photo of flowers on massage table with candle burning in backgroundThere’s a meme and phrase that’s having its day in the sun and I couldn’t be happier:  Self Care is not Selfish!

Ask any mental health professional and they will tell you you must prioritize your well-being. In doing so, not only will you be healthy, but you’ll be able to be a better employee, partner, parent, friend, etc.  To elaborate with a few more similar phrases that I’m hearing a lot lately, “You can’t serve from an empty vessel,” and “You must put your own oxygen mask on first before you can help anyone else.”

I’m truly hoping that athletes Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka take whatever time and type of self care that makes them feel a sense of peace.  They’ve been through a lot with so much pressure and scrutiny on them during an already stressful year and a half.  As challenging a time as this may be for both Olympians, they are doing a great public service by speaking out about their mental health challenges.  As Osaka wrote in Time Magazine, “It’s O.K. to not be O.K., and it’s O.K. to talk about it. There are people who can help, and there is usually light at the end of any tunnel.”

Michael Phelps also deserves credit for going public with his issues: depression and anxiety.  Prince Harry is actively working on reducing the stigma that has surrounded mental health.  The more people speak out, the more we can normalize discussions of our thoughts and emotions which sometimes, honestly, are a bit scrambled and messy!

In a previous post I mentioned one of the positive things to come from the pandemic is that people got more comfortable with talking about what’s going on in their insides  I’m hopeful that openness trend will continue and that even more “big names” will come to the fore with messages that remind us we’re not alone and help is available.

Do you take time for self-care?  If so, what’s your favorite thing to do to de-stress and recharge your battery? 
I meditate almost daily and try to get 3 or 4 massages a year.  That’s what helps me. 
Please share YOUR self-care tips in the Comments section below.