Winter being what it is, it is the season unfortunately for your common everyday variety of head cold (yes there are other things besides COVID out there and yes, I am pretty sure that that is all I am dealing with). And as I bounce back from my latest bout of physical illness, it makes me think about the overlap between physical and mental self-care.
In many cases, they align well. For example, it is important to eat right, get enough sleep, etc. Yet when you physically don’t feel well, it becomes even more apparent how much you need to take care of yourself with things like adequate sleep.
And mental health self-care I feel becomes even more important when your physical health isn’t the best. As I was lying about, resting, recovering, and watching a lot of TV, I felt the shadows of depression creeping in, convincing me that I wasn’t being productive enough, convincing me that this cold would be yet another reason why people would leave me. Yet self-care allows me to not only heal my body, but also push back against the lies of mental illness.
So if you are feeling a little under the weather due to the latest winter bug, and you feel your mental health slipping as a result, remember the double benefit of self-care.
And take care of yourself. You are absolutely worth it.
The Dark Tales Project 