nur-ture • noun : the care and attention given to someone or something that is growing or developing
The Dangers of Forgetting to Nurture Yourself
During my first caregiving journey, I learned the hard way what happens if a caregiver doesn’t take care of herself (or himself). For ten months, I lived in a whirlwind of what-ifs and ‘your-husband-might-not-make-its.’ During that time, I thought I had everything under control (with God’s help, of course). My kids ate, I knew where they were (most of the time), my students somehow understood what my chemo-brain-by-proxy mind wanted to impart, and no debt collectors came knocking on our door.
When everything seemed out of control and I craved a minute to myself (and I couldn’t find any chocolate in the house), I would retreat to the bathroom as a place of refuge.
Those nine months felt a lot like the toddler years—back when life consisted of an endless pile of laundry, sticky hands, interminable questions, and enough diapers to lay tracks to the moon and back. I used the bathroom as a place of refuge back then, too.
In fact, self-care and self-nurturing consisted of chocolate and the locked bathroom door—not necessarily at the same time. Only occasionally…if I didn’t want to set a bad example for our girls by overindulging in chocolate in their presence (ok, in all honesty, if I didn’t want to share my chocolate).
But nurturing one’s self should consist of more than a bathroom refuge and a bar of dark chocolate. Because when that’s the extent of self-care we give ourselves, well, problems arise. Like the numbers on the scales. Or the ugly lie of inadequacy. Like the feeling that one has turned into a drudge.
And those feelings stunt our growth. They cut us off at the emotional kneecaps and prevent us from developing and growing.
Ain’t Got Time for That!
Between the toddler years and the cancer year, life smoothed out and I found time to take up old hobbies like sewing and photography. I started running again, and lost my baby fat (well, you know what I mean, the fat I put on when I had babies).
The cancer year tilted our world. I didn’t take care of myself (evidently, I don’t learn fast), and so it took me longer to recover from Pedro’s cancer than it took him to go into remission. I struggled with my weight. Depression threatened to overwhelm me. It got hard to do life. I thought I didn’t have time to nurture myself because we didn’t have extra money and I didn’t have extra time.
I learned the hard way that it costs more to fix a broken situation than it does to maintain growth through nurturing one’s self along the way.
#Nurturing one's self should consist of more than a bar of chocolate and a bathroom refuge. #write31days Click To TweetWhat’s MAPS Got to Do with It?
If you’re like me, you’ve heard the experts tell you to take time for self-care (synonymous with nurturing oneself). But what does that really mean? How does a gal take time from her work, her family, her church commitments, and her busyness to actually nurture herself?
From my experiences as a nurturer, caregiver, teacher, wife, and overall busy person, I’ve divided the concept of nurturing one’s self into four categories. I try to maintain balance in four key areas of my life by nurturing them each on a daily or weekly basis. By doing so, I hope to achieve:
Mental Wholeness
Academic/Artistic Wholeness
Physical Wholeness
Spiritual Wholeness
For the next 30 days, we’ll explore low-cost ways to nurture ourselves in each of these key areas. Join me on the journey towards growth and better health through MAPS! This page will serve as a landing page for the series. I’ll add links to the daily topics as our journey progresses.
Nurture Yourself Takeaway #1: It’s ok to take care of yourself. In fact, it’s necessary.
When we don't #nurture ourselves, we cut ourselves off at the emotional kneecaps. Click To TweetThe Series
You can find live links to each post in the series by clicking on the link each day.
- October 1- This post
- October 2-What Exactly IS Mental Wholeness?
- October 3-Just Journal Your Way to Mental Wholeness
- October 4-Do You Need to Write a Memoir?
- October 5-Self-Help is NOT a Dirty Word
- October 6-Find Your Pod, Share Your Story
- October 7-Why You Shouldn’t See Your Pastor for Counseling
- October 8-The Importance of Taking Care of Past Trauma
- October 9-Why Academic and Artistic Wholeness Matters
- October 10-The Importance of Finding Your Zone of Proximal Development
- October 11- Five Free Resources for Continuing Your Education
- October 12- All About Art: 10 Quick Tips to Improve Your Photography
- October 13-Think You’re not Creative? I Invite You to Reconsider!
