*ORIGINALLY POSTED APRIL 2017 TO PERSONAL BLOG, REPOST*
In counseling sometimes we notice themes among our sessions; they lump together and you keep have the same conversation over and over AND OVER! Lately, self-care has been the speech that I preach. I swear there are times where I can literally see the eyes roll back in the heads of my teens because they think self-care is so stupid. Why? Because they can’t notice the instant gratification that they’re conditioned to see. Instead, self-care is more like prevention right? It’s hard to find time and money for prevention – in social work, and in everyday life.
In one session, I was chatting away with a student about taking bubble baths, showers in the dark, walking the dogs, coloring mandalas, listening to music (Duh! Teens are alllll about the music, they just don’t think it’s a coping skill! HOBBIES ARE COPING SKILLS FOLKS!). The student was looking at me with a funny face, she didn’t understand the connection between self-care and lowering her anxiety and stress. I blurt out, “It’s emotional vitamins! You know how you take vitamins to stay healthy and prevent sickness?! EMOTIONAL VITAMINS!” We both cracked up. I guess I made my point. I also coined a phrase that I will use forever and ever now because it’s so fitting. (Now in nearly every session you’ll hear this, “Have we talked yet about your Emotional Vitamins? Oh, no? Well….”)
Another clinical social work phenomenon is that the themes in our clients’ lives can also parallel our own – or we find ourselves coaching other people through the same struggles we are currently experiencing. So while I’m giving this emotional vitamin speech over and over to kids, I too, wasn’t taking my daily dose. Hard truth. I know I’m not the only one with a malnourished soul right now, chances are you have one too, it could be a pandemic. Every month I set personal goals and I continue to write down yoga. I love yoga, I used to go four times a week and then none at all and the relationship between me and yoga would ebb and flow, but the love remains. My monthly goal isn’t to go every day or do sweaty hot yoga, it’s just to go one time, and I haven’t done it. There’s always an excuse. Always. Soooo, I can relate to my clients and the excuses. I also know that there’s a reason I give the speech, because I know it works!
Emotional Vitamins work! It’s not just warm fuzzy fluff. My favorite ways to feed my soul are through hiking, walking my dog, watching Netflix (Have you watched Shameless yet? Lip Gallagher my friends, he’s the best! Or Jane the Virgin?!) connecting with friends, napping, slathering up in essential oils and diffusing them, feeding my body food that is healing and delicious, dark chocolate and red wine, young adult romance novels, should I go on? You get the idea.
Today, I took some time to write this blog, which is a “Creative Vitamin” and blogging is something I’ve been wanting to do forever, but feel like I have to have something to say to do it, and who wants to read about what I have to say? Hopefully you! I finally gathered up my courage and creativity to share this post about vitamins. Earlier today I tried an unsuccessful meditation, courtesy of my interrupting dog. I missed my “Spiritual Vitamin”. I’d like to say that I’ll do some yoga at home and meditate for real today, but it’s also important to have a “Truth Vitamin”, right? This isn’t that kind of blog, truth is that I won’t be doing those things today and that’s okay, because that’s real life. I do need to do some sort of emotional immune boost though. I’ll throw some Frankincense, Myrrh, and Palo Santo in the diffuser and take a deep breath and go get a hug from my husband. The Forgive Myself Vitamin and Try Again Tomorrow Vitamin also make for a balanced emotional diet. (Note to self: start a list of vitamin ideas for future entrepreneurial endeavors.)
How do you get your emotional multi-vitamins? Share with me so I can boost my resiliency, and maybe you can try some ideas of mine too.
-B