Day 287 - Taking Care of Myself by Both Being and Doing

I'm sitting in the library in a little town in the mountains, and I was wondering what I might think about today for my blog. I sat my laptop on the table, hooked it up to the internet and looked up to find a list of "33 Ways to Take Care of Yourself" posted on the wall in front of me. Imagine that, food for thought right in front of my nose. Lots of things on the list are pretty logical and certainly things I've done, or seriously considered doing. Just about everything on the list makes sense and I could see incorporating any of the suggestions into my overall plan to nurture myself while I am out on sick leave. There are a few things listed that I haven't thought about that do hold promise - even if just for a little bit of indulgence. The list could be divided into things I can be and things I can do. Some of them are a combination - like taking a walk in the woods, or soaking in the tub. It's kind of like doing something that helps you be.

 

I like that notion very much. When I choose activities that allow me to quiet myself I find I become more energized. After a long, quiet walk near the water I am engaged in the walk, but feeling inspired by the beauty and I come away feeling both relaxed and energized at the same time. It's like I am feeding my soul and my soul responds with positive uplifting feelings that energize my very being. When I sit quietly and look at old photos, I can remember happy times and bring back warm feelings that are triggered by the people, places, things, and experiences that have been captured in the pictures. It's a doing and a being that nourishes me. When I sit on my back porch and sip a cup of tea, each sip is slow and purposeful and I take care of myself by savoring the taste, the warmth and the slow process of finishing my mug, sip by sip moment by moment.

 

Each day I look to strike a balance between my being and doing as a way to take good care of myself. It is easy to get caught up in a task and lose myself in it because I don't want to pay attention to my thoughts or feelings. People talk about managing grief or sadness by staying busy. There certainly is value in that, because it is easy to get lost in terrible grief or suffering without something to distract us. If I can stay busy, I can manage the grief, but I can busy myself right out of any feelings at all. Part of taking care of myself is being able to recognize and manage my feelings and allow myself to heal so I can move on. On the other hand, if all I focus on is being, the being can turn to inertia. So instead of using the state of my being as a tool for self awareness and healing, it can become a way to get lost in a sea of emotions, and then become immobilized. We are be-ers and we are do-ers, not one or the other. People who are most in balance know how to shift between the two so that their needs are met and they are taking good care of themselves. I'm going to pick a few of the 33 strategies and give them a try this weekend.