By
Sue Schneider, Family & Consumer Science & Community Development Agent,
Larimer County Extension
Our culture has long reinforced the idea that
self-care is selfish. We are taught to wear busyness and selflessness as badges
of honor. Yet unfettered commitments to our jobs, families, and communities can
often leave us overwhelmed and exhausted. Our burnout shows up in physician’s
offices where 75 – 90% of all visits are related to stress. We want to find
magic bullets to help us manage stress when we feel our lives spinning out of
control. But magic bullets don’t exist.
As we know, it can be really hard to turn around
difficult circumstances in our lives. And making big changes takes time. But it
is important to acknowledge that our difficult circumstances are not always the
cause of our stress. Often, our reactions to our circumstances create much of our
suffering. We tend to pour fuel onto our perceived difficulties when we view
them with anxiety, fear, negativity, or judgement. We often catastrophize worst
case scenarios, blame others or ourselves for things gone wrong, and numb
ourselves to our pain through electronic devises, overwork, and substances. We
turn away from our difficulties rather than leaning into them and learning what
they have to teach us. In this way, we strengthen the habitual tendencies that
aggravate our stress again and again.
In this video series on mindful self-care, we will explore
another set of options; how to press the pause button, return to the present,
work skillfully with difficulties, and prioritize our wellbeing in the midst of
stressful events. We will learn how to deactivate the “habits of mind” that escalate
our distress while strengthening our capacity for acceptance, self-compassion,
ease, and joy. Mindful self-care means opening up space to attend to your own
needs and developing health-promoting habits that serve your body, mind, and
heart. Self-care takes practice and commitment. These videos can get you
started by offering practical concepts and tools. Along the way, you will learn
that mindfulness is not a magic bullet but rather a powerful guide for a
lifelong journey back to the present.
