From my time as a student and trainee I have not only gathered valuable knowledge and methods, but above all important relationships that have accompanied and strengthened me for years. In an intervisionary exchange, my esteemed felleage (friend & colleague) Dr. Miriam Süßkind said recently:
"The only gift you can give to the world,
is to be unapologetically good to yourself."
While it may not be the sole gift, I find this thought very inspiring. I, too, believe that the kindness I extend to myself changes the way I think about myself, others, and the world, and thus changes my attitude and actions.
I would like to illustrate this with my self-care strategy for the so-called "bad days" .
Today, for example, the weather is gray, cold and wet, the cold season is in full swing and has been giving me clingy symptoms for weeks, and the pandemic has ensured that I have not been able to escape to warmer climates in good conscience for two years. Now I could walk through the world in frustration or mothball myself at home and surrender to the critical voices, for whom these challenges are nourishment. Experience has shown that this leads to a downward spiral in which I myself contribute to the fact that I only feel worse. Fortunately, I have since found methods that lift my spirits, even if it takes a bit of effort and a warm-up phase to get them to work.
In my case, it's pretty simple:things that do me good on nice days also help on the worse ones. Of course, the above-mentioned limitations are the reason why it's not so easy: I don't want to spread the infection, which is why meetings with friends are difficult. But if the pandemic has brought one thing, it is an appreciation for masks and walks in some fresh air. Since the weather is not inviting, I may switch to the phone or an online meeting.
Die Bewegung, die für meine Erkältung gerade zu viel wäre, wird minimiert, d.h. nicht joggen, sondern spazieren oder leichtes Tanzen statt Krafttraining, usw. Statt in den Urlaub zu fahren, werden kurzerhand die alten Bilder raus gekramt. Das ist zwar nicht dasselbe, die Erinnerungen lösen aber zumindest teilweise dieselbe körperliche Reaktion aus (mehr zu Urlaub in diesen Zeiten im Beitrag Urlaub – Wie geht das gerade?).
As always, the most important thing is to trust my inner compass and listen to my feelings.
To do this, you can ask yourself the following questions:
- What do I want right now?
- Under my current circumstances, what of it is possible?
- With some creativity, how could I experience a little bit of what would be good for me right now?
The greatest allies in the task of then drawing the most from these perhaps less than optimal sources of strength are mindfulness and gratitude. When you are fully in the moment and grateful for whatever good you are doing for yourself right now, more of it is going to sink in.
Finally, a little booster tip: If it's an encounter with another person, you can also try out how it feels to share gratitude with that person. I would almost bet that this is a great gift!
In this spirit: Be good to yourself!
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