Being Known — Checking In!

Focus on you — Newsletter #22

Focus on you

So often we do for others that we forget to tend to our own selves. We give of ourselves to our kids, our friends, our jobs, and our readers and too often at the expense of our own needs, wishes, hopes, and dreams.

We deplete ourselves for the sake of others, often confusing self-care with selfishness, and ultimately doing a disservice to ourselves and to those around us.

The term ‘self-care’ has become so cliché as of late that it even has its own dedicated day complete with the hashtag #selfcaresunday, but real self-care is so much more than an instagramable upload.

Self-care is more than a day of the week. It is more than a bubble bath or a massage or a nice glass of wine or happy hour with the girls, or the guys. Self-care is an attitude; it’s a practice, a commitment, and a discipline.

Self-care is a state of mind!

What is self-care to you, and how does it relate to your writing? Tell us in the comments.

For me, writing is self-care — most days at least, and especially when it serves as a cathartic exercise for my heart and soul. I rarely write for my readers, but rather they are the bonus result of authentically sharing myself.

I write for me; to release, to process, and to feel alive! I practice self-care through my writing as I do through running, yoga and travel — it feeds my soul.

Do you write for yourself or for your readers, or both?

I invite you this month to focus on you with regards to your writing and living alike. What might be different if you focused on yourself even half as much as you focus on others? What might be possible if you attended more to yourself? Dare to imagine!

Being Known’s monthly writing prompt

June writing prompt: Self-Care.

Self-care goes beyond bubble baths and manicures, above date nights and happy hours, and extends farther than massages, wine, or hot chocolate.

Self-care is a practice; it’s self-discipline, integrity, and self-love. Self-care makes us feel alive! Self-care is not selfish but is rather a caring, loving, and nourishing act of service.

To me, self-care is doing and not doing. It’s eating the cake some days and eating the salad on others. It’s saying more yes to me and more no to others. It’s honoring my word to myself. It’s going out for a run, but also knowing when to just stay in bed. Self-care makes me a better mother, employee, friend, student, writer — it makes me a better me!

How does self-care, or the lack-there-of, affect you?

This month I invite you to indulge in self-care with us! Tag the prompt poem, tag your friends, submit a story, essay, or poem and join the conversation.

Important notes from the editor

Please remember to follow Medium’s distribution standards on all of your submissions; this includes formatting on titles/subtitles and images.
Please provide 48-business hours for feedback on your submissions; editors often have day jobs and lives too. Be patient with us.
Note that we publish pieces that are at least three minutes long, with the exception of flash fiction and poetry.
Pieces that are longer than five minutes, may take an additional day for a response. Thanks for your patience.
Please follow fellow writers, and honor our community. Let’s affirm one another and help each other grow!
Please consider following our sister publication Age of Empathy; our big sister — wiser, stronger, and more experienced, inspiring, and paving the way. Many of our writers contribute to AOE as well.

Welcome new writers!

A warm welcome to our new writers this week: Sheetal Prakash, Jaylee Reign, Rosy Gee, Sean F Corbin, Vilma Reynoso, Sarah Mui, Paul Mansfield, Elizabeth Willsea, and Naomi Leila — thank you for your courageous willingness to be known with us.

Thank you existing writers/editors!

