A Reminder for Self Care

It was inevitable…I’ve been pushing hard for months now with a new job, traveling 1-2 times per month to take classes up the coast, planning our wedding, social commitments, research projects, running a business…lots to do. And last week it all got the best of me and I got sick. Not just the seasonal sniffles, but the kind of cold that I only get about once every 4 years. The kind that knocks you off your feet so hard that your brain gets foggy and it’s an effort just to get dressed in the morning. The kind of sickness that reminds me that it’s time for a break, and that I will be taking that break right now…not tomorrow, or next month, or 4 months from now when I get everything done. But today, this week, now!

The realization that our society celebrates this concept of “busy” has been coming up a lot for me lately. My friend and teacher Sarah Kathleen Peck did a fascinating short class on this recently for our mastermind group. She frames this epidemic as the “altar of busy” that our society worships. We are encouraged and compensated for being productive, fitting more in, working overtime, doing it all. But to what end? As people log more hours;  multi-task; strive to do bigger, better, more; the expectations bar just moves higher and we are left with very little time to invest in taking care of ourselves. All of this focus on “busy” comes at a huge cost to ourselves, our relationships, and our self care practices.

As a person who likes to live a full life, I constantly struggle with toeing the line of where it all becomes too much. (I’ve started using the word “full” instead of “busy” to describe how I’m feeling to acknowledge that I live this way by choice. The distinction is important to help me remember that everything I do is a choice). So when it becomes too much, like last week when I got sick, I realized that the only remedy would be to re-focus on my self care. For me, that is the foundation of wellness…the daily and weekly practices I do to take care of myself. Many of which has slipped away in these full recent months.

This concept of self care is the basis of my Senses of Place product line, but also a topic I’ve been researching quite a bit these past few years. I’ve had the opportunity to share some of these ideas though some recent collaborations, including guest teaching about morning and evening routines with my friend Dawne’s incredible In-spired Tribe wellness program. I plan to focus more on the concept of self care through teaching and writing in the coming months, so keep an eye out for online and in-person classes, and newsletters offering more recipes, ideas, and practices to think about incorporating into your own routines.

For now, I leave you with a very simple folk cold remedy taught to me by my friend Diana, who learned it from her Bolivian grandmother. This remedy soothes a sore throat, helps break up stuck congestion, and tastes divine. Exactly what I need right now.

Grandma’s Bolivian Cold Remedy
In your favorite mug, squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon and add 1 Tbsp honey.
Pour boiling water over ingredients in mug, stir, and enjoy.

Be well and happy spring!

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