A facebook community member reflects on what self care looks like now that she has left Christian Science.
I’ve been dealing with whelming anxiety for a few days now. Not one particular thing, just a lot of little things (and some big ones). Some of these things I have very little control over, beyond how I react to them, and other things I can directly influence.
The other evening I had a moment of I just can’t right now. So I decided I wasn’t going to. I ran a warm tub with lavender Epsom salts and bubble bath, I got a large glass of water, and I had some CBD infused chocolate (I also have edibles – yay living in a state where such things are legal, but I don’t like to indulge in those when the kids are home). I even lit a candle (because I found a box of them and I wanted to burn something).
I almost feel okay. The CBD infused chocolate helped take the edge off the anxiety. The hot soak eased the muscle tension. I should do this more often.
Self care is important, and sometimes self care is bubble baths & chocolate.
Sometimes self care is a dentist appointment to take care of a filling. I did that recently too. Armed with dark glasses, headphones, and a cozy sweater, I showed up and got my filling taken care of.
As he was preparing the tooth to be worked on, my dentist asked how I was doing.
“As well as can be expected given that my mouth is a quarter numb and I’m getting a filling taken care of.” I mumbled talking around the dental contraptions in my mouth.
His assistant laughed and told him perhaps he shouldn’t be asking those questions. The filling went quickly. The head phones and dark glasses helped with the noise and bright lights. Neither helped with my itching nose.
At my dentist’s suggestion, I took a few ibuprofen as the numbness wore off. Sometimes self care is taking ibuprofen.
I’m trying to remember that self care is important. That is is OK to tell my husband I’m going to go spend an hour in the tub and watch Netflix and let him deal with the kids. Taking ibuprofen to ease the transition out of numbness is okay too. I’ve been seeing this dentist for over a decade now, I trust his advice on such things, and I don’t particularly enjoy tooth pain.
Giving myself permission to step back from all the things is challenging.
This site offers support resources to help individuals negotiate a transition in a manner that best fits their needs and convictions. We do not advocate any one particular path but acknowledge that there are many legitimate pathways that can be personally and spiritually fulfilling.