HOW ASKING ONE SIMPLE QUESTION CAN HELP YOU EASILY INTEGRATE SELF-CARE INTO EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE

When I recently became ill with a wicked, virus, I was determined it would not develop into bronchitis then an asthma attack, which is what usually happens when I get sick.  I was so determined, I actually found myself developing a dual personality.

One was that of a patient, which I am not very good at being.  The other was that of a loving caregiver/nanny.  Okay, maybe it was a triple personality.

Nanny/Caregiver/Patient

THE NANNY me thought of myself as a vulnerable, little four-year-old, who really needed my care.  I put her in her favorite comfy pajamas, bundled her in a soft blanket, turned the phone off so it wouldn’t disturb her, and read her stories I thought she would like instead of weighty professional books.

THE CAREGIVER me saw to it there was always a full pitcher of water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice in it on the nightstand (and made the Patient Me drink a glass of it every 20 minutes…I remember there being a timer involved).  In addition, there was a thermos of hot tea with raw organic honey, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and food-grade Oregano Essence Oil (which has natural antiviral properties) always at the ready.  Caregiver Me cajoled Patient Me into gargling with warm salt water and using a saline nasal flush several times a day, (YUCK).  She insisted on plenty of vitamin C in the form of supplements, organic throat spray, and my favorite juices.  She saw to it the vaporizer stayed filled, rubbed Vicks VapoRub on my chest, monitored my temperature, made sure I used my inhaler on a schedule rather than the haphazard way I tend to do, and fed me only healthy foods plus a daily Green Drink.

THE PATIENT me went along with it all because…it just seemed easier than resisting and she was too tired to balk.  After all, she was working two other jobs.  AND, it had become an interesting experiment to observe.

Coach, Coach Thyself

Not only did I NOT contract bronchitis or have an asthma attack, I finally experienced, first-hand, the EXTREME SELF-CARE I am always preaching to my clients about.

I realized that my “ignore it and it will go away, suck-it-up,” and, “don’t give in,” laissez-faire attitude towards being sick was really a laissez-faire attitude toward my own self-worth.  Not taking care of myself is a reckless disregard of and for me, not at all brave or tough…and it never worked!

When we don’t take good care of ourselves, it’s impossible to authentically take good care of others.  For that reason and many more, when making decisions about…pretty much anything, I’ve now begun asking myself one simple question as often as possible, “What would self-care look like in this instance?”  Asking this is helping me become more conscious of the many, many opportunities to practice self-care throughout the day that I never noticed before.  And that’s what it is — something we must practice in order to master.

 Establish, Improve, Or Shore-up Your
Own Self-care

Why not get some help establishing, improving, or just shoring up your own self-care practice? Schedule your FREE EXPLORATORY SESSION here.  I promise, there will be no hard sell.  I have no personal attachment to the outcome of our conversation beyond your feeling better for our having had it. For more information about living authentically, click here and get your FREE copy of my “GUIDE TO AUTHENTIC LIVING: Ten Things People Who Live Authentically Know And Do…And So Can You.”