My Take on Self-Care

A Great Therapeutic Catalyst

But We’ve Been Doing It All Wrong.

Self-care is such a buzzword these days. Whole industries and marketing efforts focus on making us believe that drinking this alcohol, using this lotion, potion, bubble bath, or supplement will magically give us the warm fuzzies that come from taking good care of ourselves. But those fuzzies fade quickly, leaving you alone again.

What if self-care isn’t about any of that?

My thoughts on self-care started to crystalize when I was working days for a children’s hospital and nights and weekends for adult palliative care during the first surge of the pandemic in NYC. My heart and body were exhausted. I felt inundated by all the intense suffering around me. I was trying every quick fix to feel good.

I finally gave in and thought, “Well, I tried everything else I could think of, and nothing has worked. What if I tried actually taking care of myself?”

Then what is it about?

I think many people don’t know where to start or don’t know what to do. Many of us did not learn what taking good care of ourselves looks like growing up. Nobody told us that doing the things we know are good for us, even when we don’t feel like it, consistently over time, gets the results we are after.

Healing is in the habits. The little things you do every day for YOU.

Taking exceptional care of yourself while grieving or burned out is imperative because going through those seasons makes life hard. You need to set yourself up to be as prepared as possible to handle the challenging feelings and thoughts that come up for you.

So, we will also look at your self-care and see how it’s working. If you don’t have a solid plan; we are going to build one for you.

Here’s My Version

I like getting at least eight hours of sleep, drinking enough water, and eating food that nourishes me.

Moving my body for at least 20 minutes every day (running, yoga, and ballet are my go-to) and having daily meditation (even if it is only 20 or 5 minutes) prepares me for the day.

Time with animals, especially dogs, getting fresh air and sunlight, and seeing, hearing, and smelling the ocean at least once a week are the things I need to stay centered, calm, and grounded no matter what else I have going on.

To-do lists and making sure my check-ups and prescriptions are up to date are a big part of self-care.

Most importantly, I always find time to connect with friends and family.

What will it look like for you?

I have no idea because it all hinges on you. You know things that make you smile and the spaces and people that make you feel like the best version of you.

What inspires and makes you feel alive? We will look into all of these things to figure out how to bring more of what soothes or invigorates you into your day-to-day life. This process will be an essential and self-directed part of your healing and an anchor to help you return to a good place when you get off course.

Let’s daydream about this together and develop your personalized self-care plan. Making a plan will take some trial and error, but most importantly, it takes dedication and commitment to yourself to try the things we talk about and see how they affect your mood, day, and overall well-being over time.

A strong self-care game is the best foundation for any therapy, and I want you to start on the right foot and get everything you need out of therapy.

Call now, so we can get you feeling better ASAP!