Still Interested In Self-Care?

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Self-Care Tip #131 – Start all your efforts and end all your efforts accountably with yourself.

Self-care is:

For many of us, we wonder what self-care is.  Obviously being subjective, it is something unmeasured and changes between us.  It doesn’t interest or make sense to many, depending on their religious biases, culture, temperament and other things.  But others of us, for maybe the same reasons, find self-care to be the place from which our axis swings.  We have together, here at FriendtoYourself.com, through the past eight-plus months, agreed on much of what self-care is and is not.

It is not selfish-care, alone-care, sacrilegious or Godless-care.  It is more than any one thing, for self-care flattens knowledge.  It is not weak but rather courageous.  It brings us to humble accountability for our lives, not erasing our history but still being free to start over any time.  Self-care is living consistent with the belief that the success of our health (emotional, physical, spiritual) begins and ends with Me.

Despite the chorus of boos, we say that we serve God and man better by taking care of ourselves first.  We attack guilt, we stand up to shame, we live as we choose despite stigma and we work harder than we ever have on perhaps the hardest job of our lives.  This is, Self-care.

Are you still interested?

Question:  How do you define self-care?  How is it played out in your life story?  Please tell us.

19 thoughts on “Still Interested In Self-Care?

  1. Tip # 131 sounds like a Ben Franklin adage and a good one it is. We live responsibly and self care enables us to do this and we are accountable to others as well so that when we pass we have left no accounts unsettled which would seem like another Franklinism. Your version of self care is certainly not Godless. As a matter of fact I respect you because as a doctor and psychiatrist you are simultaneously a scientist and have unashamedly acknowledged the healing power that is available through Jesus if we merely accept His invitation. “Are you still interested? seems like a question that you ask to determine if you will continue the discussion. Or perhaps if we are still interested in exploring the benefits of self care. My answer is yes to both. You are so prolific. As a blogger myself I don’t know how you do it. A daily post is quite an ongoing accomplishment. Each post is fresh yet part of a continuum. Quite remarkable as I see I must cut down to three posts a week to come up with new material and keep the pace.Self care has reminded me that I must be a participant in my recovery and recovery is not a blessing conveyed by some external magic,

  2. self care has redesigned my life quite a bit it has helped me to have a bit faith and show me the building blocks of life that i missed as a kid i am constantly learning this was a sound pice of advie that was gave to me when i was drinking 9 liters of cider a day when i was 21 and this bloke also siad look at the people around you what is happening with them 3 and true as i predicted quite a few died 5 are in prison there is only one out of them became a good one that was me it wasnt till a bit later on voe after 69 admissions to hospital 8 years later that i learnt something of self care and how it can help so much with doing so little

  3. Your definition and description of self-care makes sense to me. We should take care of ourselves. Common sense says we should be interested in self-care. I agree that it’s not selfish to plan for one’s own health, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Someone needs each of us. How can we serve others if we are broken? Blessings to you, Sana…

  4. this is my newer blog as well and from coming form a little blog i have moved to more complex questions and i have built this all threw self care in beliving that i can be helped and i can look after myself and most of all i can be a friend to myself

  5. Until this blog, I never thought about self-care. Selfish behavior, yes. Self-centeredness, yes. Self-indulgence, yes. But self-care – taking care of myself?? Wow! What a concept!! I love it, and it has been my saving grace. It IS hard work and it is often difficult, but I can honestly say that the more I have worked at it through this blog, the more healthy I have become. Yes, each post makes me think and sometimes it hurts to think…and – you won’t believe this – it hurts to write about what I’m thinking…or remembering. But with each memory – each thought – each sentence – I feel stronger. It’s probably the most important work I have ever done for me and, ultimately, for those I love.

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