Another Serving of Self-Care, Please

I’m a bad sick person.

I am rarely sick, I have a naturally high energy level and am used to enjoying good health, so when I do get sick, I tend to fight it.

Finally after several days of feeling crappy last week (a virus from my son), I “surrendered to the sick” and slept, rescheduled meetings, dinners and work obligations and just pulled way back.

In my twenties and early thirties, often when I got sick, it was because I was ignoring my needs, not listening to my intuition or body’s wisdom or just pushing too hard. (I was one of those that would come to work coughing in her cube, wearing the “but I have so much to do” badge, so everyone could see how dedicated I was to my work. Know any of those?).

Being sick has reminded me how grateful I am to know about the power of self-care.

Being kind and loving to myself and practicing good is good enough when I don’t feel well, is liberating. I feel a great sense of integrity and freedom to be putting my needs at the top of my list. And knowing, that this is not indulgent—it’s self-preservation. And, it's my birthright.

Last week I led a free Self-Care Class via phone for women around the world who wanted to learn about this concept and get a taste of what it’s like to be in a Personal Renewal Group. (Sign up here if you’d like to learn about the July class; you can listen in to the June Self-Care class by calling 712-432-1085, access code: 323399. I love these!)

Many of the women on the call were relatively new (or brand new) to self-care, but they shared how it had impacted their lives thus far. Women shared, self care:

-helps me manage my clinical depression
-supports me in being more present with my four year-old
-allows me to model what I want to teach my son

-reminds me to slow down
-is instrumental in helping me juggle work and family
-makes me feel more generous towards my kids
-helps me ward off growing resentful for always doing for everyone else

If you’ve been practicing self-care for a while (making choices that support your physical/emotional/mental and spiritual well-being), what is your motivation for doing so? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

P.S. Interested in meeting once a month in a small circle with other women who also want to integrate self-care into their daily life? Join or become trained to lead a Personal Renewal Group for mothers. Life coaching groups are meeting from Amsterdam to Akron.

Learn more about how to Live Inside Out (and become a fan on the Live Inside Out Facebook page).

The Journey, a blog about coach/author/entrepreneur Renee Trudeau’s personal journey to life balance and living life from the inside out, comes out weekly. Subscribe here. For more information on Renee’s upcoming events, click here.

Photo: Renee Peterson Trudeau. The Window from the Chisos Basin in Big Bend National Park. One the places I journey to each year that feeds me spiritually.