Thursday thoughts #6: self care practices in my 40s
Self care is a tricky term that I think gets synonymized with expensive indulgences like massages, infrared saunas, week-long yoga retreats, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I am usually a fan of expensive indulgences (lol), but from a practicality and usefulness standpoint that’s not what we’re talking about today. I think the most beneficial self care tools are mostly ones we can use consistently; sort of like reliable old friends. And a lot of them are free, or close to it. I am solidly in my 40s, and as mentioned in my nutrition during perimenopause post, this stage of life is one of the most challenging for perhaps the majority of women. Some have kids, or aging parents, and/or are trying to crush it career-wise, all the while dealing with sprinkles (or earthquakes) of our first perimenopause symptoms. It really fucking sucks. And, it’s rare that we are able to take the time to care for ourselves amidst all of the others we are also supposed to be caring for. I feel this deeply, even as *just* a wife and dog mom, with a full time job and problematic aging parent.
Here are some of the things I’m trying to do, and that I talk about a lot with clients, to take good care in the current moment.
Boundaries. The hardest, but arguably one of the most important. This is true both for myself and pretty much every client I’ve worked with over the years. We as women are often putting the needs of our jobs, kids, significant others, friends, pets (hi it’s me), family, etc. ahead of our individual needs.