{"id":6,"date":"2011-09-25T18:24:14","date_gmt":"2011-09-25T18:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/amomentofchange\/?p=6"},"modified":"2011-09-25T18:27:08","modified_gmt":"2011-09-25T18:27:08","slug":"the-lost-art-of-self-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/09\/the-lost-art-of-self-care.html","title":{"rendered":"The Lost Art of Self Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Sherry Gaba LCSW, Psychotherapist, Life
\n& Recovery Coach is featured Celebrity Rehab on VH1. Sherry is the author
\nof \u201cThe Law of Sobriety\u201d<\/a> which
\nuses the law of attraction to recover from any addiction. Please download your
\ncopy of \u201cManifest Holistic
\nHealth<\/a>\u201d from Sherry\u2019s Enrich Your Life Series. Contact Sherry at sherry@sgabatherapy.com<\/a> for webinars,
\nteleseminars, coaching packages and speaking engagements. Listen to Sherry on \u201cA Moment of Change with Sherry Gaba\u201d<\/a>on CBS Radio.<\/p>\n

Most of us believe, in theory, that we should make efforts to take better care of
\nourselves, through better eating, more exercise, or working our recovery
\nprograms. But we can fall into the trap of forgetting to engage or these
\nbehaviors. Under the surface, there might be another reason we don\u2019t follow
\nthrough: we don’t really believe that we deserve<\/em> to tend to our personal
\nwell-being. Self-care is often erroneously and critically labeled selfishness<\/em>. It’s not. Even Jesus and
\nGandhi took time for themselves, withdrawing from the crowds to tend to their
\nspirits.<\/p>\n

Time\u00a0 spent in self-care fills us up so we can give of ourselves and not be left dried
\nand shriveled up like last summer’s grapes left on the vine. Most of us can
\nrelate to the feeling of running on empty. This automotive analogy is actually a
\ngood one. What can our car do for us with no gasoline in the tank? Be a large,
\nshiny driveway ornament? Not so useful. So why do we expect ourselves to be able
\nto run and give and work and cook and clean and put on a happy face with nothing
\nfueling us? It’s crazy, and it\u2019s high time we kick crazy to the curb.<\/p>\n

Make yourself a priority. Make the time to do the things that fill you up. For some,
\nit may be a leisurely stroll on the beach. For others, 30 uninterrupted minutes
\nwith a great book. Or a fabulous bike ride or coffee with your friends or seeing
\nyour loving therapist (see how I slid that one in?). Or seeing a movie in the theatre<\/em>. It doesn’t have to be a
\nweeklong trip to Tahiti (though if you get the opportunity, I highly recommend
\njumping at it). In fact, they should be the small things that you love. The ones
\nthat bring you peace and a sense of reconnection with yourself. Small things are
\ndoable and can be easily incorporated into your everyday life. Pick a few and
\nput them on your calendar, in your Blackberry, whatever \u2014 and then actually<\/em> do them.<\/p>\n

For those resisters who think, \u201cI can’t possibly take that time. I won’t be able to
\nbe there as much for my kids and spouse and boss\u201d \u2014 stop making excuses.
\nBecause, honestly, that’s what that is. If your kids or spouse or boss had to
\nchoose between someone who was happy and creative and energized when they were
\nwith them or someone who was barely hanging on by a thread, who do you think
\nthey would choose? Who would you<\/em> choose? By investing in yourself, you create dividends to extend to those around
\nyou. When you’re running on empty, all you’re giving them are your fumes. Not
\npleasant.<\/p>\n

Put aside those faulty notions of the nobility of killing yourself for the greater
\ngood. Realize that your greatest gift to give others is the best version of
\nyourself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sherry Gaba LCSW, Psychotherapist, Life & Recovery Coach is featured Celebrity Rehab on VH1. Sherry is the author of \u201cThe Law of Sobriety\u201d which uses the law of attraction to recover from any addiction. Please download your copy of \u201cManifest Holistic Health\u201d from Sherry\u2019s Enrich Your Life Series. Contact Sherry at sherry@sgabatherapy.com for webinars, teleseminars,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":402,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Lost Art of Self Care - A Moment of Change<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/09\/the-lost-art-of-self-care.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Lost Art of Self Care - A Moment of Change\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sherry Gaba LCSW, Psychotherapist, Life & Recovery Coach is featured Celebrity Rehab on VH1. Sherry is the author of \u201cThe Law of Sobriety\u201d which uses the law of attraction to recover from any addiction. Please download your copy of \u201cManifest Holistic Health\u201d from Sherry\u2019s Enrich Your Life Series. 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For more information visit www.sherrygaba.com or sign up today for Sherry\u2019s online group coaching program for codependents for $19\/month https:\/\/wakeuprecovery.com\/become-a-member-co\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/author\/sherrygaba"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/402"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6\/revisions\/10"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}