Share your self-care!

[PnorkelPW]

Pretty simple hey @ScorpionPW ??

The keys are sleep, connection, eating well and doing things that make you feel good..............why do we make it so complicated so often and so easily???

[ScorpionPW]

Haha you'd think so wouldn't you @PnorkelPW......

We always gotta realign and seek that outside perspective don't we, or we've thought ourselves into a situation that only seems complicated because we over complicated it

[Lhiver]

Good morning everyone! It's Saturday, which means it's time for us to share our self care!

Remember, self-care looks different to everyone and can be small things to do to make our days brighter, or long term lifestyle changes!

Mine is more of a lifestyle change, I'm trying to reinvest in my friendships and be more present with people. By doing this I'm able to strengthen my friendships and support network as well as be there for the people in my life!

how about everyone else? @PnorkelPW @ScorpionPW @Almostthere @hne.ag @Hank54 @BonsaiBeginner @OceanSky @apples123 @Chipper @jaxb33 @Muna

[ScorpionPW]

Thanks for sharing @Lhiver, I really like what you said. I have done something similar by really making and effort to nurture the close friendships I do have as I've realised how important they truly are after having such long periods of isolation through COVID.

For me this week the self care is pretty simple. I have COVID myself, still have to look after my son and try to support my mum and friends who have lost everything in the floods up in the Northern Rivers. This week it's just about resting when I need to and being aware of how much I have to give, not over doing it so I don't get worse.

It's also that seeing what people are going through with the floods really changes my perspective about what I percieve a "problem" to be. So many things taken for granted and so much to be grateful for always, it's all about perspective. Most of the time if there is something wrong, the only place where it's actually wrong is in my head, everything is actually ok.

[PnorkelPW]

@Lhiver and @ScorpionPW it sounds like we're all on a similar page............I'm planning on catching up with a couple of mates who I've not seen for some time this weekend. At the start of the year I wrote three things on my wall..................Invest in self.............Change requires discomfort..........Embrace the fear

That last lockdown got me and I'm in the process of remerging and establishing my lifestyle again. I know one thing for sure and that's that I need connection. I like my own company and can sustain myself on my own.............but I need connection. Being around other people makes me a better version of myself. As you put it @Lhiver ..........a support network. It's easier to reach out for help when I've been giving to others as well, I don't feel like I'm just taking which is when I find it hard to ask for help.

@ScorpionPW I love how you mention perspective because that's the other thing that happens for me when I'm connecting...........my problems don't seem as big. Sending positive thoughts to you recovering from Covid and those affected by the floods. Staying aware of how much you've got to give is really important and reminds me of life in recovery............maintaining boundaries that keep us healthy.

Time to keep building my environment

[Lhiver]

Hi everyone! IT's Saturday again and time to reflect on how we're looking after ourselves at the moment!

My self care for this week is being patient with myself. I have been trying to develop better habits around exercise and eating well after being unwell for a while. It has been difficult and there have been stumbling blocks, but I know if I continue to stay angry at myself I won't be able to move forward. So now, I'm being patient. It's difficult because anger is easier than patience but it's worthwhile, as this will help other aspects of my life, including dealing with those around me.

@PnorkelPW @ScorpionPW @RiverRuns @BB_Mitzy @JW86 @Sypda rocco 69 @ions83 @Yarni @liljh21 @GretaG @MoodyM00 @Androgene Jo

[PnorkelPW]

Hi @Lhiver ……thanks for the reminder………….I resonated with your share.

Late last year I was getting frustrated with myself and my decision making…………feeling like nothing I did was working and I desperately wanted change when it came to the health aspects of my life. I just couldn’t seem to find the rhythm and there was a range of reasons for that……….so I was patient……..and looked at those reasons……..accepted them………and spent the time thinking about solutions and planning what I wanted things to look like when the timing was right.

When the time was right the solutions presented. Now 10kgs down, eating well and finding some rhythm that patience with myself has paid off. Stay patient……….things will work out.

My self care of late has been focusing on myself and what I want my life to look like. Part of that has been to remove myself from dating and deleting the apps. I realised I was focusing on that side of life too much and my life was losing its structure. I’d stopped doing the things I enjoyed, that were keeping my life on track. All I was doing was working – far too much – spending time with my daughter and either dating or chatting………….I was becoming really unhappy.

The changes I made were to set better boundaries with work hours, started getting up at 5am to exercise, eating heathier, re-enrolled in karate, bought a kayak, focused on catching up with friends………….started to build the life I wanted to live again. The life that makes me feel better about myself. Something that’s made the biggest difference though is getting enough sleep…………it’s phenomenal. It’s changed my energy levels, thinking, emotional stability, decision making and my overall demeanour throughout the day.

I suppose my self care was to get what I like to term “positively selfish”. To start setting boundaries with myself and others that keep my structure and routine. By doing this I’m a better version of me for myself and everyone around me. I figured out what is important to me and I’m protecting it.

[ScorpionPW]

It's been great reading about how self care looks for you @Lhiver, and as @PnorkelPW mentioned I can really relate to what you're saying.

