How Practicing Better Self Care Is Saving Our Lives

I’m sitting here curled up with my laptop, working through some of my tasks, with Young Living Sacred Mountain essential oil diffusing, and I’m feeling awakened. Ready to share part of my story. I feel pulled to be upfront, open, and to truly focus on connecting with you. A few months ago, I had the beautiful opportunity to partner up with my friend Nikki from LoveMeTreatMe to work on a Sunday self-care series on my blog DoFiveThingsADay. We created this series because Nikki and I share a deep understanding that there is such a priority for self-care in our lives—that our lives actually depend on it.

Not every day will be easy.

Building a strong self-care practice and routine takes some work. It’s going to take some avid soul searching and deep diving into self discovery. There may even be old wounds that you are going to have to open that you’ve buried for so many years. Part of this process is going to be allowing that pain to be released and those wounds to heal. You deserve to be free!

Good self care also includes setting healthy boundaries in all areas of your life. It’s about working through the bullshit to get to the other side. And it all starts with you. True happiness comes from within, folks. Now, that doesn’t mean that every day is going to be rainbows and glitter. Bad days still come. But with good faith and good self care, they won’t drag you down as much. And you’ll know that you won’t allow those crappy moments to linger too long—because you will be stronger than they are.

Self care is important for everyone.

No matter where you are on your journey, there is a place for self care. You could be living the wonderful life right now—still take care of yourself! It’s also essential during rough times or during recovery. Take care of yourself first before anything and everything else. It’s the whole "put your oxygen mask on first" theory.

My Story

So here goes something—something I never thought I’d do—but because I have such an amazing support group, I’m going to share this with you. Also, because I want you to know I’m real, I get it, I’ve been there.

I was diagnosed with PTSD last year. I know burn out way too personally. And I have Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood and Anxiety—that translates to Stress Induced Depression and Anxiety. I have triggers because of my PTSD. These triggers I didn’t know I had until last year. I had been struggling with these all of my life, successfully (not necessarily beneficial or healthy), but successfully. I suppressed and kept on chugging along. Until the burn out caught up with me—physically and mentally done was where I was. I had no energy to go on. So nonetheless, I started off 2019 with a totally different perspective on life. I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty details of it all because honestly, it’s super personal and private for me. I’m still getting comfortable with it.

It was this situation though that has brought me to where I am today—happier, stronger, more confident. And more aligned with my soul, my mind, my heart—my true self.

One of the therapists I met with told me something that really stuck with me, and I think it’s so important for everyone to hear: The Chinese symbol for crisis translates to two words, “danger” and “opportunity.” Think about it. When you reach a crisis or a troubling situation, it is a warning in a way and it is a breaking point. And most of all, it is an opportunity to rebuild, to correct the situation. You are presented with the opportunity to heal, to grow, to thrive. So, this is where I am now. I am at an amazing opportunity, and beautiful things are coming out of it and happening in my life. And my priority… self-care.

Nikki’s Story

Nikki started blogging back in November as a means of distributing unused creativity. Also, as a way of connecting to those on a similar path as myself. The reason she was drawn to the topic of self care and development was very personal.

For seven years, she was heavily addicted to opiates, and in the very center of all that particular lifestyle entails. She has since found recovery. And she’ll be celebrating three years clean in August!

During her recovery, for a long time, she felt she had a powerful void within herself. After checking off a number of things on her “get clean to-do list,” such as straightening out her license or past bills that she had been neglecting throughout her addiction, the void still continued to grow. The number of times she had thought to herself, “I thought recovery was easier-happier,” was countless.

She then discovered self care and what it truly means. How she discovered it: through a Google search of "how to be happy"—guess what popped up? Self care! That was the very first piece of her self care puzzle.

Nikki’s hometown had been hit hard by the heroin epidemic and she had lost many people she was close to. Adding on to her loss, she struggled with a great deal of survivor’s guilt. Her friends had been put to rest by something she had narrowly escaped.

It was at this point in her life that she realized a lot of her success in recovery had become of her newly acquired self-care practices. She developed the belief that self care can bring you up to a new, higher level in life. Because of this, she is very passionate in her need to share this information with others. This is why it is so important to her. Nikki whole-hardheartedly believes that her self care helped improve the stability of her recovery.

You must learn to love yourself first.

The thought that happiness can only be found through service to others is something that we are often taught. Though this is partially true, it cannot and should not be your sole source of happiness and contentment. Satisfaction and joy can be found in helping others, but it will not fill a void and it will not lead you to the supreme happiness you crave. This comes from meeting your needs, filling your desires, and in building confidence and resilience. You must grow to understand yourself and all you are made of, physically, mentally, emotionally, and more. This is magical.