I don't know about you but how many times do we say that to people?
It's ok!...I'm good!...Getting there!...Not bad!...
In these times when "Putting a positive face on it" seems to be the implied form of showing you are happy and coping, it seems more and more likely that "I'm ok" Shields us/Protects us from the further questioning of others and more importantly not then admitting to ourselves that we are far from it!
I have a lot of support tools (Namely my Holistic Therapies) that I use for myself and for others...so you ask....Do I have wobble days? Damn right!...Who doesn't?....
This Lockdown has been a journey with everyday bringing a new thought or feeling. Some days coping and some days not! We are human and it is completely normal to feel these things. That is why we are here...."putting a brave face on things' and "coping" may seem fine in the short term but internalising and suppressing those feelings just pushes them back down only to resurface again on another occasion.
"ITS OK NOT TO FEEL OK!"
When I am experiencing a wobble, one of the best things I have found, is to be truthful with myself firstly....Sitting quietly and having conversations with myself such as....
"How do I feel today?"
"What do I need to do for myself?"
"Do I need a cry!"
"Do I need to set a new boundary"
"Do I need to ask for help"
"How can I be kind to myself today"....(Do I need something as simple as a lie in, or to put my feet up or whatever I notice I need?)...
This is SELF CARE and is the only way forward......
I have periods in my life where I have thought it not necessary or that my role was to care solely for others and I found that that was a punishing place to be.... and by giving myself "a break" more and more I came to realise that, not only was it soothing for whatever was going on for me, it has put me in a place where I can then genuinely care for others.
I find that in acknowledging these things, I can find my way out of the original feeling or by simply asking for help, kinder to myself than "plodding on/coping"
So give yourself some "SELF-LOVE" this Valentines day because, as the Hairspray ad would say "You're worth it!"
