Self Care Checklist

I’ve tried to write this self care checklist blog post a hundred different times, but my nerves always got the best of me.

Because showing up and being vulnerable is hard.

But I believe that I have a responsibility to be 100% real with you, so I’m finally taking a deep breath and hitting publish…

If you’re like me, you might follow people on Instagram or subscribe to teaching bloggers and assume that they have it all together.

Their blissful families are always spotless and smiling…

Their nails are freshly painted and every corner of their house is so organized that even Marie Kondo would approve.

But in case you have that perception of ME, I want to bust that myth right here and now.

Shiny Instagram photos show just a moment in time and there are sooooo many other things that happen in life that never come to light because they aren’t picture perfect.

November 2, 2018 was one of those times for me.

I was scheduled to hop on a plane to present at a conference.

My bag was packed, my outfits were ironed… I was ready to show up in a big way.

But that morning, I woke up in a cold sweat.

Every inch of my body was on fire, my chest was tight and my mind was frantically buzzing. Literally BUZZING.

I tried everything I could think of to calm down so that I could just make it to the airport. But my anxiety was so high that I couldn’t even do that.

I pulled over on the side of the road when I was halfway there and called my mother-in-law to come rescue me.

I was too broken to even drive.

Needless to say, I didn’t make it to the conference that day. (I didn’t even make it to the airport.)

But that terrible, awful, HORRIBLE anxiety attack was the best thing that could have happened to me because it woke me up.

With therapy, journaling, meditation and a whole lot of self-reflection, I realized that I have always struggled with anxiety. 

(I think it’s one of the biggest downsides of being a perfectionist.)

And while I am still constantly learning ways that I can manage it, self-care is at the top of the list.

I need to give myself grace when I make mistakes just like I would with a friend…

I need to ask my husband, Jesse, to make dinner or help out around the house instead of trying to do ALL the things myself…

I need to meditate (I never thought I’d say THAT!) to help my mind stay clear and focused…

Just like flight attendants remind us to put on our oxygen masks before we put on our children’s, we absolutely MUST carve out time to take care of ourselves so that we can be present and give our all in life.

So whether or not you struggle with anxiety like me, I hope you’ll take time for some self-care, too.

And to help you get started,  I pulled together this self care checklist of 25 simple ideas:

Although I know that one blog post isn’t going to magically make you love yourself more, I do hope that it’ll be the wake up call you need to make self-care a priority.

I love you too much to see you putting yourself last.

I love you too much to let you give EVERYTHING to your students and family and friends without taking care of yourself, too.

So I’m not going to stop talking about this. You are THAT important to me.

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