Self-Care Can Be as Simple as Not Making Things Harder
I’ve noticed that practicing self-care can be harder than it sounds when I put so much unnecessary pressure on myself every day. I think part of it comes from having ADHD and a mind that doesn’t seem to know when to slow down.
Even when my body is ready to rest, my brain is already thinking about something else I should be doing. I can be lying in bed watching TV and start thinking about everything I haven’t gotten done. Instead of enjoying the time I have to myself, I end up feeling guilty for not being more productive.
It’s exhausting, especially when I already have plenty on my plate. Between work, walking my dog, making dinner, blogging, and my side work, there’s always something I could be doing. But I’m learning that I don’t have to fill every spare minute just because my brain tells me I should.
Sometimes, if I’m tired, I need to make an easy dinner, put on comfy clothes, turn on the TV, and call it a night. I don’t need to make an already exhausting day harder by criticizing myself for what I didn’t get done.
I notice this during my free time, too. Instead of simply enjoying it, I start thinking about what I should do with it. Should I make plans? Get things done? Find somewhere to go? Before I know it, I’ve turned my free time into another thing I need to figure out.
I think part of the problem is that I can know perfectly well what I need and still have a hard time letting myself do it. I want to relax, but my brain keeps reminding me of everything else I could be doing. Even when I have the time to myself, I can struggle to enjoy it because I’m thinking about what I should be doing instead.
With ADHD, knowing I need a break doesn’t always mean I can switch off the thoughts telling me to do more. I can understand that I’m tired and still struggle to give myself permission to rest.
So, I’m trying to pay more attention to what I actually need instead of what I think I should be doing. Some days, that means getting things done. Other days, it means letting a few things wait and being okay with that.
I don’t need to make rest another thing I have to get right. Sometimes, taking care of myself means making the day a little easier instead of finding more things to do. I’m learning that I can take a break without having to justify it, and I don’t have to earn my downtime by getting everything else done first.
What is one thing you can give yourself permission to let go of today?
“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.”—Alan Cohen
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One Comment
Antonia D.
I decided to let go of meal prepping this weekend. I just couldn’t get my brain to make the grocery trip, so i’ve been eating what I currently have at home and ordering whatever I don’t along the way. That’s my best for the next two days or so, lol.