So life has been pretty crazy hectic lately. My husband and I leave in 18 days for our big move back to Tennessee and get to see our new house for the first time in person! 9 days after that I will be starting a new job. And over the last month, I took a part time job in retail at a Halloween store to make some extra money for the down payment for our house. To top it off, I was promoted to assistant manager and have been working 36 hours a week with much more responsibility than I bargained for with a super perfectionist boss all while trying to pack up the house and make another cross country move for the 3rd time in 2 years.
Whew.
So you can see why this busy/crazy season has led to a lack of self care, which has only added to the stress of life and made me go bonkers. Today is my first day off in SEVEN days. Old eating disorded Lex would have no problem with this. But now that I am in a healthier state of mind, it's driving me bonkers. Yet, I still haven't been healthy enough to step back and care for myself. So that's why even though I REALLY didn't feel like it, I took some time to sit down and write today.
Writing is one of the BEST forms of self care for me. Writing helps me get out thoughts and feelings that bounce around in my head all day long. It is also one of the hardest forms of self care to do for me. I am SUPER DUPER not confident about my writing skills. I get so embarrassed when people read what I write, which is why starting this blog was a really BIG and SCARY deal for me. Also, writing often times leads to me confronting emotions or experiences that I really do not want to deal with. And even though I know I should, I'm stubborn and don't want to. So I'm really glad I'm writing this right now.
I also wanted to share some other forms of self-care that work for me and would love for you to share some of your self care habits in the comments!(:
I recently taught myself to knit using youtube videos and I LOVE it. Something about the repetitiveness is soooo relaxing.
TV is also a great self care tool for me. I love love love tv shows and movies and used to not allow myself to watch TV when I was in my ED because I always thought there were more important things to do. It's so nice to be able and sit down and let myself enjoy TV and movies now.
Reading is a huge one. I will read anything and everything that has words.
Painting my nails. I think painting my nails is a great way to be creative and express myself.
Yoga-although this has been frustrating lately because I have been experiencing extremely horrible back pain and need to see a doctor asap about it.
Taking my dogs for a walk or spending any time with my dogs. Cause what is better than dogs? (nothing)
Coloring. And not in adult coloring books because the spaces are too small and it makes me crazy so I started buying kids coloring books instead. No shame.
Cooking. I love creating something new. It's such a great way to be creative.
Wearing fuzzy socks or wrapping up in a comfy blanket.(duh)
Naps. I love naps. They are such a great way to listen to your body and give it what it needs when you are tired.
