no exceptions

One of the slides from my presentation deck.  The photograph is Alex, 7 years ago.  I don't even remember her being that tiny!

I spent most of yesterday putting together a slide deck for a talk I'm giving to undergraduate and graduate students this week on the beauty of self care.  These students are entering a profession which, like law, has a code of ethics that requires its members to remain "fit for practice," including ensuring that they take care of their mental health.  My talk basically says that their profession requires them to practice self care.

While I was putting everything together, it occurred to me in that in my experience, the biggest excuse I ever hear from friends or family who want to meditate, or exercise, or take a vacation, and yet don't, is that they just don't have the time -- their work is so demanding, regardless of their profession.  And I get that.  But after spending a considerable number of hours reading this weekend on self-care, I have come to this conclusion:

If you want to be good at your job, at parenting and/or at life, you must practice self care. No exceptions.

So, if the fact that practicing self-care inevitably makes you feel better isn't enough to move you to do it, then consider that your responsibility to your family, and friends and/or boss actually requires you to do it.  Maybe even more so if you're in a profession that is monitored by an ethics board.

So go book that vacation.  Tell your boss I said so.

And have a great week, friends.