Brownies and Kale

Re-thinking self-care

Let's talk about self-care and the wide breadth of things that fall under that umbrella.

A lot of times self-care is portrayed as pampering or treating oneself. Rewards for successfully surviving life. And it absolutely can be, don't get me wrong. But self-care is more than just what you want, self-care is about meeting your self's needs.

Sometimes self-care is enjoying that yummy brownie, but other times self-care means choosing a kale salad even if it's not your favorite option.

At therapy programs I've done, they insisted on us setting a self-care goal every night. For the first few days, most everyone chooses naps or early bedtimes, but as we get used to the practice of intentional self-care, you find yourself "selfishly" wanting all the brownies in the world. It's not selfish. You deserve a brownie or six.

Then comes the kale salad.

When I am psychotic, I lose my appetite and even more so, food becomes wrong and repulsive. It took almost two months for my sense of taste to return and for awhile, I just didn't eat much.

Eventually my self-care goal became driving my butt to the grocery store when I didn't feel like leaving the house to buy a bunch of smoothies and protein drinks which I didn't feel like eating because my body needed to be taken care of whether it liked it or not.

Self-care doesn't always have to be fun, it just has to be good for you. Practice intentionally!