Taking Care of Self #NaJoWriMo

Today’s journal prompt is write about or make a list of ways you’re taking care of yourself. What are you doing to maintain or improve your health? What are you doing for fun and relaxation? How are you making time for family and friends?

I’m not, or at the very least, not taking care of myself well. For 6 months, I was on a strict low carb/healthy fats diet. I went on this diet because it promised to do two things – lower my blood sugar and help me lose weight. Initially, it did both, but only in the first 2 months. I didn’t change my diet at all and kept a strict diet journal. I kept my carbs under 20 grams a day, kept my protein intake at a moderate level and my fats high. This was the formula. I quickly lost 22 lbs. I was ecstatic. My blood sugar had come down into the low 100s after being in the 200-300s. Everything seemed to be going well. Then during the 3rd month, after changing nothing, the weight began to climb back up, as did my blood sugar. I asked all of the experts and they had no explanation. The only difference was that I was staying up at night and sleeping during the day because I was doing a lot of writing. I’ve pretty much given up the diet for now after gaining back 11 lbs and my blood sugar staying in the 200s (with insulin *sighs*).

I also don’t sleep much. So I am sure that doesn’t help anything either. I would blame it on the caffeine, but even when I went decaf, I still couldn’t sleep. Unless I take medication, I usually stay up anywhere from 18-24 hrs before crashing. When I take sleep meds, I am groggy for up to 4 hours after waking up. As a writer, I cannot deal with the grogginess or brain fog from the medication.

I do meditate, but again, not nearly as often as I should. I do two forms of meditation. One in the morning using a guided audio and the other at night before I go to sleep called Ho’oponopono. Both involve deep breathing. They relax me when I do them, but they won’t help me sleep.

I lift weights and walk two or three times a week. I should be doing this daily, but I just can’t seem to work it in more than that. I need to at least lift weights once per day. I think I need to challenge myself and schedule both the weight lifting and the walking.

I make it a habit to brush my hair each night before I go to bed. When I suffered deep depression, I would go as long as a week without brushing my hair. I’ve had long hair now for the better part of 20 years and it gets tangled easily. Twice I’ve had to cut my hair to my shoulders in order to get out severe tangles.

I try to stay in touch with a couple of friends on a consistent basis. I can easily go months at a time without contacting anyone. I don’t have problems being alone, but there is a big difference between being alone and isolating one’s self. The former is healthy, the latter is not. So I reach out now that I am no longer depressed.

And finally, I journal. This is probably the best self-care I do for myself. It has become a daily practice to write something, anything first thing in the evening, which is my usual morning *laughs*

How about you, dear readers? What things do you do for self-care? Share your thoughts with me in comments.

(Note: if you would like to participate in this month-long journal writing activity, sign up for emailed prompts here)