- October 14- Ceramic Artist Rediscovers Art in Community
- October 15- Finding Wholeness in Art as Worship
- October 16- Five Tips to Starting Your Journey to Physical Wholeness
- October 17- Identify What Motivates You to Start Your Journey
- October 18- Five Moves You Can Make TODAY for a Healthier Tomorrow
- October 19- Wait! Wait! Don’t Go Vegan On Me!
- October 20- Discover the Why Behind Your Workout Style
- October 21- Every Traveler Needs a Copilot
- October 22- Bare Bones Accountability Tools
- October 23- Gizmos and Gadgets to Get You Going
- October 24-Ten Ways to Sneak Healthy (er) Habits into Your Day
- October 25-Spiritual Wholeness in a Discordant World
- October 26-How a Spiritual Journey Will Help You Find the Cure
- October 27-How to Overcome Roadblocks in Your Journey
- October 28-Wresting Rest from an Overbooked Life
- October 29-Finding Balance on Your Journey
- October 30-Resources and Ideas for Your Spiritual Journey
- October 31-Start Your Journey to Wholeness Today!

In the waiting time of the sale of our home and moving to a new state, I have definitely been a bit neglectful on the taking care of myself. I suppose a new job with lots of new responsibilities didn’t quite help. I am looking forward to caring for me and not feeling selfish about it. Great post Anita. Thank you.
Kelly Blackwell recently posted…Depend – Five Minute Friday
Congratulations on your new job! I hope that you DO take the time to nurture and care for yourself, Kelly! It’s so important to keep our tank full so that we can serve others.
Anita recently posted…What Exactly IS Mental Wholeness?
I love your honesty friend. Caring for ourselves is so so important!
Thanks, Tara! It’s one of those skills they should teach in elementary school!
Anita recently posted…What Exactly IS Mental Wholeness?
I’m excited to read along. I kind of suck at nurturing myself sometimes…lol. I’m great at taking care of everyone else, but not so much myself.
Oh, I understand completely! I’m still a work in progress :).
Anita recently posted…What Exactly IS Mental Wholeness?
I’ve been looking forward to your series and now I know it’s going to benefit me greatly. I need to learn these lessons especially now. 😊
Thank you, Melanie! I appreciate the support!
Anita recently posted…What Exactly IS Mental Wholeness?
Wow, I love the MAPS path! Can’t wait to read this series this month. 🙂
I hope you enjoy it! Acronyms make it easier to remember things for me :).
Anita recently posted…Find Your Pod, Tell Your Story
Dear Anita, some lessons are just hard to learn, aren’t they? Thank you for your candor and willingness to share this month so we can all be more proactive w b end it comes to self preservation.
I like how you used the word ‘self preservation.’ 🙂 Because, really, if we don’t nurture ourselves, we’ll wear out faster!
Anita recently posted…Find Your Pod, Tell Your Story
Nurturing ourselves at every stage is so important. Thanks for this series. I look forward to reading it each day.
Mary Hill recently posted…#LMMLinkup: 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes.
Thanks for stopping in, Mary! I hope you find the series useful!
Anita recently posted…Self-Help is NOT a Dirty Word
Anita, I wish someone had told me about the importance of self care when my children were young. I was so busy I didn’t think I had time for myself. What I didn’t realize then was that by caring for myself I would have been a better caregiver for my children.
Blessings to you! Love this series you are doing!
Oh, I know! Little ones are so exhausting! I’m glad they grow up :).
Anita recently posted…Just Journal Your Way to Mental Wholeness!
Your insights into the importance of nurturing oneself, especially during challenging times like caregiving, resonated deeply. Your personal journey and lessons learned highlight the need for comprehensive self-care beyond simple escapes like chocolate and bathroom breaks.