Taking care of yourself

The holidays are over, and life is getting back to business-as-usual. Or it's supposed to be anyway. Actually, holiday season or not, things have been pretty crazy now for a couple of years, and I'm not sure they will get any less crazy any time soon.

Which makes this as good a time as any to remember that we don't have to do it all (and we certainly don't have to do it all at once), that everything doesn't have to be perfect, that we can only do what we can do and we can't do any more than that.

It's good to remember, too, especially when we get so overwhelmed or overloaded that we can hardly get anything done at all – thanks to our own expectations or because of someone else – it's good to remember that taking care of yourself is as important as anything else in your life (if not more important).

Maybe that break is even more important. Sometimes stopping and shifting gears can actually help keep us more alert and make us able to perform even better. A little break for the brain and body can make a really BIG difference.

We get those messages all the time, like "You can't pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first." This is a quote many of us are familiar with but we often ignore. There are so many other wonderful quotes about self-care too, and these are a few of my favorites:

"If you feel "burnout" setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself." – Dalai Lama

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

"It is so important to take time for yourself and find clarity. The most important relationship is the one you have with yourself." – Diane Von Furstenberg

"Don't sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much there's nothing else you can give, and nobody will care for you." – Karl Lagerfeld

"Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one." – Eleanor Roosevelt

"Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others." – Christopher Germer

"Self-love is an ocean and your heart is a vessel. Make it full, and any excess will spill over into the lives of the people you hold dear. But you must come first." – Beau Taplin

"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." – Jack Kornfield

"Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." – Lucille Ball

"People who love themselves, don't hurt other people. The more we hate ourselves, the more we want others to suffer." – Dan Pearce

"One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself." – Shannon L. Alder

"The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours – it is an amazing journey – and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins." – Bob Moawad

"Don't rely on someone else for your happiness and self-worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can't love and respect yourself – no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are – completely; the good and the bad – and make changes as YOU see fit – not because you think someone else wants you to be different." – Stacey Charter

I got a million of them, but I'll cut it off here. It is just good to know, I think, that there are so many words of wisdom out there to remind us it is always a good thing to take care of ourselves.

© 2022 Marilda Mel White. Mel White, local writer and photographer, has been looking on the bright side for various publications since 1996. She welcomes your comments at [email protected].