What does self-care look like today?
Take a deep breath.
This is the year of the pause, assess what's truly important, and make all plans in pencil.
I recently pulled out my 2020 day planner. I hadn't opened it since sometime in early April. I glanced at the year ahead section, my ideal work week page, and countless brainstorming scribbles. Gosh, really thought I had it all figured out!
The lesson I'm being given repeatedly this year is a lesson in one day at a time. And yet, I keep forgetting this.
Moments after giggling at the naivety amongst the pages of my day planner, I started to fill in the next two weeks with to-do lists and goals. I went to bed with the familiar feeling that I had it all figured out.
The next morning I got word that two hurricanes were brewing in the Gulf. "Oh yeah, that's right," I said to myself, "this is the year of the pause."
One of my best self-care tools of this year (when I remember to use it) is asking the simple question, "What does self-care look like today?"
Let's be honest, things are hard right now and what worked for me yesterday might not work for me today. One day self-care looks like an extra-long morning walk. Another day it looks like staying in bed and reading a trashy novel. And the next might be reaching out to a trusted friend for support. All are valid, permissible, even encouraged.
Just for today, self-care for me looks like putting the day planner back in the drawer, taking a couple of deep breaths, and focusing on what's right in front of me. It doesn't mean I'll never pull it out again. It merely means it's not what I need right now.
Because really, there's no way to skip ahead - I will get there when I get there. And besides, the juicy parts are in the journey.
Tell me, what does self-care look for you today?
Jaclyn McCabe
Author