Self-Care is an act of patriotism

There is no denying the heightened awareness, fear, confusion and uncertainty swirling the planet right now. We are facing political unrest, economic uncertainty and a system that is so broken there is no going back. If you feel helpless or hopeless and the fatigue is settling in, let this be a beacon of light for you.

I recently listened to a talk from Rob Bell about our capacity to show up during these chaotic times we are in. After listening, it got me thinking a lot about my own personal power and how important our daily routines play in our ability to respond instead of react.

Many people are feeling called to help. We might even view other's problems as "real" in comparison to our own right now. But by neglecting our own self-care, we become part of the problem. Let me explain...people have the best intentions to want to get involved and help, but how sustainable will our ability to help be if we aren't carefully and intentionally taking care of ourselves first? It's tempting to want to jump in to help, but without a strong self-care routine that provides adequate sleep, nutritious food, exercise, time outdoors,

relaxation and joy, what you're going to become is another victim of fatigue. And fatigue leads to despair when untreated. If you want to show your patriotism, show up by being an example of self-love. Our whole system needs all of us to love ourselves and care for ourselves like we care for others.

Many people deny themselves unconditional love and kindness. Oftentimes people brought up in religion have a difficult time allowing themselves to let go of the suffering. The fundamental story was struggle. They were taught that someone had to be beaten or someone had to suffer, in the name of love. They may believe that if there is no suffering you aren't doing it right.

You don't need to suffer in order to accept self-love and kindness. It is not selfish, nor is it a guilty pleasure to care for yourself. It is a call to action.

It's Time to Tighten Things Up

What we all need to do right now is tighten up our lives. I mean take a deep look into all aspects of life and clear out the clutter. As Rob Bell says, "Fire the lamest 20 things on your calendar." Tighten up your activities, tighten up your circle of friends. It may sound harsh initially, but it's time to let go of the people, events, habits and stuff we have that aren't serving us. Those things that feel depleting...yeah get rid of them. Tighten up your routine, your diet, your sleep, your electronic habits, even the way you talk to yourself. Pay attention to every minute of your life and get rid of all the minutes that are draining and energy sucking. Even if you can remove 20 minutes of stuff each day, that's 20 minutes you can spend doing something for you. What lights you up? What is something you do where time flies by when you're doing it? What gives you energy? What relaxes you?

Everything is energy. If you spend your days feeling anxious and concerned, you are robbing yourself of energy that could be spent on love and care for yourself. We are stronger, more resilient and more compassionate when we take care of ourselves. We need everyone to be doing this. This is how we help.

If you're still skeptical, here is how Rob Bell explains it, "When we begin to slide into fatigue, we quickly lose an awareness of our own power, resources, spine, options, possibilities and next steps." This feels helpless and disempowering and prevents us from being present to our own selves in the moment. When we give into this despair, we become vulnerable and dependent on external powers and leaders. We begin to look for power outside of ourselves, rather than trusting our own inner power, knowing and strength. How can we be helpful to anyone in this position?

Clearing out the clutter gives us the capacity to accommodate change. It allows more love, more compassion, more resilience and more energy to flow through us. Caring for yourself is not a weakness. During these times when power feels like it's in the wrong hands, remember that nobody can take away your power without you giving it to them. By taking care of yourself, you are strengthening your ability to respond to change without depleting your own energy source.