Care for yourself? To me, self-care is critical in maintaining my sanity in my career and preventing burnout. Self-care can take many different forms such as taking 30 minutes each day to wind down after a long day at work or even blocking off half a day or a whole day to do what you need to do to replenish and recharge. Why is that important?
Taking the time, I need to cool down and recharge whatever form it may be is a safeguard to make sure you are not working excessively hard at the detriment of your personal health. My favorite ritual is to have a day where I have absolutely nothing on my calendar or to do list. What I do on this day really does not matter but having that time of not having an agenda is huge for me to calm down from the previous week. Sunday was made to rest for a very good reason!
The older I am getting, the more introverted I am getting and being around people (even the ones I like!) constantly can really burn me out. Self-care gives me time to recharge so I am able to better care and serve others. I will purposely make my Fridays lighter, so I am sure to have time to go to the gym, run errands I have not been able to do during the week or even take a nap! Given I have a job where I have some control of my schedule is a big benefit, that does not mean someone who has a 8am to 5pm job Monday through Friday cannot reap the benefits of some quality “me time.”
Since I know my limits, I place a huge value on self-care so that means it is a high priority to me. This means I have to say no to the things I know my distract or overwhelm me. Sure, life happens and there are many things out of my control but when I make self-care a priority, I will shy away from scheduling back to back appointments that day and block off time to do the things I know will recharge me.
Lastly, there is no one way to do self-care. Self-care can look different for anyone. One person values that time reading a book at a coffee shop while another may spend that time catching up with a friend at lunch.
Self-care is about being intentional to prioritize the time you need to do whatever it takes to rest and recharge.
If you are looking for a therapist near you and a Google search is a great way of finding one. I happen to be a therapist in Charlotte, NC but am licensed to counsel anyone in the state of North Carolina. In Google, try looking for “psychotherapist,” “find therapist,” “therapy near me,” or even “counseling charlotte, nc.” If you feel like you have hit a wall you are not able to get past, call me at (704) 458-6298 or email me at jeffhelms@clearerthoughtspllc.com.
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