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July 18, 2023
International Self Care Day
July 24th is International Self-Care Day. As a
kinship navigator I have consistently heard how hard it is to take care of
yourself when caring for children and specifically children with trauma and
complex needs. First and foremost, we do not want you to feel guilty for caring
about your children. You are amazing and the care you give is immeasurable. We
also want you to know how much you matter and how important it is to take care
of yourselves. Often times we see self care as these big huge adventures like
hiking, vacationing, or spending a day at a spa. Not everyone has the luxury to
do those things and especially when you are busy caring for children day in and
day out. This month I want to encourage you to incorporate small steps towards
self care such as setting a timer 3 times a day to check in with yourself, take
5 minutes to do deep breathing or stepping away from whatever you are doing for
you. Everyone experiences self care differently and my self care could be the
opposite of self care for you. Below are steps to starting this self care
journey no matter how big or small it may be. If you want to talk through this
or get some ideas, your kinship navigator would absolutely love to talk with
you about more ways to take care of YOU.
- Write
down 3 ways you feel loved or cared for
- What
are 3 things you can do to feel more of that in your every day life
- What
is a goal you have for you
- Write
down 3 steps to getting there
Here is kinship navigators Gabbys version of this self care
plan
- Physical
touch or physical relaxation, Exercise, Feeling Hydrated
- Massage
my own feet with lotion at night, Walk 3 times a week, Drink 100oz of
water a day
- To
be build positive relationships with my children
- Check
in with myself more regarding my mood, make intentional one on one time
with them, and Do my above self care plan as much as I can.