Feeling like you’re exhausted, overwhelmed and wondering how you’re going to keep going sucks.
When you’re naturally a giving person, you can tend to keep on giving and giving and may not even realize how drained you are becoming. However, kindhearted people often forget to take care of themselves, sometimes even viewing doing something just for them as a luxury and selfish. If even the tiniest part of you believes that self-care is selfish, I’m here to tell you that is absolute crap.
Let me explain >
Stress is a process. Feelings of exhaustion and overwhelm don’t occur in a vacuum. They are the result of a stressor or demand being put on us, mixed with our ability to cope. When it all turns to trash and the system gets out of balance, we end up feeling stressed. That’s when all of a sudden it feels like it’s all getting a bit too much.
To explain it better, I find it easy to think of a person as a bucket. Perhaps not the prettiest picture, but it works! I literally believe we need to be “filled up” to be happy. But realistically, the world drains us.
The daily stressors and demands on us are like little holes in the bottom of our buckets that continually let our well-being water drain away. It’s unrealistic to think we can patch all the holes and be done with it. There will always be demands on us. But we can continue to look for ways to fill the bucket back up. We need to keep an eye on our well-being resources and ensure that the bucket never gets too empty. Making sure we have water in our tank is the crucial key to insulating ourselves against stress.
So what can we do to fill ourselves back up, and make sure our well-being tanks don’t run dry? We MUST practice self-care. Simple as that.
We all have different things that give us the energy kicks we need. It may be painting your nails, going for a run, reading a book, attending a yoga class, going on a holiday, patting your pet, meditating or taking a bath. Only you can know what makes you feel good and restores your well-being tank. But the key is, whatever those things are, you must practice them frequently to keep ahead of the game.
Self-care is vital to the bucket-model. Without us putting well-being resources into our buckets, we will all run dry. So much of society is currently running so damn close to empty. We see stress everywhere. Practicing self-care regularly is a cornerstone to our psychological health. It gives us what we need to cope with the daily demands of life and allows you to actually keep giving. In short, self-care is anything but selfish or a luxury. It’s absolutely a necessity and we should all be focused on carving out time each day to do nothing more than take care of ourselves. If you need permission to put yourself first, I just gave it to you.
Hi. I’m Kate Snowise and Thrive.How is my business-baby. I’m a Life & Well-Being coach who helps people who want the good stuff out of life, get it. Trying to understand stress and how to undo the process has been a large focus in both my studies and career. I have an MSc in Psychology (the happy kind of psychology that concentrates on what is right with you). I offer individual coaching that specifically helps people clarify their thinking, reconnect with their spirits, grow into their potential and regain balance. Click here to learn more.
To download a copy of my free mini-guide – 8 Tips Towards Creating a Thriving Life – click here.