I live in a part of the South where summer break ends as August begins. So last week my kids returned to the classroom and then returned home with a cold. I have it too. It’s not the lay in bed all day kind of cold. More the stuffy head and dripping nose kind. Yesterday, I busted out a bunch of work until mid-afternoon. That’s when my eyelids started feeling as heavy as my head. I need a nap, I thought. I thought about how rest is best when we’re sick, and that’s what I tell my kids. I thought about how my body was suddenly demanding that I lay down and close my eyes.
Then all the reasons I shouldn’t take a nap started chattering around my brain. Didn’t I need to get more work done? Was I was being lazy? The list went on. All the while my nose was dripping and I kept sneezing. Then I started thinking about how it’s sometimes easier to offer care to others than welcome it ourselves. So, I climbed into bed. Welcomed my own tender, love and care. Then took a nap.
Sometimes the largest impediment to self-care is our own self. I say that not to blame or shame or add an additional burden to something already difficult. I say it as a gentle reminder to permit ourselves to receive, and even welcome, the kinds of TLC we frequently dole out as friends, parents, partners or grandparents. You’re worth it.
With love, Robynne
Goodgrief App 