A BOZEMAN COUNSELOR’S TIPS ON SELF-CARE
Self-care. It’s like a buzz word right now. And what does it even mean to “self-care” (buzz, buzz)? Merriam-Webster tells us that self-care is literally “care for oneself.” That really clears things up for me. I feel fully read up on and understand what to do now.
Sarcasm aside, as a Bozeman counselor, as a mom, as a wife, as a human, I can tell you, self-care is so very important. But honestly, why do we need it, what exactly is it, and what does it look like?
Stress Arises From An Empty Bucket
You may have heard me talk about keeping your bucket full before. Imagine yourself carrying around a bucket full of water. Our job, as humans, is to share our water. So, we give a ladle to our partner, our kids, our job, our friends, volunteering, cooking, cleaning, and providing. Basically, in anything we do in life, we are ladling out water.
Suddenly, we realize we don’t have a lot of water left. So we start giving small amounts from our ladle, feeling like we are only doing a half-good job at everything we do. Then all of a sudden, we are anxious, stressed, and scrapping at the bottom. Because everyone is still asking for us, but we have nothing to give. Our anxiety rises as we keep scrapping, continuing to try to keep up the pace we always have, our hearts race, and we might be sweating, but we keep trying!
What we really need to do is stop.
Reduce Stress & Anxiety With Self-care
We need to stop trying to ladle what’s not there. We cannot give what we do not have. But we do the things we need to do because we want to/have to/need to. However, we can’t just stop what we are doing! But if we don’t, we will experience burnout (a whole other topic worth looking into at another time), and that’s not good because we stop functioning in a healthy manner. Sometimes we stop functioning at all (that’s basically holes in your bucket that you can’t fix right then).
How do we avoid this? By filling our bucket! Or (wait for it)….SELF-CARE!
We must do things that fill our buckets so that we can continue living the life we want, and need, in a healthy manner. It’s okay that we ladle out water, in fact, doing so may bring us joy and the satisfaction of accomplishment. However, we cannot keep things up that only take water. We must take time to fill the bucket back up, too.
Self-care is Filling Your Bucket
How do we fill our buckets? I wish that were a one-size-fits-all answer. If you want to get to the place that you are, as my kids say, “living your best life,” you’ve got to decide what your self-care, your bucket filling, looks like.
It might be like what we see in the movies. A spa day and no responsibilities. I would like to say that is a regular for me, but I am failing in watering myself that way.
For you, it might be connection/community, space/time alone, enjoyed activities, seeing a therapist in Bozeman (I might be biased about this one, but it’s a great way to help fill your bucket), or a number of other things. There are all the classroom answers: Eat right, sleep right, take a break/trip, exercise, meditate. But there are more, so many more! Do you know what yours are?
All Areas of Our Life Benefit from Self-care
Think of a car headed down the road. If one of the tires is flat, it’s not going too far, too fast. Those tires can be your self-care tires. Emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental health. Most things fit into those categories. What things do you need to you to keep your tires full in the four areas?
Final Thoughts on Self-care From A Therapist in Bozeman
I challenge you to start a list. The list can look like things you know you like to do, and things you want to try. Then do it! I’d love to hear about your experiences. I think the first thing on my list will be the spa/no responsibility day. I can already hear my bucket filling!
Start Self-care With Therapy For Stress in Bozeman, MT
As a Bozman counselor, mom, friend, and wife I understand how hard it is to help others when your bucket is empty. Self-care is an important part of supporting mental health and filling our own buckets. At our Bozeman, MT-based therapy office we offer therapy for stress to help you on your self-care journey. Just follow these three steps:
Reach out to make a therapy appointment online
Meet with one of our Bozeman counselors
Start filling your bucket with self-care
Our Workshops, Mental Health Resources, and Therapies in Bozeman, MT
In our Bozeman, MT therapy office, we strive to support your mental health needs. Our dedicated team of therapists in Bozeman, MT is here to support you. We provide therapy for addiction, group therapy, EMDR, and trauma therapy. As well as couples counseling, postpartum support, depression treatment, rising strong workshops, and more. We look forward to hearing from you!