Self care is hard.

Think about what kind of work it takes to care for another person.  

Let’s imagine for a moment that you have a 2 year old child who’s entire survival depends on you. The absolute basics, although neglectful, would be to feed, water, and bathe the child just to keep her alive. 

To care for a child well we need to teach them things like...

Routines, structure, healthy foods, brushing teeth, friends, encouragement, creativity, clean environment, developing interests, emotional expression, people who encourage hobbies, goals, enough water, vitamins, hugs, sunlight, expectations, self-control, mentor-ship, appropriate dress, self-discipline, reading, safe vs unsafe people, boundaries, exercise, research,  writing, humility, mindfulness, self-awareness, how to talk to themselves and others, love, and the list goes on.

Overwhelmed yet?  

What if we were always encouraging when we talked to ourselves?

What if we served ourselves healthy food, brushed our teeth every day, and put things around our homes with our favorite smells?

What if we put the same amount of energy into ourselves as we would a helpless child?

Good self-care is work.  Just like being a parent is work.  Good self-care takes energy, commitment, and planning. Good self-care can be a reaction to feeling fed up and helpless, but it becomes a preventative measure to keep you from becoming depressed and hopeless in the future.  

If you don't know where to start, that's OK too.  

Always start with these three baby steps:

1. Are you eating?  
2. Are you sleeping? 
3. Did you make an appointment with your Doctor or Therapist?

AUTHOR - Rachel Terry is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas.  She has worked with many individuals and families in crisis.  She's passionate about educating the community about veteran's issues, because her husband is a combat veteran. Rachel is the owner and operator of The Hope Place Counseling Services, PLLC.