A Week Of Self Care Experiment

As some of you know, I am out of town this week.  I’m helping out a bunch of college students on a service trip in South Carolina.  My husband has been left to ‘man the fort’ (so to speak) and play single dad to our two pups.

This week I have been out of my element in several ways.  I’ve been with people that I didn’t know very well (or at all…) before leaving town, I haven’t been in total control of my schedule, and I’ve been away from my pups.  Usually, the ways that I manage my self care involve all of those aspects of life…my pups are loving pieces of my day who help me sooth my anxieties and get outside my box, I surround myself with people that I love as often as possible, and I count on having the professional control over my schedule to work when it is best for me and to not work when that is best for me.

…enter in some anxiety.

So, sometime last week, in anticipation of all of these factors, I decided to hold a week of self care experiment.

What does my experiment entail, you might ask?  Finding ways to self sooth and self care when I am not in control.  I’m going to try and be more patient with myself, more kind with my hesitations and anxieties.  I’m going to try and figure out how to be with just me, when everything else might be out of my control.  Next week, I’ll check back in with everyone and explain how the experiment went.

What kinds of self talk helped me rebalance myself?

What kinds of body positions or breathing techniques helped me stop any negative self talk or anxious reactions to my environment?

What advice would I give to my husband (or future child) if he was facing similar stress… and could I give myself the same advice?

I’m hoping to discover all of this and much more over the course of this week.  Wish me luck!

Have you taken time to explicitly figure out how to self care and self sooth?  What techniques work well for you?

P.S. A self care planner & a retreat day