Self-care is something we do not always think about, but we all need it. To recognize when we need self-care, we can start by understanding our triggers.
Fear. It is an emotion that is being triggered in our divided nation.
Fear alerts us to the presence of danger or a threat. While it is an important emotion in keeping us safe, when it causes anxiety and stress, the triggered response can be detrimental to our health.
Understanding the trigger
Is the United States facing a period of unrest? We are not a nation at war, and yet the nation is divided. We are a nation with conflicted thoughts and opinions. We have experienced violence, and many people are uneasy about the increased potential for violence around us.
Questions are swirling around about the state of democracy, and whether this will be the last year to celebrate independence. The actions of January 6, 2021, loom on our minds.
While no one has answers to what will happen, I do know that this past Independence Day weekend, many people did not want to celebrate our freedom.
Celebrating our independence is more important than ever. We need to keep active and take advantage of what freedoms we have for our own health and well-being.
Feeling deflated
The emotion of fear that we feel comes from limiting beliefs that can cause one to go into a fight, freeze, flee, or fawn response. It limits us from moving forward and holds us back.
In the situation mentioned above, the limiting belief involves an anxiety about the future, a fear that might not ever happen.
Consciously, we know it might not happen, but subconsciously we fear the worst. The fear in our subconscious is enough to cause a freeze response.
With this type of response, we become inactive. We cannot seem to do anything. Something fun like celebrating has no interest to us. In addition, our ability to think clearly, to make decisions is affected, so we become immobile.
A freeze response causes us to not only be indecisive but crushed. We can no longer focus on solutions. Rather, we might play over the problem with an automatic rewind in our mind.
We are deflated.
Moving from inaction to action
We cannot sit still and allow our feelings to stop us from enjoying life. We are the ones who control our feelings. It is not the other way around.
What is needed during this time is intentional movement. Self-care.
For me, that means getting into nature. So, I took a trip up into the mountains of Tennessee. During my trip, I went for a walk along a river.
By taking the time to sit by the flowing water and just listen, I was able to find peace and consolation. It did not come immediately. I had to find a connection to the water. I had to slow down, let myself sit still, and observe.
At first, the muddiness of the stream seemed so fitting for my mood. Yes, the political events had muddied my thinking. But, sitting quietly by the river, I became more aware of my feelings and why I felt the way I did.
I began to understand what was making me uneasy. Anxiety with one scenario out of hundreds of possibilities.
The feeling of uneasiness seems so unnatural, and it should help alert me to danger. But this danger is a fear in my head. It is an emotion that I need to work through.
I am usually a happy, positive person. It is my choice to be happy and positive. A choice to no longer stay depressed about something I have no control over. A choice to instead let go of what I cannot control and focus on what I can control.
I chose to let go.
Processing emotions
By trying to work through my emotions as I sat by the river, with its flow, I started to heal. After some time, I heard the murmuring of the water.
It was beautiful. It took me in another direction. A path with hope of something better downstream.
I became one with its flow. It created a movement inside of me, with the intention that I needed to shift my feelings from fear to hope. From sluggishness to a bounce in my step.
This transition in thought helped me let go of the uneasiness and allowed feelings of peace and consolation to flow through me.
One of the healing powers of water is its ability to cleanse. Emotionally.
Feel the flow wash any negativity away.
Creating balance through self-care
You need balance in your life and often that balance requires doing things for yourself. Self-care.
You specifically want to do things that can help you improve your health and well-being. This is not to be confused with laziness. It is also not selfish.
Self-care is purposeful. It involves rest when you need to slow down, relax, and re-energize for peace and stability. It also involves action when you need movement for joy and happiness.
By intentionally taking care of yourself, you are doing more than taking care of your body. The benefits are linked to improved mental health, self-esteem, self-worth, and optimism.
Finding the best fit in self-care for you
The act of caring for yourself is not a one-size-fits-all. It is anything you can do to stay physically, emotionally, and mentally well.
You might not know what you need. In fact, you do not want to get to the point of being so stressed and overwhelmed that you know you are unwell. So, you need to find routines for the things you enjoy doing.
By forming routines, you are maintaining your health to stay balanced in your mind, body, and spirit. Good routines often involve nutrition, exercise, and meditation. They also include getting away from distractions, such as going for a walk in nature.
One of my closest friends balances a hectic day and finds her peace of mind through knitting. Other self-care routines might be journaling, soaking in a hot bath, going for a day at the spa, meeting with a friend for coffee, playing sports, or reading.
What is important is that you value yourself enough to make your health and well-being a priority.
