Part of the reason why I’m on a temporary time out from my nursing duties. The other being a need to re-balance my emotions 😜

But it both surprises and concerns me how many women don’t support self care

It surprises me how many visible eye rolls I receive

It concerns me that I sense silent judgements

From those who believe they themselves aren’t able to take a time out, if and when they need to because they have far too many responsibilities to maintain. From those who believe I’m being a little too precious or irresponsible for taking a time out whenever I feel physically unwell or emotionally unbalanced

 Hmmmmm she ponders

WHY are we judging instead of supporting each other to better self care ?

Those of you who know me best, know how I feel about bringing our best selves to our roles and relationships, especially within our caring and nursing roles

I believe this is important because how we feel impacts upon the quality of love and care we are able to give others ❤

As night nurses, we often don’t bring our best selves on shift because of sleep challenges. So even a minor physical sickness or emotional challenge can often be exaggerated when we aren’t well rested

I’m a woman who is well aware of her own limits but I often push past them as I strive for growth. So, I made a choice to push my limits when I came on a night shift not feeling 100% within myself. But it was a choice made out of a sense of obligation and duty. A choice I later regretted because it emptied my already low tank. A choice which then resulted in me snapping during a conflict of interest with my daughter the next day because I became off balance

I pose the question …

HOW can we be expected to respond effectively to challenges and conflicts when we aren’t effectively taking care of ourselves ?

WTF ? ? ?

I know the importance of this stuff, yet I still sometimes make choices based on what others expect of me

Hmmmm she ponders

YES, we are all free to make our own choices and ultimately we are also then responsible for the consequences of those choices. But when it comes to self care we are often influenced by our considerations for other people, especially those who matter most to us

So, if ever you find yourself conflicted between choosing self care or full filling the needs of someone else, I pose these following questions to you …

Am I choosing to prioritize myself or someone else ?

Why am I choosing to prioritize the needs of someone else before my own ?

How does this choice impact on my own experience ?

How does this choice impact on the other persons experience ?

Who am I ultimately responsible for ?

Am I empowering or dis-empowering myself ?

Am I empowering or dis-empowering the other person ?

There are many barriers that prevent us from being able to effectively self care. Questioning our own choices is the first step in identifying those barriers

WHY do I choose self care ?

I choose SELF care because I believe I’m a better ME when I think and feel better

I believe when I’m a better ME that I’m also a better mother, a better nurse, a better sister, a better daughter, a better friend and ultimately a better WOMAN

Lets be a little more mindful in our interactions

I lovingly challenge those of you who either openly or silently judge others for choosing self care

I challenge you to challenge your own beliefs and attitudes

I invite you to choose self care because it isn’t only beneficial for your own health and well being, it also benefits those who matter most to you because you begin to model how to better care, love and nurture yourself and others ❤