Remember to Give a Good Habit to Yourself: Self Care

Sometimes you hit a wall.  Or drop to the floor.  Or crumble, tumble, collapse.

Sometimes things just suck.

In the past few months, I (Andrea) have been posting about the gifting of good habits.  I’ve been positive.  Upbeat.  Focused.

Today, I struggle.  Today, I’m not.  I’m negative.  I’m cynical.  I’m disheartened.  I’m ready to quit everything and spend my day working out and scrubbing the kitchen floor while 80s music plays on my Echo.

And even though I don’t want to, I have to write this blog.  And I have to gift a good habit for the month of May.

And then I remembered a quote I came across while doing some work for a client.  It’s from the book, The Four-Fold Way:  Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Healer, Teacher and Visionary

“In many shamanic societies, if you came to a shaman or medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions.
When did you stop dancing?
When did you stop singing?
When did you stop being enchanted by stories?
When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?
Where we have stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted by stories, or finding comfort in silence is where we have experienced the loss of soul.
Dancing, singing, storytelling, and silence are the four universal healing salves.”

So if the song has gone out of your heart, gift yourself some time to find it again.  Every day.  Because you deserve it.  You deserve to take the time to care for yourself.

It’s time for us to start dancing again, to take care of ourselves so that we can be great for others.