What replenishes you?
Self-care is such an important part of your health – it’s also easy to gloss over what it really means and how it really feels.
How do you practice self care?
Maybe you get a message or you do yoga. Perhaps eating well is a way you care for yourself. Getting enough sleep can be a form of self care.
So often when we talk about self-care, we focus on rest. Which is lovely. Yes, we need rest! When when you are depleted, it’s easy to mistake zoning out for rest.When you are overworked or stretched to your limit, it’s easy to collapse on the couch rather than do something that actually recharges you.
When we work until we collapse or give until we are depleted, we often don’t have the energy to focus on what will feel good and what will help us recharge. By that time we are so “empty” we just want to shut down.
I know that even though “vegging out” is seductive, I don’t always feel better afterward It doesn’t usually fill me back up.
What replenishes you?
Replenishment – or filling yourself back up – is a major key to self-care.
What fills your bucket?
What energizes you?
What gives you pleasure?
When you think about an activity, imagine how you will feel afterward.
For instance, sometimes when I think about going for a walk, I feel too tired…but when I focus on how I feel after my walk, I always feel better. I feel energized. I’ve connected to my senses, I’ve moved my body, I’ve cleared my brain, I feel replenished.
Here are other activities that may help you recharge or replenish –
Time with friends
Time in nature
Moving your body – this doesn’t have to be high impact, walking or dance counts
Sex (though when you are really depleted this can feel like “a chore” rather than something that fills you back up)
Creating something – art, food, knitting, working in your garden
Or witnessing art – go to a museum, see a play, experience music, be inspired or moved
Spend some quiet time by yourself – (without vegging out) writing in your journal, meditating, sitting with yourself
And sometimes taking action – completing a task or finishing a project can feel very replenishing
Take a little self inventory – are you putting out more energy than you are getting back? Are you over extended? Are you depleted? Rest, recharging and replenishment are an essential part of your self care – they aren’t a reward, they are the foundation of your health. What fills you up? And what will you do to make it a priority for yourself?
About the author
Julie Jeske, LPC is a sex and relationship counselor. She has a private practice where she helps clients increase intimacy, ignite passion, and deepen their connection to themselves and others.
Julie especially loves to help women discover who they are sexually. Through counseling, online classes, or in-person retreats; her clients learn how to talk about their sexual and relationship desires, and explore ways to make them a reality.
Join her membership community, Love Lessons, listen to her weekly podcast, Swoon, or meet her on instagram.
