Weekly Prompt #14: What small steps can you take today to prioritize self-care?
Hello everyone, I hope you are all being easy on yourself this week.
Last week we discussed: What boundaries do you need to set to protect your mental health while also maintaining a healthy relationship? Thank you to all who participated and shared their thoughts for discussion. I enjoyed them. I hope you all did too. If you didn't share yours, please share them here and I look forward to reading and discussing them with you.
This week's prompt: What small steps can you take today to prioritize self-care?
We do not talk much about self-care but something that helps in depression is self-care. Self-care allows you to be kinder and gentle to yourself. Focus on your need and prioritize what is important for you. LEt's get started and discuss it this week. All thoughts and points, please share.
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do my skin care routine and maybe go to acupuncture!
@yellowStrings5000 That sounds like some good self-care steps that will help you take care of yourself.
@ASilentObserver- Today I will make myself and my family delicious food to eat, and I will try to be present in each moment, and not rush.
I will also make sure to spend time offline, and keep clear boundaries as a listener.
@purplelady568 Those sound like excellent self-care steps. Taking time for oneself and setting clear boundaries are important. What aspects of being present do you find most helpful for yourself?
@ASilentObserver Be present generally means putting my phone away! It can be a big distraction.
Self care is very very important and I take it seriously!'
❤❤❤❤💆♀️💆♀️
@LovelyFrog8934 That's very wise of you to prioritize self-care. It's important to nurture yourself.
@ASilentObserver I got up made breakfast and lunch for my wife did some dishes and laundry and even took out the trash. Which may not sound to strenuous but I can barely walk even with my walker . Then I took the ever scary shower without assistance and that pretty much set me up for my morning nap. I really don’t sleep much just take naps when I get the opportunity.
You accomplished a great deal and should be proud of yourself.@OnlyDarkness
@OnlyDarkness It sounds like you accomplished some important self-care tasks, despite the challenges. What aspects of your self-care routine give you the most feeling of satisfaction?
1. Wash my face
2. Brush my teeth
3. Groom my dog
4. Put on sunscreen
5. Go for a walk
@empathicPresence9091 Those sound like good self-care ideas. What part of taking care of yourself today feels most important to focus on first? I'm glad you're prioritizing yourself, you deserve to feel cared for.
I'm going to try a new thing tonight, hope to sleep better. I read an article yesterday saying that eating boiled apples will help with sleep, have better digestion, and lower cholesterol. Need the sleep, as working early morning shifts for this week and next week (waking up at 5am). As a short 4-day work week this week, I have already started yawning quite early in my shift today. Maybe it could also be because of the high temperatures, making me feel my tired and sleepy.
@ASilentObserver
@Jaeteuk It sounds like you are experiencing fatigue and hoping the boiled apples will give you more energy. What feelings are coming up for you with the early mornings and long shifts?
I think the boiled apples have been working. I can stay asleep until my alarm goes off. It's very tiring working the 6:30am shift. I must wake up almost instantly from my alarm for 5am. Get changed and go make breakfast. I cook oatmeal, so, usually I'll be seated and eating by 5:30am and leave my house around 6am. Luckily I'm only a 5 minute drive away from the Hospital. But because after parking, I have to pay for parking and get changed to scrubs, the latest to leave my house is 6:10am. This is my second week of this early morning shift, so just need to get through this week and I'll return to the normal shift that starts at noon next week. An hour of overtime is not as tiring as when I worked 10 hr shifts with 2 hours of overtime. I'm trying to fall asleep before midnight, that way I get at least 5 hrs of sleep.
What small steps can you take today to prioritize self-care?
Think before I act, as in now - I have a broken rib, so I can't do any heavy lifting or vigorous activity. I just got some containers so I can try to organize some of my things and straighten them out, but I will have to wait a month before I can do any of that. I don't know who's going to mow my lawn, but it can't be me. I have to heal first.
@WharfRat
Oh, no, Rat! I hope it doesn't hurt you too much. I know that broken ribs can be very painful.
@WharfRat I'm sorry to hear you are in pain right now and have many things to organize. Focusing on self-care can be difficult when facing challenges. Wishing you quick healing. Thinking of you and here with you <3
@ASilentObserver
Today, I took a small bite of the proverbial frog. Not only the small step allowed me to achieve a highly-probable success, it gave me confident that I can deal with a needed task that I hate.
@calmTree1588 That was a wise decision to take a small yet meaningful step towards self-care. It's great that this small success boosted your confidence. Taking small steps that build up over time is a very effective way towards achieving our goals.
After some time of away from 7 cups, just getting back feels quite a good thing to take care of myself and my interests.
@Aputik That's wonderful you're taking steps to prioritize self-care. Even small steps regularly add up over time.
Recently, I've been asking myself the question what do I need more. I can often get overwhelmed and it's hard to pinpoint what I need in those moments but allowing myself the time to pause and think has been so useful.
@agreeableFarm2427 Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It sounds like taking small pauses to reflect has been helpful for you. I'm glad you're prioritizing self-care.