At the beginning of a flight they often announce that, should oxygen masks be required, mothers put theirs on before helping their child. We need to be in a good place in order to be nice to others and help each other. A modicum of self-care, therefore, is not egoistic or self-centered, or even a luxury, but a smart thing - as a grounding base and for basic physical and mental wellbeing.

Self-care does not mean that you are supposed to spend gobs of money on massages, lunches out, facials and manicures, or toys for the boys - those are all excuses for spending money, unless you've got lots of it. Self-care is special time with yourself, away from family, away from chores - for mental sanity and balance. You can practice self-care in many different ways, many of them without spending a dime. Going for a contemplative walk by yourself can be self-care, simply making yourself a cup of tea and taking a break in the middle of the day could be self-care (one of my favorites), having a regular meditation session is definitely self-care, if you are a busy parent date night out with your partner is self-care, if you are a busy business person date night out with your partner is self-care, taking a weekend nap can be self-care, going to bed early on occasion is self-care, taking a long leisurely bath is self-care. It's good to get away from rut and chores, and just think about your own enjoyment for a bit.

We are also better able to love others when we love ourselves first, able to give more if we are in a good place. I suppose you have you heard that one before. Do you have a regular self-care practice?