Start the New Year Right - Taking Care of Self

January 3 of a new year. Not too late to start. In fact, no day is too late to start. Taking care of yourself is a complex dance. We all know we need to "eat right," exercise, get enough sleep, etc. But we also need a certain amount of play, no matter what that means to you & what age you are. You truly need to know yourself & be in real touch with your rhythms, patterns, & needs to take optimum care of yourself. You also need to know when it's ok to put yourself last or in the middle for a bit & when it's absolutely right to put yourself first. And when you do put yourself first, to do it without guilt. One of the things I learned early on as a single parent is that I'm not an unending resource I could just use & use without renewal. I learned to put myself first at times without guilt & it was such a valuable lesson.

Many people suffer from SAD around this time (Season Affectiveness Disorder I believe it's called). The holidays are over & by now we're not getting enough exposure to sunlight. Also, doctors have now discovered that many people lack in Vitamin D, something we get from the sun. I haven't heard it linked to SAD but I'm sure they have by now. So those who get SAD, have your Vitamin D levels checked. Mine are fine - maybe because I take the right kind of calcium & it has a D supplement in it. Walmart sells very inexpensive little grow lights you can use to treat SAD too. Again, I don't suffer from SAD but I hear of many who do.

I know how much sleep I need, how much socialization, & how to listen to my own needs for the most part. I'm as in tune with my body's & emotional needs as I am with my car (which I've had for nearly 17 years). I know the car's sound & the minute something changes to I can catch problems early on. We need to be that way with ourselves too, & just as responsive. We're so much like the workings of a car, in a way. We need fluids & regular maintenance so if it helps because you always put yourself last, think of the care you probably give the family car & do the same for yourself.

I work on healing all the time, & self maintenance. I do the daily adjustments to my needs. Today one of my dearest friends left for home after 6 days with me & the house feels so empty & cold. Even the cats are depressed. There are so many things I need to be doing, as always, & I'm such a doer. But today I'm going to take as much time to play as I need. I'm going next door to see another dear friend & spend time with her. If it's not meeting my needs enough (I'd wanted her to come here so we could paint, something I haven't done in 18 months), I'll either persuade her to come here & paint or I'll come back home & figure out what to do for myself. We have to be creative & flexible about meeting our needs always, because our needs truly matter. We have to find ways to get them met as well as possible. It truly is a must. If I didn't take today, these "blue" feelings would linger & affect my whole week, or I'd have to work extra hard at prayer & meditation to handle them. I'm taking the easy way out, as we all should. Either way, I'm not going to get things done today, & I know play is what I need most. I already regularly do prayer & meditation so it would only be more of the same. A change is needed just for today. I hope this helped at least some of you. It's ok to take a day off or part of a day off & just play & indulge yourself & to do it regularly. In fact, it's truly necessary for our wellbeing.