Anita Ojeda 
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:13 — 10.3MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Email | Deezer | RSS | More
It’s easy to quit your mental self-care during a crisis, but it’s vitally important to continue. Today’s podcast has seven hacks to help you take care of yourself during difficult times.
Who Has Time for Self-Care During a Crisis?
“The good news,” the surgeon said, “is we decided before surgery to take the nerves and get wide margins. The bad news? You have a very aggressive form of prostate cancer.”
“It’s only been two years since I had my PSA levels checked,” Pedro said.
“Yeah. I thought prostate cancer was one of those slow-growing-we-can-wait-years-before-we-decide-what-to-do cancers!”
“I don’t do things normally,” Pedro joked.
What made you decide to go to the doctor,” I asked Pedro.
“I hadn’t been in two years, and I just felt impressed to make an appointment.”
“I’m glad you listened to the Holy Spirit,” the surgeon said.
Although this second round of cancer seems so different from the first time, it still qualifies as a crisis. I learned from the first go-round twenty years ago the importance of self-care during a crisis, so I determined to do things differently. It probably helps that I’ve studied, written about, and practiced healthy self-care for the past six years.
I learned the hard way what happens when I forgo self-care during a crisis. Most people don’t know how to care for themselves during normal times. Sure, we might exercise a time or two each week and schedule our yearly doctor’s appointments, but we rarely schedule intentional time for our mental, academic, physical, and spiritual self-care.
Whether you consider yourself a pro at self-care or have never heard the term before, the following tips will help you continue or start self-care during a crisis. You may already do some of them. If so, I’d love to hear from you!
Show Notes
Tips on starting a journal for mental self-care.
SAMHSA Disaster Distress Hotline: 24/7 national hotline dedicated to natural or human-caused disasters. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs at 66746.
Mental Health America has tips for helping you identify common reactions to crises and how to cope with them.
NAMI also has wonderful resources, especially for family members whose loved one is dealing with a mental health crisis.
Come Back Next Week
Join me next week when we explore academic and artistic self-care during a crisis.
- Welcome to the Inspire Me Monday Community! The link-up opens Sundays at 4 pm, Arizona time.
- Link up your family-friendly inspirational posts (no more than two, please).
- Visit the person who links up BOTH before you and after you and leave a comment. This helps keep our community vibrant!
I’m so glad Pedro listened to the promptings of the Lord! You’re right, most people don’t know how to take care of themselves during normal times, much less during a crisis. It’s so easy as mothers to put everyone else first. Great advice!
Lisa Blair recently posted…Choose to Serve an Amazing and Loving God
Anita, I’m so glad Pedro listened to the prompt of the Holy Spirit.
You’re right, most people don’t know how to self care in long medical crises. Unforunately we go into survival mode rather into self care wisdom mode.
Great advice.
Bless you both, Jennifer
Tea With Jennifer recently posted…Are you a Cheerleader or Naysayer in life?
A surgeon who recognizes the promptings of the Holy Spirit – what comfort! Your recommendations were spot on! You never want to have to use again what you learned living through a crisis – it helps to at least be better prepared from where to park, to what recovery looks like, for understanding what is really needed for a weeks hospital stay – and to better understand how those Aaron and Hurs lift us up! Continued prayers for you both! ~ Maryleigh
If only we all listened to the Holy Spirit’s whispers! Glad Pedro did.
I was listening to your 7 Hacks. It struck me as funny that journaling seems hard for me to do on any kind of consistent basis; yet I consider myself a writer!
Wonderful tips I think we need to incorporate all the time and not neglect when life is hard.
Debbie Wilson recently posted…Are Love and Tolerance the Same?