Take care of you.
Just the sound of these words can be overwhelming. How can you have time to take care of you when there is so much going on in your life and so much to be done? How do you take care of you when you are grieving and crying and processing emotions? How is this even possible?
Ok. We hear you. We understand that it is difficult to take time for you. We understand that it may seem selfish to you to take care of you when there are others that need you.
We also understand that you cannot take care of others if you are running on empty. This is why many of our blogs contain a part about self-care and others are dedicated to that topic alone. It is also why we will be focusing on self-care in this blog series.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.
In fact it’s vital to take care of you!
Here are a few benefits of self care can provide:
- Reduced anxiety and depression
- Reduced stress
- Minimize anger
- Increase happiness – even a bit of joy
- Increase concentration
- Increase energy
So stop for a moment.
Breathe
What do you need at this moment? What do you need to care for yourself? What would bring you joy? What might make you smile even for a moment?
Plan to take care of you. Be intentional about taking care of you.
If you need to, take out a notepad and write down some ideas. Let the thoughts flow. What would help you along your journey? What little things can you do for you? Are there some big things as well that you would like to do?
Now, take a moment and look at your list. Are any of these doable right now?
Great! Set up a way to do those little things for yourself. Ask for assistance if you need to do so. Get a sitter, ask for help with cleaning or errand running. It is ok to ask for help.
Are there bigger things that you would like to do? That is ok as well. Take a moment and think about what needs to be done so that you can do these things in the future. Set some small goals to get you where you need to be to do whatever it is that will bring you peace and joy.
If any item just feels too big to tackle right now, that is ok. Just keep your list so that you can refer back to it later when you have more energy and space.
Just breathe.
You have accomplished a great task just in identifying the things you need to make your journey easier. If you have developed some goals as well and a plan to achieve those goals, celebrate! It is no small task to admit that you need something and it is not selfish to prioritize those items.
It is essential to your health and to your journey that you take care of yourself as you move through the grief emotions that are associated with loss. Self-care is essential at any time in life. However, it is even more needed when your body and your heart are processing so much.
When you take time out for yourself and recharge, you will be more capable of handling everything else. You will also be better able to achieve your goals and give from a fuller cup.
Plan for self-care and take good care of you.
Celebrate your successes and give yourself grace when you have to take a step back and readjust. This is your journey and you get to decide the direction. Making self-care one of your goals along the way will make the journey just a little bit better and maybe a little easier.
Just breathe. You got this!
Peace & blessings,
Jeni & Teresa
PS: One of our goals this year is to grow our audience and assist more widows who are traveling on this journey. Please help us in achieving this goal by sharing our site with others who need it in their lives. You can also follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn or sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our site. If you have a topic that you would like us to discuss, please contact us.
For additional support, you can download our free copy of 10 Ways to Move Forward After Loss
Torn in Half: The First Days as a resource for the first days after a loss – available on Amazon in paperback and ebook.
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