sad self-care

When I name my ‘sad’ feeling with more precision, it helps me understand myself better. This, in turn, helps me take better care of myself. 

Let’s make this real… one day I received a phone call from my son who was deep into suffering from his addictions*. He related the chaos and asked for my help. I remained calm on the phone and made suggestions. After hanging up I was flooded with despair. 

While frozen in this despair I was able to name it. I knew I needed to take positive action so I contacted an Alanon friend who helped me sort through this particular trauma. 

By the end of that call, the despair down-shifted to a heavy heart. It hurt so much to witness my son’s withering potential and suffering. 

The heavy-hearted feeling carried into the next day. A beach walk would help soothe this. It was one of my top go-to’s for self-care. 

By taking good care of myself, little by slow, the feeling of a heavy heart lifted. It began with naming the feeling and responding to it with gentleness, care, and positive action.

With healing light and love,

Lisa