Here are the 5 signs you might have missed telling you to take a self care day
Autopilot. I can remember one day in the summer I found myself driving all the way to work, unlocking the office, getting to my desk and preparing for our morning huddle only to discover that at 15 after the start time, no one was coming. The reason no one was coming is because it was July 4th, a holiday, a day we were off. My autopilot brain didn’t get this memo. This was one of my many ah ha moments. Do you find yourself waking up and just going through the motions each day?
Lost Your Sparkle. I’m not sure when exactly but there came a moment when I started to notice how often I was hearing “What’s wrong,” “It’s so good to see you smile,” or even “there’s the girl I knew.” These all made me take inventory of how many times I’ve been hearing this , and how I must seem to others for them to be saying this. You see I used to be the laughter filled, smiley, bubbly girl, yes even at work. At some point emotional stress started to out shine my personal sparkle. This is when I knew something had to change.
The Meh Feeling. This really came to light for me when I started to notice the little things I used to enjoy just “didn’t do it” anymore. I was just Meh! At this time a little yellow emoji has never felt more relatable.
Distracted and Forgetful. This probably goes without explanation but we probably just brush it off as “mom brain,” “being overworked,” or “not getting enough sleep.” This consistent forgetting or being distracted could actually be your body telling you Whoa! Slow down, take some time for yourself.
Critical Of Yourself. I know we’ve all had a moment like this but probably didn’t pay it much attention after the moment left. These extreme critical moments become more frequent and before long every minute of your day seems to be under the microscope.
(This sound familiar yet?)
Now that we’ve all realized that we check a couple, some or most of the boxes above, we’re asking ourselves-How bad is all this really?
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m constantly down playing my own stress or even needs. I, like most of you, want to be the best mom, wife, employee, boss, etc. that we can, which most of the time comes at the expense of us. Our mental health declines. Our physical health declines. Our relationships suffer.
There’s a reason the flight attendants tell you to secure your air mask before helping others.
As a mom, this sounds crazy, no way am I not helping my kids first. Then I realized what good am I to them if I’m not also taken care of and remaining calm (in the airplane situation). The same is true about self-care. In order to be the best version of you in all your roles you need to take care of yourself. This small break, however often you need it, can shift your focus and drive.
Embrace what you need, Empower yourself to take action on that need, and Grow yourself through your actions (self care)
By now we can all agree that listening to our needs is a must. Taking action on these needs is also a must.
