Self-Care Overrides Goals
I missed a goal last week, and for once I'm okay with that. I'd set myself a goal, a challenge really, to post on this blog once a week for a full year. Last week, I missed my first week since starting the challenge at the beginning of January. After I sat and stared at a blank screen for hours without being able to type a single word for two days straight, I finally had to accept that I wasn't going to post anything.
Eventually I realized that I was exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally, so I let it go.
In the past I would've felt guilty. I would've beat myself up. I would've decided I was a complete failure. This would've lead me to even more negative and mean self-talk.
This time, though, when those voices started whispering in my ear, I decided to talk to myself like a friend instead of a boss. I sat quietly and thought about what's been going on in my life in recent months. Then I decided to indulge in a bit of self-care, not anything exciting just letting myself recenter on the healthier aspects of my life such as my sleeping habits, my eating habits, and my breath.
Finally, as I let go of the obligation to post, I felt like my whole body exhaled allowing my shoulders to relax away from their hunched position.
I eventually wrote a few notes about what I'd like to write about, but I haven't brought that into focus yet. I plan to revisit it and hopefully post it next week.
Even writing this post was a bit of a struggle for me because I'm still feeling a tad overwhelmed, but one thing focusing on basic self-care reminded me was that writing is part of my self-care, always has been. So this week as I've eased back into working on my writing projects, I've felt a bit more centered. Yet, my reality says my schedule, at least for another week, isn't quite as "normal" as I'd like it to be. But, I all I can do is work with what's in front of me.
So, if you're feeling burned out, overwhelmed, and stressed, remember it's okay to take care of yourself. In fact, you need to take care of yourself in order to keep doing what's important to you. And sometimes taking care of yourself means letting go of a task or two.
Eventually I realized that I was exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally, so I let it go.
In the past I would've felt guilty. I would've beat myself up. I would've decided I was a complete failure. This would've lead me to even more negative and mean self-talk.
This time, though, when those voices started whispering in my ear, I decided to talk to myself like a friend instead of a boss. I sat quietly and thought about what's been going on in my life in recent months. Then I decided to indulge in a bit of self-care, not anything exciting just letting myself recenter on the healthier aspects of my life such as my sleeping habits, my eating habits, and my breath.
Finally, as I let go of the obligation to post, I felt like my whole body exhaled allowing my shoulders to relax away from their hunched position.
I eventually wrote a few notes about what I'd like to write about, but I haven't brought that into focus yet. I plan to revisit it and hopefully post it next week.
Even writing this post was a bit of a struggle for me because I'm still feeling a tad overwhelmed, but one thing focusing on basic self-care reminded me was that writing is part of my self-care, always has been. So this week as I've eased back into working on my writing projects, I've felt a bit more centered. Yet, my reality says my schedule, at least for another week, isn't quite as "normal" as I'd like it to be. But, I all I can do is work with what's in front of me.
So, if you're feeling burned out, overwhelmed, and stressed, remember it's okay to take care of yourself. In fact, you need to take care of yourself in order to keep doing what's important to you. And sometimes taking care of yourself means letting go of a task or two.
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