October Self Care Dedication: The Results

For 31 straight days, I practiced at least one moment of self care a day and posted about it on my Instagram account @nursecoachmaureen. If you follow me there, you may well be sick of hearing about this! This is the last of it, promise. I think...

The Original Dedication

I dedicated October to taking care of me. To filling my bucket. To making my soul smile. To embracing me.

Why?

Quite frankly, I started this to begin practicing what I preach. It's so easy to tell others to be kind and nurture themselves. It's easy to throw out examples of self care practices. It's even easy to give examples of inexpensive or even free examples of self care practices. Know what isn't easy? Deliberately making time to take care of my own self. I cannot be a successful Nurse Coach if I'm not willing to do the work myself. One thing I've heard repeatedly throughout my coaching course is this: "you can never take clients any deeper than you've gone yourself." This is why a portion of the program is being coached as well as coaching.

I also wanted to set the example that self care doesn't have to be what society has forced us to believe it is. I've heard it referred to as "Wine Culture." Do I love sitting a the salon getting a mani-pedi while sipping a glass of wine? Absolutely I do. Am I fully in support of spending a day at the spa being pampered? Sure do. Is this a feasible means of regularly caring for the self deeply and authentically? Nope. Even if you could financially swing daily spa/salon treatments, it just isn't realistic behavior.

What Did I Do?

I considered listing all of my activities here but...it got long. You can check in on my Instagram for full details. I did a lot of creative expressing and talking and resting. Hmmm...a nap sounds good right now, come to think of it!

The Lessons

As I expected, I learned a lot of things about myself through this dedication. I love any opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of and connection to my truest self. If you Google "Cosmo Magazine Personality Quiz Junkie," they could just have my picture there as a definition!

Some lessons were more reminders of things I've always loved losing myself in but started forgetting to find the time to do. Things like dancing, listening to music, singing, coloring, creating, writing, deeply conversating, and crafty-like things. These are so simple (like wearing my favorite shoes) but I smile and just feel the kid in me beaming every time. I like her. A lot.

Some lessons were a little more "ah-ha" in nature. The lesson that it's not only ok to take a moment for me from me regularly but it's also actually super beneficial for everyone around me. If I sit and meditate or even just breath for a few minutes before the kids get home from school, it changes the entire evening. No more mom losing it at dinner because she has zero left in the tank!

Some lessons were in retrospect. I'd get to the end of the day and think "shit! I didn't self care today." Then I'd take a look back through the day and find a me for me moment - maybe smiling while driving in the car in the sun jamming out. This practice has already begun to ingrain itself into my life! It also served as bit of a gratitude practice for those little moments of bliss and abundance in life.

Most lessons were things I already knew about myself but needed to learn to appreciate and embrace rather than shame myself for. For example, sleeping. I love to sleep. I love to sleep in, go to bed early, squeeze in a quick nap, hunker down for a long one, snuggle up on the couch, or tuck into my bed. Somewhere along the way, I sold myself the story that those feelings were not acceptable for adults. It was only okay for teenagers and 20-somethings to admittedly love sleep. I convinced myself that I was supposed to have outgrown this somnolent behavior or it meant I was lazy and lazy is a four letter word! *note: as I'm proofreading this, I have to fight the urge to edit this and make excuses for my love of sleep

My dear readers, the last thing I am is lazy. My mind is on hyper-over-drive every waking moment. Do you know how exhausting that is? Very. No wonder my brain craves rest! It's the only time it gets to do just one thing. Loving to sleep doesn't make me slothlike or apathetic. I've spent the majority of my life attaching my worth to the notion of working so hard that I never have time to sit down in a day. Guess what? It f*cking sucked! The only people that didn't benefit from the inevitable burn out of living a life so not aligned with my truth are the ones I love the most - myself and my family. Slowing down has been so good to my soul and my most valuable relationships. How is that something to feel shameful for?

It's not. So I won't. I am, instead, embracing it.

The Ultimate Truth

Write your own story. Whatever it is you've sold yourself a bill of rights to, take it off the shelf. Give it a good dusting and see if it is, in fact, part of your authentic, genuine truth. If it is, give it a good polishing, hug it, and plug it right back into your story.

If not, erase it. White-out it. Crumble it up and recycle it. Burn it. Then...CHANGE THE SCRIPT! Rewrite your story to fit YOU and the life you want to live. I know that sounds easier said than done and I'm not saying it won't be a little uncomfortable at first. We just need to start small. Our thoughts become our story becomes our reality. Say it to yourself in the mirror. Admit it. Make a mantra. Develop a ceremonious gesture around it. Own it. Fill your new chapter with this stroke of genuineness. We are all worthy of self love and living from your heart is the key.

It's not self-ish. It's self-FULL.