What’s Your Stress And Anxiety Bank Balance?

You may not be aware but recently I did a Women’s Health Webinar. The turnout wasn’t actually that great, but I think I understand why, check out this feedback. LOL

Christy, I just wanted to tell you, I wasn’t going to attend your women’s health webinar, because I thought you were going to be talking about self breast exams or mammograms, and I already do those things. But when my husband decided to go to the movies, I thought I’d spend some time with you. I’m so glad that I did because, you really gave me a better way to think about self-care. I always felt selfish putting myself before others. I can see where my daughter gets it from. And you’re right, I don’t want to teach DGD these same habits. I think I’m going to go take a bath. Thank you again,
~N

Ok, so the title wasn’t that sexy. I get it. But the information was really important.

Not only did I cover how we end up in a completely “maxed out” state, but I also talked about practical tips to recover.

I explained the theory of ‘The Stress and Anxiety Bank Account’ and how you get the balance added back to your account.

I also explained how without proper self-care you can start today with a lower balance on your account today than you had yesterday.

Little did I know that I would start the very next day with a negative balance. That is to say that I didn’t sleep well, and I have a headache as I try to write this. My alarm went off at 7:00 am, and honestly, I was crying before 7:10 am.

So, an immediately acknowledgement: I will be working with less today.

Consequently, I will need to take additional steps to ensure that today doesn’t turn into one of the worst this week.

So, what does that translate to in actual terms? What will I do today? How will I take care of myself?

Here are the 5 steps I adopted.

1. I will make my workout more of a regular day instead of trying to go for a personal record.
2. I understand that I will probably experience more cravings than usual, so I will make sure to have food and water with me so I don’t start the craving cycle due to hunger or thirst.
3. I will wear my favorite comfortable clothing, something that makes me feel better. I will wear my favorite perfume.
4. I may try to ensure that everyday irritations are kept to a minimum. This may include playing music while I work or shutting my office door.
5. I will take 15 minutes during the day to relax or perhaps take a nap in my car.

At its simplest, I will think of myself as the small child and I will do the best for the “little me” as I can. I will try to be a good parent to her.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I will handle her with kid gloves, pun intended.

I know where I am and I know I’m not a child. Sure, I can postpone any non-essential task today but I’ll not let myself off the hook. I’m still going to go work.

I am merely accepting myself where I am today, and hopefully providing a map for the day that will allow me to operate at a fuller capacity tomorrow.

I hope this makes a little bit of sense to you, and hopefully helps you understand what you can do to help yourself when you’re running on empty.

I’d love to hear your suggestions on what you do for self-care. Let me know in the comments.