“At this point, 2020 has lived the heck out of us all, feeling more like a dog year than anything else — an unruly, untrained, rabid dog year that both alternately and simultaneously continues to snap at us, destroy the things we love, and leave giant turds everywhere as it slowly runs on forever.”
Right now, so many of us have assumed a never mindset with self-care. Honestly, who could blame us? At this point, 2020 has lived the heck out of us, feeling more like a dog year than anything else — an unruly, untrained, rabid dog year that both alternately and simultaneously continues to snap at us, destroy the things we love, and leave giant turds everywhere as it slowly runs on forever.
These last several months have us so stressed, frazzled, and stretched entirely too thin caring for our people, that the mere thought of practicing self-care feels absurd and unattainable.
Still, prioritizing our personal wellness is especially vital during this long, exhausting season. If 2020 has taught me nothing else, it’s that there are always self-care practices we can cling to no matter how little energy, motivation, or time we have:
Set a Boundary
Establishing healthy boundaries, both for ourselves and those in our lives, instantly lightens our burden and helps us build our reserves. Best of all, assertively saying no to the things that don’t serve us well allows us the bandwidth to say yes to the best, most important things.
Ask For Help
Anyone else get a pang of anxiety just thinking about asking for help? I’m working on changing my mindset on this one. I’m slowly learning that asking for help doesn’t make me needy, weak, or a failure — it makes me human. I’m always blown away by the willingness of those around me to let me lean on them for a moment while I catch my breath.
Forgive (Ourselves)
No one gave us a heads up or a user’s manual for 2020. We’re all just white-knuckling our way through whatever fresh hell appears in front of us on a daily basis (see rabid dog reference above). Guilt and shame keep us immobilized, overwhelmed with our own perceived inadequacies and mistakes. There’s immeasurable strength found in showing ourselves kindness and grace. By all means, we can (and should) take inventory and adjust as needed – then we can consciously, purposefully, and relentlessly forgive ourselves as we move forward.
Today’s Soft Never
Today let’s Soft Never the mindset that tells us we can never prioritize ourselves or that we simply never have the time needed to practice self-care. No matter how busy or challenging our lives may get, there are always ways to give ourselves a small reprieve from the chaos and love ourselves through whatever life throws our way.
How do you practice self-care when self-care feels completely unattainable? Share your routines in the comments below!
What are you Soft Never’ing right now? We’d love to hear from you. Connect with our team today to tell us about your favorite Soft Never or find out how you can be a Soft Never guest blogger.
