Self-Care Doesn’t Stop When You’re Feeling Better

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Abstract

This probably seems bleedingly obvious to many of you, but it caught me a little off guard. Feeling like life is good isn’t something I’m used to, so I’ve kept up my self-care out of reflex. It didn’t naturally occur to me that it’s something I should always be doing.</p><p id="16a3">And yet, when my therapist said it, it made perfect sense. I take my meds to help me be stable, and I keep taking them to stay that way. I don’t go off them when I’m feeling better, because that’s the fast track to a breakdown. Many people fall into that trap, and I’ve always thought that I’m smart enough to recognize that pitfall.</p><p id="f9ef">So, why didn’t I recognize that same approach when it came to self-care?</p><p id="8531">Logically, I know that things that are obvious to some are not obvious to others. Thankfully, with the help of my therapist, I made the necessary connection.</p><p id="7702">Self-care should be part of a routine that helps keep you grounded. It should be ingrained into your day, part of your everyday activities. Taking care of your mind is no different than taking care of your body, and they are often the same.</p><p id="fdf6">Part of the reason I am doing so well is that I am practicing self-care, even though I am largely out of my years-long depression. Fitness gurus don’t quit exercising when they get to their ideal body; it takes regular care and maintenance to stay at optimal fitness levels. Same with your brain. You practice self-care to improve your mood, and when your mood is good, you practice self-care to maintain your good mood.</p><p id="2204">I share this with you because I know I’m not the only one to miss the connection. Mental illness often clouds your brain, and sometimes you miss the obvious solution. I know I did.</p><p id="b57c">When you practice self-care to pull yourself out of a funk, you shouldn’t stop once you are out of it. Keep taking care of yourself, practicing self-care, and being good to yourself. Your mind and body are complex machines, and machines need maintenance. Self-care is your body’s maintenance, even when it’s running well.</p><p id="f41e">So, I say it again: practice sel

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f-care. When you’re feeling like crap, self-care. When you’re feeling well, self-care. You only get one body and one mind. Take care of them, and they’ll take care of you.</p><div id="a9ee" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/self-care-for-you-and-me-how-to-take-care-of-yourself-when-you-have-a-chronic-illness-or-not-2af6c342d9ff"> <div> <div> <h2>Self-Care for You and Me: How To Take Care of Yourself When You Have a Chronic Illness (Or Not)</h2> <div><h3>A guide to self-care for everyone.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*T1GX-0iga-bXY3tj)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="7a80" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/im-thriving-during-lockdown-and-i-feel-kinda-bad-about-it-a963a3ad4329"> <div> <div> <h2>I’m Thriving During Lockdown, and I Feel Kinda Bad About It</h2> <div><h3>Being self-conscious about living the introvert’s dream.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*M10YIyTljCXX9AGD)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="6732" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/zen-and-the-art-of-animal-crossing-928901a512a7"> <div> <div> <h2>Zen and the Art of Animal Crossing</h2> <div><h3>How a simple game about island life is helping me manage my anxiety in a time of crisis.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*r6oADMXv9gJZNhcr)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

It’s an ongoing task, not a stopgap.

Self-care has been my mantra for a long time. We must take care of ourselves, I would say, so that we may be well of mind and body.

In practice, it was hard. Taking care of yourself takes some level of effort, and I spent a long time struggling to stay above water. For a long time, self-care was something that fell by the wayside.

Then, COVID-19 struck. It came the week after I submitted a huge project at work, having sunk six weeks of effort and pain into a massive writing task. I felt like I barely had a chance to recover from the blood, sweat, and tears that went into it before I had to take cover from a pandemic.

However, I discovered that being home all the time helped. Slowly, then more rapidly, I began to feel better about life. I was eating better, walking more, and happier in general. Work no longer felt like a slog, but something that I wanted to do again.

After nearly three months of lockdown, I’ve been fairly happy about life in general. Talking to my therapist the other day, she commented that I seemed much happier than I have in a long time. She also said that she liked that I was keeping up with my self-care, even though things were better now.

It sparked a little something in my brain, something I always knew but hadn’t gotten the chance to practice. Self-care is not a task to accomplish a goal, but a path you walk every day. I started beating the self-care drum when I was feeling like crap as a means to help myself gain control and feel better. I’ve kept pounding away even though I’ve been feeling better for a while now.

And yet, when my therapist said it, it made perfect sense. I take my meds to help me be stable, and I keep taking them to stay that way. I don’t go off them when I’m feeling better, because that’s the fast track to a breakdown. Many people fall into that trap, and I’ve always thought that I’m smart enough to recognize that pitfall.

So, why didn’t I recognize that same approach when it came to self-care?

Logically, I know that things that are obvious to some are not obvious to others. Thankfully, with the help of my therapist, I made the necessary connection.

Self-care should be part of a routine that helps keep you grounded. It should be ingrained into your day, part of your everyday activities. Taking care of your mind is no different than taking care of your body, and they are often the same.

Part of the reason I am doing so well is that I am practicing self-care, even though I am largely out of my years-long depression. Fitness gurus don’t quit exercising when they get to their ideal body; it takes regular care and maintenance to stay at optimal fitness levels. Same with your brain. You practice self-care to improve your mood, and when your mood is good, you practice self-care to maintain your good mood.

I share this with you because I know I’m not the only one to miss the connection. Mental illness often clouds your brain, and sometimes you miss the obvious solution. I know I did.

When you practice self-care to pull yourself out of a funk, you shouldn’t stop once you are out of it. Keep taking care of yourself, practicing self-care, and being good to yourself. Your mind and body are complex machines, and machines need maintenance. Self-care is your body’s maintenance, even when it’s running well.

So, I say it again: practice self-care. When you’re feeling like crap, self-care. When you’re feeling well, self-care. You only get one body and one mind. Take care of them, and they’ll take care of you.