I have had a big journey with exercise and developing healthy eating habits too and let me tell you, getting the whip out and being hard on myself is like a default setting. It's taken a lot of years, trial and error and staying open minded to develop a healthy relationship with this aspect of my recovery and treat it as an exercise of self love and self care as opposed to self punishment.

That's so great about losing 10kg @PnorkelPW, well done! I'll share my success as well with losing 14 kgs over the past 5 months

For me it's really simple this week. It's been getting back into exercise after having COVID, connecting at a meeting, calling my sponsor for the first time in ages and trying to not be too hard on myself and reach out for help with a lot of struggles I've been having with my son.

[Lhiver]

okay everyone, another week another chance to reflect on how we're looking after ourselves and what we could be doing to be a little kinder to ourselves!

my current self-care is very much focused on finding my voice and advocating for myself. This comes in a few ways, including learning to set boundaries and speak up for myself. This is something I know I've had to work on for a while, but by putting it in place in recent weeks, in both professional and social settings, has felt really empowering.

so how about everyone else?

@Spottedsloth @Bubbly Snowflakes @NathanS95 @Moth-Eaten @SusieBlue @Bella-Rose00 @Fi_P @Sydney93 @shrek @Anonymous66 and @dizzyrhino @Katiee @MoodyM00 @initae89

[Lhiver]

This has been a busy week for me, so much of my self care has been around checking in with myself and recognising the motivations behind emotions at the moment.

I often find that I become easily annoyed at people due to situations that haven't even happened, or by ruminating on past actions that I have no power to change now.

A big part of relationships, especially in recovery is centred on trust and forgiveness. But, speaking as someone who has had their trust broken, that can be very difficult to do. For loved ones who are supporting partners/family/friends it's important to check in with ourselves and our emotions. It can be very easy to get caught up in reliving things that have made us angry or have hurt us. By doing this we limit our own ability to move forward and stay holding on to anger. Negative feelings are valid, this is a difficult journey with all types of emotions involved, but we have to recognise if we are actually doing ourselves more damage by ruminating on the bad instead of working towards a more positive future for ourselves and in turn those we are supporting.

For individuals going through recovery, it's important to remember that for loved ones it takes time and communication to work through these emotions and that people may not be ready to forgive overnight. Respecting boundaries that have been set and remembering the importance of accountability are paramount.

Emotional first aid and self care is so important for everyone involved in recovery, whether their own or someone else. Checking in with ourselves and giving space to reflect on where we're at and how we're feeling is paramount.

@PnorkelPW @ScorpionPW @Pearly @dizzyrhino @Motionlessinwhite @MoodyM00 ] @apples123 @Deyfhob @Alvarosyd @Lizzy1 @Katlee @Dongbum @WGB3 @deku

[ScorpionPW]

Thanks so much for sharing @Lhiver, I can really relate to what you're saying about ruminating on things that have happened and feeling agitated about things I have no control over.

I used to always live in a state of resentment towards the past, fear towards the future and as a result feeling miserable/angry/sad/hopeless in the present.

After a lot of years in recovery and a lot of practice I try to live in a way now where I can come to a place of acceptance around my powerless in any given situation quite quickly. I suppose this means that I look at what action I can put into something today, I put that into place then let it go from there. Not attempting to control the outcome of things has brought me so much peace in my recovery. It's also really important for me to work through my part in things that I ruminate on, own my part and then practice forgiveness. Holding onto resentment is like swallowing poison and expecting somebody else to get poisoned. If I'm hanging onto things from the past then I'm the one suffering, nobody else. It took me a long time to really realise what this meant!

Self care for me this week has looked like making an effort to connect with people who are important to me, being open minded to showing interest in what interests them even if I didn't think it interested me which resulted into some really great times.

Also getting lots of good sleep, going to the NA convention over the weekend, keeping up with my exercise and healthy eating and taking TIL for an extra day off today.

[Azura]

Self care for me this week has been to read up abit on self compassion and try and
remember to employ it especially in emotionally charged situations.
And giving myself permission to use the supports around me and returning to previous things that worked for recovery plus being open to other new things.
Am just trying to be proud of myself at the most and tolerant at the least.
Did do some practical self care this week as in dye my hair and get a pedicure . Oh yeah and bought an upcycled tshirt today.
I also wrote out a list of things to do to help with anxiety. It sounds lame and simple but it was really comforting just writing the list.

[Lhiver]

hello hello everyone! It;'s that time of the week when we come together and share our self-care!

For me today, self acre looked like a sleep in. I have been really busy lately, working a lot and a lt going on behind the scenes so giving myself a rest was really important. You can't pour from an empty cup, we all have to remember our limits and remind ourselves to slow down and give ourselves a breather

How about everyone else? How are you all looking after yourself at the moment?
@dazza78 @Ampleambular @Voltron @Walsall @_cheekyaussie @Kelo @Tanika101 @Katcallingout @Viera @Ocean2790 @Cordiall @Beelee @IneedTheTools @OceanSky @apples123 @WildeReformed @Azura @Pearly @MoodyM00

[Azura]

Bought myself a candle and have had a couple of snuggly early nights and long sleeps. Going away for a night was really reviving .

[tacocat]

Hi @Azura

Getting away from your usual space can make such a difference. I hope you enjoyed your night away!
Reminds me that I need a night away too...

Take care.