"How do people do this?" She asks me, almost in tears in our session one day.
"How do they get up every day and give, give, give, do, do, do.
I’m exhausted.
I know I need a break but I also know I have a really hectic few weeks ahead of me."
“Well”, I answer her quietly, “You can do pretty much anything if you look after yourself while you do it.”
"What do you mean?" she asks me, frowning in confusion.
I think a moment then say, "It looks like this. You do something and then you notice that you need to rest so you sit for five mins...
Then you do a few more things and realise you feel sad or frustrated and you ask yourself, 'What do I need?' and find a way to give yourself at least some of what you need right then and there...
Later, even though you're very busy, you notice that you're hungry, so you pause and you eat. In fact, because you knew you were going to have a few really non-stop days, you packed healthy food and snacks for easy grab 'n go food that will keep your body strong so you wouldn't feel forced to grab junk food that won’t make you feel good later..."
She looks at me in silence for a while and I can practically see the cogs and wheels turning in her mind as she processes this idea of looking after yourself on the go.
"I think I should write about this" I say to myself quietly as I contemplate her reaction.
She hears me and responds emphatically, "You really should!"
So I'm doing that now.
I want to say this very clearly.
Because it's obvious and simple but we miss it all the time.
Here it is.
You are in charge of making sure you are ok.
It is your job to feed, nourish, nurture and soothe yourself as you go through your day.
Every day.
Every moment of every day.
If it’s your job, that means NO-ONE ELSE IS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING IT.
It’s your responsibility.
This is wonderful news because who else could possibly know what you need better than you?
Who could do it better than you?
No-one!
So if you don’t feel cared for, or looked after…
Notice it, hear it, pay attention to that fact, and DO something about it.
Because you're the very best qualified person who can.
If you loved yourself, how would you look after yourself better right now?
