Practicing Inner Self-Care As A Type 1 Diabetic
Nope, I’m not talking about self-care in a clinical or physical sense. I get enough of that all day everyday. I mean INNER self-care as in taking care of myself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The parts of me no one can see. In order for me to function and get through my day, it is important for me to feel good in general. In the event that I am not feeling too great or out of balance, I need ways to take care of myself and get back to feeling good or being balanced. This is something I place huge importance on in my Red Sugar Life!
Self-Care Is Important For Me
There are times when I may get overwhelmed with everything I have to do in life, in ADDITION to being a type 1 diabetic, that I just want to forget it all. I have mentioned that managing being a type 1 diabetic feels like a 24/7 job that I cannot clock out of, no matter how tired, frustrated, stressed out I am. The reality of that in and of itself is stressful.
I learned that it is so important for me to take time to take care of ME, just me. Not me the type 1 diabetic, etc. but just me, the woman, the person. I have to take time to decompress, relax, get away, and honor who I am and what makes me happy and fulfills me, outside of all that I have to do and all I have to be. I need my me time, and it is important for me to make time!
Why I Practice Stress Management
It’s easy to feel the happy feelings. Just let it ride. When things are going exceptionally well and I am feeling happy, I’m not questioning or struggling with it. But when things aren’t going so well, and I am feeling not-so-great and/or stressed things are different. It doesn’t feel good for me to BE stressed.
Also, it’s not good for me to keep things bottled up or unacknowledged. I would much rather take a moment to acknowledge what is going on, process it, and then genuinely move forward having taken care of myself. I would much rather handle an issue, than pretend it doesn’t exist. I don’t like to sweep things under the rug or leave them to fester. That causes me stress, and as I have come to understand, stress has a very bad impact on my type 1 diabetes (type 1.5 diabetes) and my ability to function and manage it. As I mentioned before being stressed out feels horrible for me. Stress can lead me to have physical symptoms as well, such as fatigue.
I Strive To Maintain My Own Peace And Balance
Life ebbs and flows, throws curveballs, things happen and situations arise that need attention. For me, being at peace is my center, my balance, where I am most calm, least stressed, and most able to function and focus. I know when I feel stressed, all I want to do is resolve whatever it is that is causing the issue so that I can return to peace and balance. Within that peace, resides my happiness, joy, etc. It seems that my peace is also my clarity, it helps me put things into perspective. Peace is not to be confused or conflated with apathy.
Some Ways I Practice Inner Self-Care
Practicing inner self-care may sound intimidating or like another long task, but it’s not. It can be very simple. One point of it is that I at least feel a bit better after doing it. As an individual I like to focus on what works for me. It is called SELF-care, so my practices do not intrinsically involve focusing on or including anyone else in them, which is part of why it is so effective for me and also part of the point of me doing it in the first place. It is about ME, and ME ONLY, and honoring that is empowering in itself. Here are some of the things I love to do to practice inner self-care:
- Listen to music that I LIKE and WANT to hear – I place emphasis on LIKING and WANTING to hear the music, as when I enjoy a sound and want to hear it, I connect with it deeper and I find it easier to relax.
- Solitude -Getting away from all the noise, chaos, and disturbances of life and other people is very helpful for me. It’s a necessity for me, actually. I love my solitude.
- Essential oils – I love essential oils; I use them for a variety of reasons and self-care is one of them. Natural scents and aromas can be very soothing and/or uplifting for me.
- Cater to my interests – It is important for me to feed my soul by spending time doing what I love to do.
Self-Care Wins
I strongly believe in self-care, self-love, self-compassion and it is something I take time and effort to do regularly in my Red Sugar Life!
~Luna
