... except for those Lindor chocolates that I love so much!!
Took walks in my neighborhood when I was able to
Reached out to friends for emotional support & prayers
What didn’t go well??
I didn’t do my usual meditation which keeps me grounded
I didn’t sleep well because my brain & body felt on high alert
I didn’t do regular deep breathing & I seemed to only wait until I was really tense
I struggled to disconnect my brain from obsessing about how is my mom doing.
What do I want to do better next time??
Have my daily meditation a must-do activity like brushing my teeth.
Practice deep breathing multiple times a day
Have pre-determined positive distractions I can do to get my mind off the crisis
Remind myself that even though this feels so BIG right now, things will settle down
The key takeaway from this journey was:
By practicing CONSISTENT SELF-CARE.... it will help you not only in our day-to-day caregiving BUT also it is an ANCHOR of strength for when we are in crisis management.
WE NEED SELF-CARE WHEN WE ARE STRESSED & FEEL WE HAVE NO TIME FOR IT.
I encourage you to remember to take “One Moment at a Time”....and BREATHE.
If you need any coaching support to help you put into practice better SELF-CARE tools, please sign up for a free Discovery Call to learn more about how my services could be an ANCHOR of strength for your caregiving voyage.
Here’s the link to sign up for a free Discovery Call to learn more on what coaching together would look like:
https://www.springtolifecoaching.com/contact
Cheering you on!
Susan Stern, MS, BCC
Spring to Life Coaching, LLC
407-982-0450
www.SpringtoLifeCoaching.com