Taking Care Of Number One

Self-care takes in many practices, from staying adequately hydrated to exercising and even beauty regimes.
However, the concept is hollow when bad habits undo the benefits of self-care. Magical thinking is often part of the issue—”Yes, I drank a lot this week, but I’ll compensate by eating and exercising well.” A recent vocabulary addition to the dictionaries perfectly describes this manner of thinking: delulu. Yes, delusional.
When you start coming up with stuff like that, you are on the ragged edge of desperation but haven’t realized it yet. You are making bad bargains with yourself.

How do I know this? I’ve been there.
I don’t have a one-size-fits-all piece of advice for people like myself who’ve woken up to the fact that the bargains are bad. I think that the truth is that different methods work well for different people. For me, it was a truly awful job that dove my drinking into overtime. One morning, after drinking too much, I looked at a photo of myself and my kids. It was the first time I saw myself honestly, and I decided that the me in the photo was not the one I wanted my kids to grow up with.

When you are ready for it, honesty about yourself is the best form of self-care.

Daily writing prompt

How do you practice self-care?

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