Hello, my friends! I am back, feeling semi-human and happy to be here. As I thought about the post this morning, I thought I might be so bold as to share a wonderful piece of advice my therapist shared with me once. She told me that I should show myself compassion. What do I do when my friend is sick, or a family member needs help? I offer to ease their burden in some way. I want them to feel better. Why, then, when I am feeling ill or anxious, do I not offer myself that same compassion? And you know what? I had never thought about that!
Being sick, even with a bad case of allergies, left me unable to be me. My schedule did not exist; I didn't pack lunches, make a menu plan, heck, I didn't even cook! I took pills, drank water, slept, and tried to not worry about everything I wasn't doing. And you know what? Things got done. Others cooked, unloaded the dishwasher, vacuumed, and picked up dinner. They reminded me that I could just be. They showed me compassion and reminded me to do the same for myself.
I thought about how when I was young and sick, my amazing mother would put me in the tub, change my bedsheets to crisp, clean ones, and tuck me in before reading to me. I thought about how when my own kids were sick, I gave them a bath with Baby Magic Calming Bath and then slathered them with lotion before putting fresh jammies on them. So today, I did the same for me. I soaked my feet, sprayed some eucalyptus shower spray, put on some spa music from my Spotify playlist, and took a long hot shower. I got out my special body scrub and oil and moisturized my skin. I took my time and took care of me. I'd like to finish by telling you I wrapped myself in a soft, fluffy robe, but that would be a lie. True to myself, I threw on my favorite old Halloweentown sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. What can I say?!
I found this advice years ago, and it is really wonderful!! Where did women get the idea that we must sacrifice everything, even our health, in order to make others happy and get things done? Good for you!!! How blessed you are to have such a cute little buddy!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Billie Jo. Taking care of you - excellent advice! As women, wives and moms, we often treat others better than we treat ourselves. That is something I am working on too! If I forgive others and give the grace and mercy, I must do the same for myself! I hope you are feeling better. I need to look for that Alfred Hitchcock channel! Thanks for the tip. See you again soon. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThat is fantastic advice and I think we all need the reminder of it often. Glad you are taking care of you. Hope you feel better and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThat is wonderful advice and I am so glad you took the time to treat yourself and gave yourself grace. It is such a hard thing for moms to do. Hope you continue to feel better! I love your lemony background!
ReplyDeleteI think that is great advice. I don't really ever take time to pamper myself and I know I should...however, I am always there to take care of someone else that needs caretaking. sigh. I need to follow what is now YOUR advice! Glad you headed back to feeling human again! xo Diana.
ReplyDeleteps-I have all the old Alfred Hitchcock shows on DVD that the kids brought me years ago. Still love them.
Isn't it great to see the family come together when we're not feeling up to it? I'm always amazed that my to-do list is still there waiting on me when I get better :) In other words, the world keeps spinning even when I take a break. Keep taking care of yourself. These allergies are ridiculous this year!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear you were suffering so my Friend. But very happy to hear you're feeling better! You said that perfectly -and I think we all have times we forget to show ourselves the same grace we'd show another. Love that you took time to pamper yourself a bit and help yourself heal. Blessings on this week and continuing to feel better & better. xoxo
ReplyDeleteGood advice you shared. I hope you are feeling better. I did get help after my asthma attack for days. I enjoyed taking a warm. cozy shower a few days that helped me feel better. There was an adorable dog when we were at graduation party on Friday. He was fun!!! I heard an owl hooting when I was leaving the house late morning. I enjoyed hearing it!! Have a blessed day and take a cozy nap, which I might do this afternoon as I work up early!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear you are unwell, but I'm so glad to hear you are allowing your family to love you like you love them when they are ill. It's hard for mamas to do that! Praying for you, my friend.
ReplyDeleteLots of wisdom in this post. I think that women especially aren't good at giving grace to themselves. Glad you did and I hope you are soon better!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you took care of yourself. We Mom's and Grandma's find ourselves taking care of others and neglecting ourselves. I admit to being that way myself. Yet, things do get done if I just allow others to be a blessing to me. I hope you're well on the way to feeling much, much better. Your companion is sure to make you feel better. I know my furry baby is snuggled on my lap right. now and she always makes things right with the world.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and hugs,
Betsy
Such good advice, and yet for some reason we find it difficult to accept. Xx
ReplyDeleteYes, we have to take care of ourselves or we cannot help others. Easier said than done sometimes. Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you took care of yourself. I definitely googled that shower spray because I think I need some. Do you have a favorite brand? I also appreciate that you have a Halloweentown sweatshirt. That is just the perfect Billie Jo thing to me!
ReplyDeleteYou have the cutest shadow!
ReplyDeleteHope you're feeling better with your allergies, my friend. Yes, we have to take care of and treat ourselves from time to time. Always love hearing the stories when your kids were little. And your mom sounds like a wonderful person and took care of you with comfort and love. : )
ReplyDelete~Sheri
So glad you are feeling better. I was once told you have to take care of yourself first to be able to take care of your family. We need to pamper ourselves at times even when we are not sick. Sweet memories!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you are feeling better! Why is it so hard to give ourselves the same compassion and grace we would easily give to others?? I guess we feel we don't deserve it! We need to work on that!!!! Have a beautiful weekend!
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