What does it mean to meet your own needs...
Buying candles...?
Manicures...?
Golf...?
Drinking with friends...?
Vacation...?
Online shopping...?
These may be some ways to escape life and ways industry presents self-care in order to get away from the hard life realities. These are also things outside of our body that we present to the world.
The analogy author Glennon Doyle uses is car maintenance from her podcast.
Do you shine up the car and consider it taken care of?
There are plenty more ways to maintain the car other than buffing the exterior and taking it to the beach.
Let's tap into our inner workings before the car needs catastrophic maintenance from neglected checks.
For instance-
When you are thirsty do you drink? Or, do you hurry on your way?
When you are hungry do you eat? Or, do you put it off?
When you desire good food do you have a satisfying meal? Or, do you snack or act over-indulgent?
When you need a break do you stop to take one? Or, do you power through?
When I ask about self-care, I am wondering about your emotional, intuitive and "self-knowing" housekeeping. The kind of management of our lives that is easily and often overlooked. ~Amanda Doyle
Do we know ourselves well enough to identify and listen to what we need? What is it our bodies and instincts communicate to us? And further, is there disconnection from our deeper needs?
Being in the world is dealing these human pieces. As deeply complex humans, our inner-voice and intuition challenge the boundaries we need from the world outside of ourselves. This inner-voice is designed to help us learn what makes us whole and teach us ways to thrive...but we have to listen deeply, intently and question what honors us from moment to moment.
Here are some examples of self-care to add to your toolbox:
Drinking a glass of water
Taking a break from your phone for 5 minutes
Going for a walk
Taking your dog out
RSVP "No" to an event
Eating a full meal (versus a snack, a coffee, a cigarettes' etc.)
Taking any amount of time to notice your deep needs and tell someone about it
For some it's making a boundary, making a decision, doing the hard thing that's taking up your mental space. You'll know it's time to do this when you notice you're trying to escape in online shopping, emotional eating, feeling overwhelmed.
It could be worth taking a deep look into what self-care you need on a daily basis. This is hard work- reconnecting to the soul.
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