Happy Valentine's Day
Self-care, and the importance of staying connected during times of stress
This feels like a good day to start posting, even though I’m not quite ready to. Since I don’t know what will make me feel more ready, I’m just going to jump in.
There is some real chaos and division in the world right now - I live in the United States and the current upheaval here is particularly front of mind - and while all of this has me re-evaluating how and who I want to be in the world, I find myself wanting to encourage you - whoever is reading this - to take care of yourself, to love yourself. To spend time with yourself and do things that bring you joy. And to spend time with the people in your life who bring you joy, who make you laugh, who support you, and who celebrate you.
In times of stress and uncertainty it’s especially important to make a lot of space for laughter, and for wonder, and to stay connected - to ourselves, to each other, and to nature.
As stress depletes us, replenishing our internal resources becomes even more important. So take some time to sing, dance, create, breathe, go for a walk, snuggle a pet or a loved one, take a bath - anything that will help you get into the present moment and feel like you’re filling up your own cup. It might feel challenging - I know for myself, I can frequently feel like I don’t have any time, and self-care is often the first item to get tossed off the to-do list - but I’m reminding myself as much as anybody else: it’s important. If we want to maintain our health and wellbeing, in times of stress we need to pour into ourselves even more than we usually do, to counter the extra demands on our energy. And the smallest acts of self care can have a significant positive impact. I’ll post soon with some ideas. Thanks for reading.