Self-Care
When I sat down to write about self-care, a recent conversation came to mind. Someone asked me, “Kate, how do you do it?”. The ‘it’ being remaining grounded while providing therapy to folks multiple times a day, multiple days per week. They wondered if I felt burned out or overburdened.
I don’t.
I let them in on a simple but profound tip; I have a self-care routine. There’s no secret sauce or magic, just a purposeful, curated, and regular routine to help keep me stable and grounded. To help me remember that we are deserving of love because we are love. <- That’s my meditation practice coming out.
My morning routine consists of daily meditation, some form of moving my body (yoga, hikes, treadmill, walking my dog), listening to motivating podcasts, sporadic journaling, and breakfast.
If you see that and think, “that’s impossible,” know that it was not always like that. It took me the better part of a year to create a routine that worked for me and my schedule. I tried things, failed, tried new things, succeeded, felt motivated, felt depleted, etc. I share this to remind you that all the things I teach in therapy, I also (attempt to) practice myself. This helps me be a gentler, kinder, and a more generous human. We often think self-care looks like what I call ‘the fluffy stuff’. Fluffy stuff isn’t bad, but there are deeper types of self-care that help prevent burnout. See below for some examples.
*Pro Tip: When incorporating new things into your routine, make sure to go slow. Make the goal easy, almost too easy, to prevent doing too many new things and then feeling defeated.
Types of self-care with examples:
o Mental – Therapy, Psychiatry (take your meds, if needed!), take breaks, rest without technology, take time away from your phone and TV
o Physical – daily movement (yoga, hikes, walks, weights, etc.), get proper sleep and rest, eat 3 meals & snacks each day, stay hydrated, take your vitamins *make sure to follow your meal plan and any exercise restrictions if you’re in active ED recovery.
o Emotional – Therapy (again!), journal, RAIN meditation (if you don’t know, ask me – this is important), repeat those affirmations
o Recreational – Hobbies (what do you do for fun? I’m tapping into my inner grandma and learning to knit), paint, draw, read, create – TIPS: do things without a time limit, try not to look at your phone, notice all the colors, textures, and sounds as you engage in your hobby
o Spiritual – meditation, practice your spirituality/religion, spend time in nature, read, connect to your higher source, journal
o Fluffy Stuff – what we are often told self-care looks like (bubble baths, at home spa night, candles, comfy clothes, tea, cuddle a pet, watch your favorite show)
o Social – Time with friends, take yourself on a date, try something new, call or FaceTime someone who lives far away, spend time with people that celebrate your wins and are there for pitfalls.
o Financial – one of my favs! Budget, Budget, budget! This helps you create boundaries around your money and gives you the freedom to design a life that means something to you. This allows you to spend money on things that you value (vacations, generously tipping and generously giving, spa moments, donate to your favorite charity, start new hobbies, etc).
This is your reminder: It’s never too late to build the life that you dream about.
Let’s make a habit of healing. ✨
With gratitude,
Kate
