From Jeff Warren, one of my fave teachers, on the value of even micro-moments of self-care. If this seems too long, at least look at the first sentence in the third paragraph. Wow.
“The essence of self-regulation is taking breaks. It’s about interrupting the cumulative flow of stress and work with clear demarcated time-outs. If we wait for these moments to happen by themselves, they won’t. We have to treat them as part of our job, the “insulin” our metabolisms need in order to function properly.
“It doesn’t even need to be some special self-care activity. Just breaking up the day with a mindless chore – grocery shopping, the dishes – can help. Any kind of grounded activity where you’re not spinning away inside your problems (or your phone) is a form of self-regulation.
“Most of us don’t want to face the brutal truth that the damage we do by not taking time off--damage to our relationships, to our work, to our own selves--can neutralize the good we do by sticking around. Self-regulation isn’t some indulgent luxury add-on. It’s part of being a responsible member of family and society.”
Photo by Sebastien Gabriel on Unsplash
