Want to get in on the biggest secret to self-care? Let me tell you a story about a time in my life when life didn’t seem to be going according to plan. Yes, you know those perfect plans we make for ourselves that we can never live up to. Up to then, everything in my life seemed perfect, or so I thought. Then something happened and things were not going the way I had played them out in my head. You are probably asking yourself, tell me what happened!!! I want to know! Well it wasn’t one single thing. It was many things throughout many years.
The Difficult Trials
There have been trials to live through in my life. There was the time when I struggled in my university courses, the time my grandmother died, the time my dad almost died, the time I struggled with fertility and multiple miscarriages, the time I experienced birth trauma and postpartum anxiety, the time my family and I lost 3 our very loved family members, and the list goes on and on as I am sure it may also be the case for you.
The Good Times
There are more good times, you know. You may be thinking whoa, this woman has experienced a lot, but this is because I am listing events from a 45-year old life. There are thousands of great events in my life and maybe even millions if I get down to the simple things in life that are worth living like stepping foot outside and watching a sunrise or a sunset. Many wonderful, joyful, and peaceful events have also happened in my life for example having amazing parents, a brother whom I dearly love, having a big supportive family of aunts and uncles, having a master’s degree, getting married to my best friend, having the miracle of boy and girl twins, hearing their laughter and their amazing conversations, being in good health, experiencing having my mother and father alive despite many health issues, surviving the pandemic, working from home, enjoying travel. Gosh I can write a few novels on all the goodness that I have lived!
You Are Not Alone
Whatever, the hiccup, bump in the road, or tragedy you experience, know that you are not alone. That is what we people in the world have in common. No one escapes bad things happening to them, but the same holds true to not escaping the good things that are constantly happening around us.
A Pair of Pink Heels
And you know what got me through all of these situations in life…. Wearing a great pair of pink heels while walking through life!
The Secret to Self-Care
So here’s the secret you’ve been waiting for, self-care is more than going to get your nails done, it is an approach to life. An approach to do better for yourself each day, to see the sun peeking through the difficult and overwhelming days and to have fun while doing so!
This may not take the pain or suffering of life, but it helps you stay connected to yourself and to nourish yourself in a way that helps you take a step in knowing you are alive and it is time to nourish yourself.
So here’s your homework for this week. Take a visual calendar. Place it on your fridge and mark it with a happy face every time you have a good day.
Do You Prefer to Listen?
Listen to this on the podcast! Self-Care in Pink Heels