A Thought Challenge came up in our staff meeting this afternoon, and it also played an unexpected but prominent role in another meeting that I attended later this evening: Can we consider the difference between self-care and self-nurturing?
Self-care is a term that’s been tossed around a bunch, right? So, what do you think of when you think of self-care? You should take care of yourself. You should get enough sleep. You should take a personal day to refresh and recharge. You should meditate or do yoga or drink more water or get outside more or consider your dietary needs or journal or paint… or… or… or…
You know what thinking about all of that self-care can leave you with?
A whole bunch of SHOULDS, and an approach that stems from a deficit model. Yikes. Is that really how we want to structure things that are supposed to add to our sense of self? By starting from wallowing in this place where we’re stuck? Hmmmm. Perhaps we don’t have to start there.
Instead of coming from this deficit model where we’re trying to fill a need or a gap, what if we were willing to shift our semantics and our perspective a bit? What if we could make the seemingly small switch from a self-care approach to a self-nurturing approach?
| SELF-CARE | SELF-NURTURING |
| I’m exhausted. I really should get a good night of sleep tonight to get back on top of things. | How could I set myself up for a night of really good sleep? |
| I can’t even see straight. I should probably get outside for a few minutes to try and clear my brain. | How can I utilize fresh air to clear my brain? |
| I am starving. I should really eat something. | How can I plan regular food breaks into my day to stabilize my energy? |
It might seem like just a semantic change, but (can I tell you a secret?) that’s how I hack my own brain into approaching larger challenges. The way I speak to myself matters.
I am willing to keep my intentions as positive as they can be, to come from a place of growth and love – while still being honest and real with myself – and work some self-nurturing into my daily life, one little semantic shift at a time. Here’s what I’m crafting: How can I use my words to surround myself with as much TLC as possible as I journey through my days?
Tag, you’re it. Consider this Thought Challenge passed!
Writing and Laughing 
Yes, a perspective shift. Not ‘should’ing. Keeping the purpose in mind; why care or nurture yourself and then asking yourself questions to meet that purpose. Regardless of how you hack your brain, did you manage to improve who you are and how you show up in the world?
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I love this. The subtle shift in language makes a huge difference. I am absolutely going to practice this and see how it changes the ways I nurture myself. Thanks for the idea! ~Stacie
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