TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Let’s welcome our guest blogger Tamela Aiken as she shares on self-care and  reminds us to be willing to fight for it.

Ask yourself – what is the best thing that I can do for myself right now, during lunch, after work, this weekend, _________ (you fill in the blank when) that will not cost me anything but TIME?

We all have reasonable and practical responses to this question – but we allow our work environment, our after-work routine, or our self-defeating thoughts to convince us that TIME is too high a price to pay for our own spiritual, physical and emotional wellness.

What would you do if the next time you were at the grocery store, standing in the checkout lane (after a long grueling day) and someone slammed into your cart and cut in front of you?  Wait! Maybe don’t answer that because this would then turn into an article on how to choose a good defense attorney.

But do think about the ‘act’ – think about the egregious, shameless and disrespectful act!

What if the culprit was another thing on your ‘To Do’ list, slamming into your self-care and jumping in front of it?  What if it was an update status or new social media post that clipped the front side of your mental well-being (Bentley) and left you with a cracked fender and a broken headlight while you were on your way to taking care of yourself?  What if that late-night email you refuse to wait until the morning to send, ran off with your purse just as you were connecting to yourself and pampering your spirit?

Would your self-care need an attorney?

Would your self-care take off its earrings, or remove its cufflinks, and need someone to ‘hold it back’ while it was attempting to defend its place in line?

If your answer is no, then now is a good time to reassess how important taking care of yourself really is.

Imagine the investment potential in committing the TIME necessary to not only take care of yourself, but to care about yourself – to defend yourself!  Self-care has many different meanings for most people, but most assuredly what self-care is NOT, is a selfish act. No matter how you define it, everyone can agree self-care is about stopping and taking the time to refuel your mind, body, and soul before you are on empty and can be of no service or assistance to anything or anyone – namely yourself.

Make the time. Take the time! Fight for the TIME!  Journal, take a walk, phone a friend, read a book, take a long bath, meditate, get in touch with nature, take a nap, jam out to your favorite dance music, bake for the joy of it, decline an invitation or request – say no, sit on your deck and just be still.Whatever you choose – it is important to do something rejuvenating, something that makes you feel better and restored.  Once you make this a daily commitment, no matter how big or small, you will wonder how you ever thrived without it.  You will crave it, and you will do everything in your power to never let anything get in front of it!

Tamela is pictured in the black on a recent self-care date to hear author Charreah Jackson share from her book Boss Bride at the Detroit Public Library.