Things I’m Learning About Self-Care.
These lessons are some that I have learned through counseling, and I give my therapist credit without naming her. Other lessons are ones that have come to me in other ways.
- SAY YES TO ME
- WHAT IF I ONLY HAVE TOMORROW? WHAT AM I GRATEFUL FOR TODAY?
- THIS IS ALL ABOUT ME THIS TIME. I’M GOING TO CHOOSE ME, NO MATTER WHAT! WHAT I WANT TO DO AND WHAT IS BEST FOR ME, WITH MY DOCTOR’S GUIDANCE.
- NOT EVERY COMMENT SOMEONE SAYS TO YOU, NEEDS A RESPONSE!
- I DO NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO MANAGE SOMEONE ELSE’S EMOTIONS!
- LOVE WHERE YOU ARE! (Remember how much you love to swim when you feel like drowning.)
- MY CANCER WAS (AND IS) A PIVOT FROM MY PREVIOUS LIFE. (If I hadn’t gone through what I have I would have never found art as an outlet and practiced self-love)
- “WHAT IF’S” do you no good! a)feel the what-ifs. b)normalize it. It’s normal to feel that way. c)push it out and move on.
- Invisible labor refers to the often-overlooked tasks primarily handled by mothers or caregivers, such as managing children’s activities, arranging doctor’s visits, meal preparation, household responsibilities, and more—all while balancing work. This type of unpaid labor is mentally and physically exhausting but is frequently minimized or praised as “multi-tasking.” Instead of normalizing this burden, it’s important to normalize asking for help and setting boundaries.