Meeting the needs of other people is a skill. It utilizes intuition, emotional intelligence, empathy and, sometimes, creativity. Many of us developed this ability to such a degree that we have gained success in various ‘helping professions’- teaching, nursing, counseling, etc. Some of us may have devoted and continue to devote this skill to the needs of our families, resolving conflicts and/or stepping in when others fail to do so. The challenge for many of us is applying this skill to meet our own needs. If we are busy taking care of everyone else, then we probably have little time left for taking care of ourselves. We may feel emotionally drained and/or physically exhausted.
In the next few weeks, we will explore how to practice self-care in the following three areas:
- Physical needs
- Emotional needs
- Spiritual needs
Stephen R.Covey in his well-known
book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People” identifies the practice of
self-care as Habit 7- Sharpen the Saw.
This habit is based on the tale of the woodcutter who struggles to saw down a
tree for over five hours. When someone
comes along and mentions that he could take a few minutes to sharpen his saw
which would lessen the task, the woodcutter states that he can’t because he is
too busy sawing. It is important to ‘sharpen’
our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves in order to realize our full
potential.
In the next chapter, we will
identify our physical needs and how to fulfill them.
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