Checking in on yourself

This time of year, we often talk about making sure we check in on other people. That’s absolutely valid and hugely important, but I wonder how often we check in with ourselves. How long has it been since you asked yourself “How are you getting on?”

“Are you feeling okay”

Many of us put our own wellbeing right at the bottom of the list, especially when we’re parents or we have caring responsibilities.

It’s easy in the hussle and bustle of the season to almost on autopilot do everything we can to avoid letting people down, whether that’s stressing ourselves out getting the perfect present, maybe even something we can’t really afford. Or it’s spreading ourselves too thinly trying to catch up with everyone over the holidays.

If we’re putting ourselves last, we’re really risking not taking care of ourselves. There’s a crusty old metaphor about putting on your own oxygen mask first before you help someone on with theirs. I’m not especially fond of a direct reading of it, (what kind of person would let someone choke to death?), but maybe with a bit of balance we can care for ourselves just like we would care about someone else.

Have you had a good year? Maybe you haven’t. Life can throw a lot at us that we can’t plan for. We can lose people that we love. Things that we relied on can suddenly change. The news cycle right now looks like a horror movie. How are you taking care of yourself? Maybe the break could be an opportunity to rest up and heal.

As we crawl towards the finish line of the working year, I’d like to invite you to take a moment and just ask yourself “how are you getting on?” How can you take care of yourself over the holidays?

If you’d like to work with me on your mental health, you can get in touch with me via the website or drop me a message directly at mckellarcbt@gmail.com