I was thinking about the concept of self-care the other night as I returned from a rigorous day of work and checked into my hotel spa for a massage. Once upon a time I might have considered getting a massage to be overly self-indulgent, but that night I knew that I was in need of some downtime, some "only about me" time.
Several years ago one of my very closest friends introduced me to the term "selfcare", as in, "What are YOU doing for self-care these days?" At that time I was doing very little, being a full-time executive and a full-time mom. Somehow, I never seemed to "find" the time to think about me. The problem with that is that it becomes a habit, a way of life, until you can begin to think that there's not much of you left to care for.
Once my kids were grown, it was obvious that there was a great big hole where Lisa used to be, a hole left by my ignoring myself while tending to others. And so, I have been exploring how to take care of myself, looking at everything from exercise to eating, sex to mani-pedi's, vacations with friends to turning off the phones when I want to be alone, massages to beach walks. While I may still have difficulties recognizing when I need some self-care, I figure it's better late than never. And I am fortunate to have friends who are willing to act as my mirror and give me a little nudge now and then.
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