BY SHARI MEDINI This idea of self-care is often tossed around flippantly. You can find endless articles recommending that you take some metime, get a massage, or do some yoga. But self-care (and the lack of it) goes much deeper than that. When self-care is lacking, everything else can feel like it’s falling apart. When you have neglected your own needs for too long, a candlelit bath seems like a bandaid instead of a real solution. So what can we do? Establish Realistic Expectations We tend to be the hardest on ourselves. We think that we need to sleep less, enrich our kids more, cook healthier meals, work harder, be more fit, etc… and we think that we need to do it all with a smile. After all, isn’t that what everyone is doing? We consistently compare our own weaknesses to other people’s strengths while underestimating our own super powers. We consistently see the struggle in others while neglecting our own. We consistently feel like we are falling short, when in reality we are doing a pretty amazing job. All of this is normal, but it doesn’t mean that
8 January 2020| PB Parenting |
we shouldn’t take strides to change things. We should take credit for all of the amazing things that we do and start to simplify our lives as much as we can. No one is capable of doing it all - at least not long term. We can only be everything to everyone for so long until it takes it toll. Recognize the Signs of Burnout My suspicion is that burnout is much more common than we realize. It is also much more serious than we realize. If we are going through life by frantically jumping from one task to another without any time for reflection or creative, we are on the quick path to burnout. Many times we hear about burnout in the workplace, but it can also happen at home. It is possible to experience burnout in various areas of our life. Simple things like packing lunches can start to feel daunting when burnout has set in. So what is burnout? The symptoms of burnout are caused by being in an ongoing state of stress and include: emotional and physical exhaustion, cynicism and detachment, and feelings of
