Self-Care: It's a Marathon, not a Sprint

If you were to ask me last month, "How are you?" My response would have been: exhausted, anxious, determined, angry, sad, optimistic, inspired. All of these emotions are related to the current political climate in the U.S., but they're compounded by the energy I get from folks who are speaking up about politics and current events, and figuring out what they can do, and doing it. The election and the start of the new administration have been devastating in some ways, but I don't know any so-called snowflakes who have just collapsed and stopped working or functioning in society. Instead, so many people have realized they have the capacity to make a phone call, sign a petition, and/or show up for a protest or rally. As one of my former classmates was quoted in the NY news:

I am deeply upset at what's happening in my country. I just feel like, with these executive orders, really helpless as a citizen. So it's the least I can do, to show up. Just show up.

In the midst of chaos the new POTUS was creating, this reaction was heartening. My hope for everyone, in participating in and uphold democracy for loved ones and strangers  (while simultaneously working on their careers and relationships and hobbies... you know, living their lives) also remembers their responsibility to take care of themselves.

Self-care is something I have never been an expert on, so sometimes I even have to stop and think: Just take care of yourself. Every couple years or so, I can stop and go on a long, adventurous vacation, but most of the time I have to find everyday practices that help me be mindful in the midst of everything going on. I find that approaching self-care from three sides really helps: physical, mental, and spiritual (which for me is community-focused).

One night I cooked dinner and the warmth and scent in the kitchen relaxed me even before I even ate. I'd realized I'd been getting away from healthy cooking and have been trying to do more meal planning and weekend meal prep. Exercise has been in short spurts the last couple of weeks (the rain also didn't help), but I signed up for some new weekend classes (once with a friend for a bootcamp class they really liked), and it's felt good to sweat some stress out and strengthen my body, bit by bit. And it's felt good to go for a run now that the rain has stopped. Also, it had been months since I got a salon pedicure (hey, winter!), so it felt amazing to sit down in the chair this weekend and have my feet taken care of while I started a new book.

At work, I also got to attend a two-day Search Inside Yourself workshop sponsored by my company, and I felt invigorated and optimistic by the end of it. There were maybe ~60 other folks there from functions all over the company, learning about self-awareness, mindfulness and emotional intelligence. They had a great segment on self-compassion and kindness and how they go a long way to promoting peace, in terms of helping you cultivate your own leadership skills. At another point they brought up Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning (which I had loved reading in college) and discussed how we can stop and process things before we react to something triggering. I found the workshop powerful and something I will have to incorporate into my life long-term, so I may have more to write about it later on.

Elizabeth Spencer winery tasting room

Finally, spending time around loved ones is a big way for me to nurture my spirits. After a couple weeks of rainy weather here in NorCal, a friend texted suggesting we all head up to Napa that weekend, which had a forecast of sun. So on Sunday, over wine, then a picnic, then some beer flights (& a green smoothie for myself), we all caught up and only barely discussed politics. I was also delighted to get a pop-up dinner invite from another friend - showing someone you're thinking of them and want to spend time with them seems like a small gesture but it goes a long way.

picnic grounds @ V Sattui

So that's my self-care approach distilled to three aspects of life. It can't all be done at once, but when I can sprinkle these things into my daily routines, I definitely feel like I'm better off. I'll wrap this up with a quote from a powerful article (an oldie but a goodie): 

"we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us. We can even construct a system that fulfills our founders’ promises and empowers all Americans to pursue happiness." A Formula for Happiness