Self care in hard times

Self care, what does that mean to you? Many of us are going through hard times on a personal level and as world events are saturating our news feeds, in a global way we can also be affected by the things that normally seem distant or remote, these events seep into our consciousness in deeper ways that can also affect our lives in a more profound way.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by demands in you life you may neglect yourself and this directly affects your capacity to cope with the demands of family and loved ones and this can directly affect our health and wellbeing. How can we be there for others if we don’t nourish ourselves? The truth is we simply cannot pour from an empty cup. Self-care becomes vital for us to refill our own cup and be more mindful of our own needs so we can do all that is demanded of us.

So what is self-care? The answer is different for us all, but the crux is carving out some time, to check in with our bodies and mind and asking ourselves what is needed for me to keep on keeping on, and acting on it. It can be ensuring you take a walk in nature and breathing in the wonder of the beauty that surrounds us. Cooking healthy foods and making extra to pop in the freezer for when we are too exhausted to cook. It can be taking time to sit in the warming sun that Spring brings and listening to the birds, do some Yoga or gentle exercise to really feel where your body is at. If you are neglecting a health issue such as poor sleep or digestive issues or pain, making that appointment and getting professional help and advice to deal with it instead of putting it off or ignoring it hoping it will resolve itself.

Often the first step is accepting that no matter how strong or exhausted you feel, you are important, your needs are important, and we simply must pay attention to that. If you are feeling constantly tired, finding it hard to concentrate, being over reactive to things that normally we would take in our stride it is likely your adrenal system is running low. Adrenaline is powerful and we use substances like sugar, coffee, alcohol or junk foods to milk our adrenals for that hit of ‘just getting through the day’. In Chinese Medicine this relates to the kidneys as our adrenal glands sit on top of them and regulate our stamina, sex drive, low back and knees. If we run our system down and rely on coffee for instance, we only deplete further.

We need to replenish, and this can only occur if you rest, nourish, sleep and eat good food and herbs that replenish and reset our system.

B group Vitamins can be helpful, as are herbs such as Ashwagandha, ginseng, maca, rhodiola, liquorice root (caution for those on steroids or high blood pressure), schizandra berry and lavender. These herbs are adaptogenic and assist in regulating as well as nourish your adrenal system.

The other important aspect of self-care is learning to draw the line and saying no to too many demands. If you are feeling demands put upon you are too much say so. It’s so important and healthy to say “hey I’m a bit run down and need some time to recoup” or “ I need some space to clear my head and recharge”. People are most often more responsive if you speak plainly rather than losing your temper or breaking down. If you are finding you are getting ill often, this is a big sign your immune system is being affected. You need rest, you need to take care of you.

Self-care is the Yin to our Yang, the recharge for the relentless go go go. We need both Yin and Yang to be all we can be so take some time, be kind to yourself and you will accomplish all you need to do.

Until next time

Dr Angela Palmer

Kinglake Chinese Medicine