Thank you to all who ongoingly contribute to the collective story that is — Being Known: Tina L. Smith, Gayle Kurtzer-Meyers, Sarene B. Arias, Aimée Gramblin, Carolyn Riker, Kate Mackay, Geetika Sethi, Vixen Lea, Paula Light, Suntonu Bhadra, Quy Ma, Deena Thomson, Doug Ecks, Gal Mux, Sydney Duke Richey, Rob Janicke, Steph Jouppien, Rica Keenum, Caitlin Vestal, The4thQuadrant, A Simple Writer, Deeksha Agrawal, Nia Simone McLeod, Penofgold, Emily Jennings, Nicole Linke, Rabia Zulfqar, Anwesha Mishra, Connie Song, Eva Rotolo, Edward S. Majian, April Callaway, Sarah L. Harvey, JD Greyson, Shreya Deodhar, Sтepн Tнoмpѕoɴ, Mia Verita, Efron Koen, MFA, MA, Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), Sarah J. Baker, Aceline Lavanya, Haikuster, Shubham Goel, Lisa Gastaldo, Emily Hargrove, Cheshire Chaton, Junaid Jamshed, Poetry Lover’s Companion, Paul Mulliner, Heather Jauquet, Jupiter Grant, Gillian Lesley Scott, Denee Francese-Smith, KB, Mihai Baluta-Cujba, Debasmita Chatterjee, Gianfranco Vigneri, Deborah Weir, Amy Pierovich, Rebecca Ruth Gould, Elan Cassandra, Rowen Veratome, Josie Elbiry, stacy becker, Brinda Koushik, Paul H. Harder II, Brad Creech, Caroline Mellor, Heather M. Shrum, Melinda Heyer, Courtney Denning (she/her), Jodi Rempel, Gretchen Lee Bourquin, Jois G., Raegan Hedley, Anna Woods, Jamie Russo, Mark Tulin, Michael Datz, Ruby Thomas, Leslie Anderson, SHRM-SCP, Bingz Huang, Rachel Reid, Joellen Goth, Amber B., Debbie Weiss, Kahli Bree Adams 🖋️, Rambling Rose, Edward Riley, Dave Logan, Shae De Pass, Ivan Yong Wei Kit, Nombuso Makhubu, Kajeetha Sarvananthan, Maria Garcia, Shawn Day, Silvia Poldaru, MA, Psych Write, Rute Barros, Rachel Maree, Hilda Carroll, Yana Bostongirl, Randy Shingler, Élan-Writer, Michelle Lovett, Humaira Iqbal, Connie Ottmann, Frankie Garcia.Maja Savic, Deb Wood, Kate Warrington, Julia Marsiglio, Emily Ann, Heather C Holmes, Mimi Bordeaux, Ashley Nicole, Ritambhara Khemani, M. Dal-Wray, Debora Chifunda, Rowen Quinn, Enne Baker, and Nathanael, Ramblings Anon, angelism, David Friend, Daphni Sawyer, Aeishwarya Baviskar, Sh*t Happens — Lost Girl Travel and Samantha Lazar, Jeremy McKay, A.M. Radulescu, Steve Campbell, Georgia Jauslin, Graveheart Neel, Glassgirl, Lennie Varvarides, Sahil Patel, Lamar Dull, and Nathan L. Senter, Prasanniya, Zeenat Merchant Syal, M. Glad Poetry, Elizabeth Barnesco, Giulietta Passarelli, Anthony Eichberger, Manisha, and Hannah Kewley.

The numbers

We are growing:

157 writers
382 followers

Keep writing and sharing your work — I am excited to grow together!

New stories (please read/clap/comment for your fellow writers!)

*Chosen for further distribution by Medium

New poems (Please read/clap/comment for your fellow poets!)

*You Held My Sorrow, by Galit Birk, PhD
The True Bond of Friendship, by Geetika Sethi (thank you, my friend!)
Dare to Share, and Sky Transitions, by Randy Shingler
The Attic, by Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)
I’m Not Perfect, by Edward Riley
In the Wind, by Giulietta Passarelli
Old Man, by Dave Logan
The Most Important Gift, by Lamar Dull
Vein of Gold, by Elizabeth Barnesco
Unmoved, by Élan-Writer
Inner Compass, by Haikuster
Sink or Swim, by M. Dal-Wray
Full Moon, by Gillian Lesley Scott
Rise, by Deb Wood
Coming up for Air, by Write Mind Matters
A Future Promise, by Rob Janicke
You Lifted Me, Time to Heal, and Love Is a Playground, by Galit Birk, PhD

*Chosen for further distribution by Medium

Thank you all

I am excited to continue to grow and to make magic together in our writing and in our lives. Continue leaping out of your comfort zone, drop the perfection illusion, love yourself, live fully, dare greatly, and live the life you imagine with presence and gratitude!

I see you, and I am grateful for your courage and willingness to be seen here with me and with our Being Known community.

With Gratitude, Galit Birk, PhD — your editor