No One's Coming...No One Cares...I'm Coming...I Care
I am a person who has two modes...ON or OFF...with no real in between. This has been my super power and my kryptonite throughout my life and career. When you are someone who is an over-thinker...type A...get it done...work harder and faster than those around you...it makes it very difficult for anyone to help you or for you to recognize that you need help. The idea of self-care seems like a luxury or something that other people need but not YOU. YOU don't have time for that? How DO others make time for that? They must NOT have the same workload...commitments...or work ethic that YOU do.
I think over time this not only becomes exhausting and draining for YOU but for those around us as well. Our intention to energize and motivate others is lost in translation leaving us to wonder how we got here?
Well...even though I am NOT cured...I would like to believe that I am better than I ever have been at practicing self-care. It is a habit or muscle that needs constant work and attention. So...when the Thrive Global writing prompt arrived in my in-box this week from Marina Khidekel I was eager to jump all over it....
Hi Thrive community,
Amidst all the disruption and uncertainty we’ve experienced this year, we’ve come to realize that carving out time to recharge our batteries is not a luxury, but a necessity for our mental well-being. So many of us have incorporated unexpected habits and new rituals that have brought us a sense of calm in a surprising way. And whether we’re working from home, homeschooling our kids, staying connected with loved ones, fighting for change, or all the above — making time for self-care is critical.
Today, we’d love for you to share with us one unexpected or surprising self-care ritual that has been helping you recharge during the pandemic.
Have you been allowing yourself full days of rest when you never did before? Have you found that tidying up around the house in the morning has brought you a sense of peace and organization before the day begins? Have you been incorporating a favorite childhood pastime into your day, like crafting or coloring? Does a certain household chore actually double as a self-care ritual for you, like cooking dinner or reorganizing parts of your home? Tell us about the little surprising ways you’ve been making time for yourself.
Marina Khidekel, Head of Content Development, Thrive Global
MY Submission to the Writing Prompt
No One’s Coming…No One Cares…I’m Coming…I Care
As I have worked through my overthinking, work-a-holic ways over the years – practicing self-care has been a tough one for me to prioritize. After experiencing my “face down moment” (As Arianna Huffington describes it), I began a journey to try and figure out what that really means to me.
My self-care rituals have ebbed and flowed as time has gone by from “making a date with myself each week to go to the gym” to simply putting “whitespace” on my calendar to catch my breath. Each step has been building on one another to earn my own sense of individual credibility…in other words….am I a person that can keep the promises I make to myself?
So to answer the question…”What rituals are helping me stay calm during the pandemic?”…it could be best summed up as the ritual of actually making (and keeping) the promises I make to myself without apology or compromise. I have to admit MAKING THEM are the first and hardest part…keeping them has been a practice of discipline and joy. For example, committing to wellness activities and changing my habits to lose 35lbs in the last 4 months, setting the coffee machine at night to go off 30 min before my first meeting in the morning to give me some alone time to mentally ease into the day, and scheduling time each week to write my blog posts (a form of reflection and personal growth).
No one is coming to save me…no one can do it for me…I have to come to the table and care about myself as much (if not more) as I care for those around me!
In Closing...
While there has been a lot heart ache, stress and change due to the pandemic... one of the things it has forced us all to do is to slow down. We are no longer road warriors and our commute times have evaporated. It has also lifted us and shone a light on topics that have been taboo over the years like practicing wellness, self-care and focusing on our overall mental health. I encourage you (if you haven't done so already) to check out all the great resources Marina included in her writing prompt as well as my own story of my "face down moment". By telling our stories and sharing best practices we will all find ways to support each other in ways that we never imagined were possible. Maybe from isolation will come togetherness and connection!
Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU:
Are YOU up to taking the writing challenge? What is YOUR 300 word or less submission.
How important has practicing self-care been to YOU during the pandemic?
What steps have YOU taken with your team or best practices you've seen displayed to encourage self-care, well-being or promoting mental health at work?
Do you agree that it is about sharing our stories and not waiting around for someone else to give us permission or coming to save us?
Thanks for reading and remember....YOU make a difference!
Please continue the conversation by liking…commenting or sharing this article. You can also follow me on twitter @marciedwhite
