Well not always, and then what happens? The overwhelm and feelings of lack of control come creeping back in.
It’s true I teach in my workshops and coaching about the importance of “self care”, taking care of yourself, putting yourself first for a change.
My view is that self care isn’t just taking yourself to a spa once or twice a year or even every month. Self care is putting yourself first, more often than not, in every decision you make.
Sounds selfish doesn’t it? Everything about self care can sound selfish until you understand the implications of not practicing it – burnout, anxiety, panic attacks, depression or just not living the life you want to live.
When you start to practice self care and see that by looking after yourself you have more time, energy and even love, to give to those around you, you can see it’s not so selfish after all. The other wonderful side effect of practicing self care is that others see what you’re doing and sometimes one or two will decide to start loving themselves more as well, and you empower others to take this brave step.
So if it’s so great, why do I fall off the wagon. Like everyone else I have a full-on life with my work, three children and a dog suffering from anxiety! It’s easy to think I can afford to miss out my usual meditation or the time on my own I know I need to recharge and get my thoughts straight. I can go for some time being absolutely fine, then it can all come crashing down.
I’m not getting a lot of sleep due to my lovely 6 month old, my husband has joined my legal business which has brought its own challenges, and recently we’ve lost my wonderful father in law after his battle with cancer.
I realised I was in danger of slipping back into old patterns of feeling overwhelmed and out of control. So it was time to pull out the tool kit and start practicing what I preach. First, get some rest then make time for my meditation and some writing to clear my head. Then rinse and repeat the next day. Like everyone, I will always be a work in progress.
People often tell me it’s hard to make time for the simple daily practices I teach and I totally agree.
It’s also (for me anyway) totally necessary. You could start now and decide what one small thing could you do today just for you?
I teach my favourite (and most effective) simple daily tips for happiness and avoiding the feelings of overwhelm and lack of control, in my happiness workshop and through my Choas to Calm programme. I will share more details about each tip in future updates.
Hannah x
