Make Time for Self-Care
Whatever your opinion on Olympic gymnast Simone Biles choosing to withdraw from the competition after encountering the dangerous phenomenon known as the “twisties,” her decision opened the door for some extremely important conversations about prioritizing self-care. We’d like to continue that conversation right here, by encouraging your entire family to re-frame your perspective on self-care and to devote some time to it in the coming week.
Self-care encompasses all of the ways in which we nurture ourselves. It can be difficult to prioritize one’s own well-being while taking care of a family, or while living a life of service to others as many Desert Mission members strive to do. But consider the words of self-care advocate Jennifer Louden, who said, “Self-care is not selfish or self-indulgent. We cannot nurture others from a dry well. We need to take care of our own needs first, then we can give from our surplus, our abundance.” What follows are some ways your family can create that abundance, for each individual member as well as for the family as a whole.
Take a look at this checklist, provided by the Door County Partnership for Children and Families in Wisconsin. It breaks down the activities by category, so you can target your family’s emotional, physical, spiritual, mental, practical, or social well-being. The checklist includes both higher-commitment items, like doing yoga together or making vision boards, and lower-commitment items like saying “I love you” and practicing positive self-talk.
Go through the list and see what looks fun and doable for you – you can also add your own ideas, maybe even some of the mindfulness activities from past Family Times! If you’re not sure where to start, here are two pretty accessible options:
* Yoga brand Manduka created this video for families interested in doing yoga together.
* Social Emotional Learning blog Pathway 2 Success created this list of positive affirmations that your family can use to shift your self-talk. Each family member can choose one, or you can pick one as a family and post it somewhere you’ll all see it. One of our amazing churchgoers recommends grabbing a dry erase marker and writing it on the bathroom mirror – it’s easy to see and to replace with a new “mantra” whenever you need one!
Once you’ve chosen WHAT you’ll do, make a plan for WHEN you’ll do it, and then follow through. This part is important, because it’s often the most challenging to find time for self-care just when you need it the most. Be intentional about nurturing yourselves, so that you can nurture others from your abundance.
What self-care activities does your family enjoy? Share with us on our Facebook page!
