Self-care: Fill ‘er Up!

Written by Michelle Durkin MA, LAC, NCC, May 2023

How far could you drive on an empty tank of gas? Unfortunately, probably not that far at all.

Imagine you are the car, running on those fumes. What would that look like? What would that feel like? Since the likelihood of you driving anywhere at this point is quite low, you can also forget about driving someone else to their destination, someone who may have been relying on you for that ride.

Enter: Self-care

Think of self-care as filling up your empty tank and regularly checking in on your gas gauge to determine when you may need more fuel. The goal is to avoid having that pesky orange gas light turn on, designed to remind us when we are teetering a bit too close to running on empty.

So, what does self-care involve?

That’s up to you. Taking a walk, diving into a good book, listening to music, spending time with friends and family are only a few of the many ways YOU can engage in self-care. Self-care is taking care of ourselves, in whatever forms work best for us. What works best for me may be very different from what works best for someone else. At the end of the day, the more we take time for ourselves, away from whatever stressors may chip away at our fuel supplies, the more we attend to our overall wellness and create balanced, more fulfilled lives. Afterall, if we are able to practice healthy self-care in our own lives, that will only enhance our relationships and abilities to care for others in our lives. The many roles we have - spouse, parent, friend, employee, etc. - can be transformed by this concept in so many ways. More patience, compassion, understanding…I could go on forever.

So, my question is - how will you “fill ‘er up?”