I love talking about self-care. The reason is that it sets up something clear and bright in my mind. It reminds me that taking care of me is one of the easiest ways I can take better care of you. This year has been big. I moved my practice to Leura Mall, and in doing so, I opened myself up to many new commitments, opportunities, and clients.
It allowed me to expand on what I do and develop and grow as a person. It nudged me out of my comfort zone, or to be more honest, I nudged me out of my comfort zone, and the business of therapy subtly changed the way I see myself. The reading, writing, learning, sitting, listening, speaking, sensing and connecting has transformed my relationship with you and with me.
So to get back to self-care… By far, my growing edge this year has been seeing and accepting that big growth takes big energy. My long-term optimistic view is that over the coming years, I aim to get better at being me. To achieve this aspirational and lofty goal my plan is to nurture the parts of me that support, regulate, and energise.
I often write about self-care and have focused on it in several posts. My work is largely aligned to the idea that people have an innate capacity to self-actualise. We move intuitively toward a place of potential and optimism when we are balanced and self-regulating. I also believe that it’s within this spaciousness that we begin to experience qualities like radiance, kindness, generosity and beauty.
My moving-forward-self-care recipe includes a kinder and more attentive relationship to the physical needs of my body (food, rest, exercise, touch), a reset and commitment to daily meditation, and a go-gently approach to my violin practice and masters’ degree.
I started writing for my site about four years ago. My first post, titled Taking Personal Responsibility, was in many ways a ‘personal accountability’ piece. It was a way for me to gently nurture the parts of me (business, writing, selfcare) that needed support and was also a way for me to say hello to you – the people that I work with daily, that inspire and teach me so much about the value of connection and the meaning of grit, courage, and self-actualisation.
Somewhere in amongst the in-between process of winding the year down and contemplating the year ahead, please take care and be generous to yourself and others. Change doesn’t only happen at the beginning of the year, it happens in slow, incremental steps and can be best measured by using foresight, wisdom and kindness.
