Continuing the discussion of the topic of self-care: ✅ The experience that we see from birth in the family has an impact. If it is not customary in your family to devote time to yourself, your health, or do something to improve your well-being, this may be the case for you. Do you allow yourself to be treated differently? How did your parents take care of themselves? Did you take care of your health, allowed yourself to rest, could you take sick leave when you had a little cold, buy yourself something beautiful, sit down to dinner calmly and say “I’m busy”? Historically and culturally, generations older than us are expected to give more. ✅Sometimes it’s more common to take care of yourself from the outside rather than the inside. For example, through shopping, beauty salons. But don’t devote time to your physical and psychological health, don’t deal with issues that take energy, don’t end toxic relationships, don’t scold and criticize yourself, don’t torture yourself with diets. For me, this is all about the inner, which is easier to ignore: ✅ Sometimes it’s easier to find that same loving adult (read find a partner) than to take care of yourself. And this is a story about codependent relationships, about expectations from a partner that he “should”, as well as about relieving oneself of responsibility for one’s life. ✅ Caring is not only about the pleasant little things in our lives, it is also about the stable adult within us who is able to take responsibility for his life and go to the doctor, for example, although it may be scary. Or start dealing with a complex unresolved issue that was taking up a lot of energy. For me, a projective technique is suitable here in the form: if you have children, or let’s say you can imagine it in your imagination, will your care as a parent be different? And if your child needs to go to the doctor, most likely you would take the child to the doctor, comforting and supporting. Each of us has a child and an adult part. With this example, I think it’s clear how everyone can take care of their childish part and how to support themselves. Questions for reflection: What does the word care mean to me? What can I do for myself today? Start with anything and gradually build up this skill. Sincerely, Natalya Gorelova To sign up for a consultation: +79152285105 (calls, SMS, what's up) or www.ngorelova.ru