I’ve been struggling for a couple of days to write this post, and I finally figured out why.  Self-care is the next topic in the progression of information AND my self-care has tanked since New Year’s.  It’s becoming more and more obvious how much I’ve let slip in my self-care.  There’s relief in just putting it out there. Just saying it.  Now the hard part – getting back up and getting back on the path of recovery.  Without “shoulding.”  Without shame.  Just baby steps.

Discussion on self-care happened in some form at every appointment at ACCFS and at Timberline and in most of our groups.  Self-care encompasses all those areas in the PIES check-in and also includes relationships and career goals.  I’ve posted an assessment we did for ourselves while in the step-down program – click here. It’s also one of the “lists.”

Now maybe you’re thinking this is hogwash because we shouldn’t be focused on ourselves. I’d like to share a few tidbits I’ve picked up over the last dozen years.  (It’s pretty easy to write these; much harder to be mindful of them when you need to be!)

• Consider this picture…

• I once heard the following in an radio interview – “just when you think you’ve got all you can
  handle, God allows one more thing to come along because it draws you to him.”
• In Early Childhood classes the parent instructor shared the acronym HALTS with us. Kids are much more prone to tantrums when they’re Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Sick or Sad.  This sure applies to us as adults too!  For the S we added Stressed.
• I’m sure you’ve all sat through the safety speech on an airplane – secure your own oxygen mask before helping others.
• Jesus took time away even when there were multitudes that needed his help. Amazingly, after just three years of ministry, he was able to declare, “it is finished!”  He knew there were others that would pick up the work – fallible, bumbling men, but others nonetheless – and he trusted mankind to take the reins at that point.  (Do we ever get finished?)
• If I’ve had a busy weekend, I like to take part of Mon as my “day of rest.”

Now, lest you think I’m advocating thinking only of self, we also had groups on community and being “other-focused.”  The Bible has a lot to say about that too!

I’m also posting two more songs – The Pit and Turn Me Back to You