Self-care doesn’t look anything like this
Everyone’s full of great self-care advice, aren’t they?
Those are all great pieces of advice. For some people. To be clear, they’re fine ways to take care of yourself. But they’re not the only way. Not by a long shot.
Will it stress you out to count how many ounces of water you drink? Then don’t do it. Stressing yourself out is anathema to self-care. Just make sure you drink some water. There are a couple ways to make this easier if you haven’t been much of a water drinker in the past.
Is the alternative not eating? Then eat all the processed food you want if it’s the healthiest food you have the money to buy and the time to prepare. Don’t let anyone guilt you into not buying a processed microwavable meal that’ll only cost a dollar and be ready to eat in less than 5 minutes. You don’t need to justify your choice to anyone, let alone someone who isn’t paying your bills and cooking your meals.
Forget about numbers. When life is coming at you with both barrels, sometimes 8 full hours of sleep each night just aren’t going to happen. Do what you can to get some sleep. I was just reading in the June 2019 issue of Psychology Today that weekly sleep is more important than daily sleep. That’s good news for most of us. Here are a few ways to get more or better sleep. Possibly. I mean, I don’t know why you’re not getting enough sleep. If it’s because there are literal jackhammers pounding outside your window (or other outside forces) my advice isn’t going to be much help.
Yes, it would be great if you didn’t need to take any meds, but that’s not reality for a lot of people in the world. If you’ve been prescribed medications by your doctor, take them.
If you have trouble remembering, put them where you’ll see them and trigger you to remember to take them… Maybe in front of the coffee pot or next to your toothbrush, set an alarm on your phone or calendar, or ask someone to call, text, or email you reminders.
If you’ve recently changed or lost insurance coverage, lost your main source of income, and/or the meds are just plain expensive no matter what, do not just stop taking them. Call your doctor and tell them what’s going on. They may be able to prescribe you a less expensive drug or tell you about local (and in some case state or national) resources available for people in your situation. If none of those pans out, they can at least advise you on which meds should be your top priority.
There’s a reason you’ve been prescribed these meds, so even if your actual life isn’t at stake, your quality of life most certainly is.
I love the times in my life when I have the luxury to say no to anything that isn’t a “hell yes.” Sometimes, however, that’s not an option. Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do for whatever reason. I’m not gonna judge your reasons.
That said, you may have to re-examine what necessary means. Do you really have to clean the house from top to bottom on a daily basis? You’re probably not going to develop a mold or mildew problem if the floor goes 2 day or even 2 weeks without mopping. Is it enough on some days that you just make sure you have clean clothes and clean dishes? Probably. No one will die if that’s all that happens.
Some people can’t function if the things that need doing are put away in a desk drawer for the sake of a tidy appearance. In other words, if it’s out of site, it’s out of mind. If that’s you, come up with an organization system to keep things visible without the chaos of piles
There are literally as many ways to do self-care as there are people living stressful lives. Basically, when your life has boarded the crazy train, as long as you’re eating something besides junk food, drinking some water, have clean clothes, and a non-filthy house you’re doing alright. The biggest thing to remember is that the form self-care takes in your life will change with life’s circumstances.
This is advice that makes a lot of sense. Especially the advice about processed food and sleep. I’ve always caught up on sleep on weekends, and it usually works for me. Each to their own.