Self Care

I heard a story once.

There was a woodsman, who worked in the forest, chopping wood. Every day, from morning ‘til night, he chopped wood. Day after day, week after week, month after month, he chopped wood. But he noticed as time went on, his job became harder, as his axe got more and more blunt. One day, his daughter said to him

“Dad, why don’t you just sharpen your axe? Then chopping the wood would be easier.”

“Oh, dear daughter,” he said, smiling and shaking his head. “How on earth can I find time to sharpen my axe when there’s so much wood to chop?”

One way of thinking about self-care is that it’s like sharpening our axe. It’s something that I encourage in my clients, though we often need to talk about what it is, and why it might be difficult to give yourself permission to do this. If you are driving yourself too hard and neglecting your own needs, then it’s likely there is a reason for that, and that reason is often located out of your awareness. So, it might take some time to uncover and resolve the deeper issues, but in the meantime, it can help to intentionally develop some helpful habits. Below are some examples of what you might do.

NB: all of the suggestions below are more difficult to do if you have caring responsibilities. However, if that is your situation, your need for self-care is probably greater. Look for people or organisations that can provide you with respite.

Emma Swales is an experienced, fully qualified counsellor and psychotherapist, working with both individuals and couples in the Yorkshire area, including Otley, Guiseley, Yeadon, Esholt, Burley-in Wharfedale, Askwith, Baildon, Shipley, Bradford, Keighley, Addingham, Skipon, Embsay, Steeton, Silsden and the southern Dales