Reason number 26 why I am making self-care a priority this year…
Self-Care promotes resiliency.
In life there are things that we can control and things that we cannot control. I would often tell my clients that regardless of what happens in life, the one thing you can control is how you respond.
I have seen many people face similar if not the same exact circumstance and respond totally different. Why is this? We all have different life experiences that sometimes unbeknownst to us (let it be known now) influence how we respond to a variety of situations. If you have experienced situations where trust has been violated or honesty is consistently non-existent, you might respond to a new violation with a compounded emotional reaction from all of the previous violations that you may or may not have healed from yet. This can be dangerous.
Self-care happens in the present, but can also require that you heal from past experiences and traumas. In order to break the cycle of reactivity and change the narrative to one centered around resilience, you must identify the root of your response. This can be done effectively when you seek the support of a therapist [READ: A therapist that you connect to and feel comfortable talking to on a deeper level]. Once you identify the root, then you can begin processing and assigning appropriate feelings to your trigger(s). At that point, you can begin learning new skills and ways to respond. This is where your resiliency comes in. This is where self-care thrives.
When you are healthy spiritually, mentally and physically you are able to bounce back quicker from adversity. You are able to display your resiliency.
When you allow your resistance to wear down you are simply opening yourself up for sickness or pain to overtake your immune system. Another example that may or may not have happened to me is when you ride your car around town on empty. When you finally get gas, fumes may enter into your engine which can negatively affect your car’s performance.
If you continue to overextend and over stretch yourself, it may be harder and take a longer time for you to return to your optimal shape. I know that once I stretch out my hair ties, there is no turning back. There is only so much elasticity in the band. The same is true for you. There is only so far you can stretch yourself before you lose your shape or simply pop. Know your limits so you can maintain your elasticity and continue to bounce back.
The moral of the story is, in order to be resilient and maintain your “bounce back”, be well and practice self-care as often as you can.
Be well,