By: Michelle Dean
We are nearly at the end of another year, and most of us are looking forward to some time off over the summer holidays.
It is a great chance to have a break, rest and recharge before the new year arrives. As the weeks count down until Christmas, the logical thing seems to be to just keep going, push through and then figure out how to rest and recharge once the holidays start.
Keeping on pushing through and tackling problems seems to make sense, as a well-needed break is seemingly all we need to recoup energy for the new year. However, does it ever actually work out that way?
Do you even get the chance to properly rest and recover over the break? And if you do, do you find that you continue to feel tired and fatigued into the new year? And do you then keep pushing through and find yourself saying the same thing at the end of the next year, and the year after that?
Taking Care of Yourself as Well as Others
If the above describes you, you are not the only one. Societal norms and demands of life can so often mean that you place your own well-being at the bottom of the priority list. You may deem your needs as less important and seek to provide for the needs of those around you. You may miss out on valuable opportunities to take care of yourself throughout the year as you seek to serve others. By doing so, you are either at risk of burning out, your stress leaking out onto the people around you, or utilising unhealthy coping strategies (or all three).
This post is by no means is an instructional piece on how to take better care of yourself. It is more a call for you to reflect on the need to engage in self-care to rest and recharge before the start of another year. Or even more so, to give you permission to acknowledge your needs and take steps towards a better balance. Permission for you to acknowledge that sometimes taking care of yourself can be the best way to serve those around you.
If you are wanting to improve your ability to take care of yourself, it can be worth seeking help from a counsellor or psychologist who can help you prioritise your self-care.
Article supplied with thanks to The Centre for Effective Living.
Feature image: Photo by Amanda Vick on Unsplash
About the Author: Michelle Dean is a psychologist who works with clients to develop skills to manage their anxiety and depression, and develop a healthy sense of self and greater self confidence.