Adrenal Recovery Challenge — Practicing Self-care

Melissa Husted
Jul 10, 2017 · 4 min read

Taking Care of Yourself so You Can Take Care of Others

Self-care. It’s such a buzz-word, isn’t it? But I’m gonna use it because I can’t come up with anything better to describe what I’m talking about. Restorative practice? Personal decompression time? Nah, awkward. Self-care it is, then. But what is it exactly and how should we go about implementing it?

I wrote a post about planning for homeschool a few months ago, in which I talked about making room in your schedule for the most important things, the “big rocks”. Self-care doesn’t need to take up tons of time, but it does need to be a “big rock”. You can’t wait to see if it’s going to fit in around all the other things. It won’t. But it is a vital part of your healing. God put us on earth to live. Yes, we are to produce, and be effective, and build the kingdom. But tell me, please, what kind of kingdom are we building? The kind where we wear ourselves to shreds and have nothing left to pour into others except snappish retorts when we are at the end of our resources? Because I read somewhere about an abundant life. And that means living. At peace. Enjoying His rest.

So mamas (and everyone else), we have to carve that time out. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a bunch of folks reminding me to take care of myself all the time. My husband is very attentive and caring, but his needs are so different than mine, that sometimes it doesn’t cross his mind that I need some time for myself. So I not only have to make the time, but I have to make sure my people understand the importance of this time.

Self-care Strategies

Now is the time to revisit your LifeCraft list. If there is anything you may have forgotten to add or any new things you would like to implement, write them down now. Use these categories to generate ideas.

Hobbies

Visit an art museum.

Prepare your favorite meal.

Declutter or decorate a small part of your home.

Learn a new skill like drawing or photography.

Practice your instrument. Learn a new song.

Begin a DIY project.

Indulge in reading a few chapters of a “for fun only” book.

Relationships

God

Consider a mini-retreat for meeting with God.

Listen to uplifting worship music.

Spouse

Go on a date at least once a month.

Do Date-night-at-home.

Friends

Practice hospitality.

Plan coffee dates with your girlfriends.

Relaxation

Recreation

Take a walk in nature.

Play. Fly a kite. Blow bubbles.

Go for a swim.

Practice yoga

Rest

Lie in a hammock.

Sit by water (ocean, lake, stream) and listen.

Sip tea & listen to relaxing music. Take a bath.

Share your self-care plan!

I hope some of these ideas resonated with you. But more than that, I hope they gave you a jumping off point to come up with ideas that will restore a playfulness to your life that may have been dampened by stress and busyness. Leave me a comment telling me about some of the self-care items you’ve added to your list. And invite your friends to join you on the Adrenal Recovery Challenge by sharing on Facebook, Twitter, etc. They can jump in at any time. Have a wonderful week!

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