Self Care is Essential

As a counseling student, you learn about the insides of tough human subjects. They can range from mental disorders to crimes against children. Sometimes, you are drained from all of the stories you have to read. Sometimes, you find yourself in the corner crying because you begin to internalize the stories and feel the pain of the victims. It is one the times that you do not want to live vicariously through someone else.

There are no light moments in this field. We do have some things like sex therapy, real estate battles, and research. But even those can get to you. If you are dealing with something that your client is battling, it can be emotionally draining for everyone. The counseling community encourages self-care for all counselors. This is so important to take into the world outside of counseling.

At some point, we all need to take care of ourselves. Once a month, I treat myself to a day out. I take a Saturday to myself. This could be anything from going to Starbucks and people watch to shopping in the Chicago Loop on Michigan Avenue. There is nothing like seeing the people overdo it in the chocolate shops or seeing the city lit up at night. I want to travel as well. I would love to go to Portland. There is something about that city I could just fall in love in with. Plus, I could go to the waterfalls that I saw on an episode of Leverage and take so many pictures. If I ever get married, I want to do it there. I would like to go to Colorado and see the mountains. There is something peaceful about seeing mountains up close. It is a cleansing experience to breathe that air. It may help my sinuses, who knows?

Self-care can be as simple as going to the nearest donut shop and getting the most expensive one of the menu or dancing in the grocery store. When you can hear your favorite song from your teen years on the intercom, does that make you feel old? For me, the answer is yes. That will not stop me. I will shake it in the aisles as long as my hips will let me. The shopping cart is my dance partner. The pasta aisle is now the dance floor on Dancing with the Stars. I don’t care and neither should you. The only one stopping you is you.

It is important to make sure that we have ourselves in order. Rules will get broken. There are times when we question our faith, our destiny, our vocation, and those who love us. That is okay. This is a time of self-examination. Those voices in your head will tell you things that may guide you in the wrong direction. Expect them to do so. There are judges who are guilty, banks that have losses, politicians that will lie you. Expect reality to smack you in the face from time to time. But it is up to us to take the hit and prepare for the next one as better individuals. This includes taking care of ourselves mentally and physically. You cannot win battles in a weakened state. You need to improve as the battle goes on. With self-care techniques and days, you can do it.

So turn on that 90s jam and shake it, do some yoga, go see a movie, and get your health in order. Do what brings back that smile!

Excuse me while I turn on the Spice Girls and dance my heart out!

Have an awesome day!

If you have any questions, comments, or just want to talk…feel free to send an email to this address:

narrativetherapygirl@mail.com

#selfcare