SGTSM Part 5: Final Chapters

So maybe I’ve procrastinated long enough on this one!

 

Finally blogging about the last two chapters of Crystal Paine’s excellent book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life. Here are the other installments in case you missed them:

• Part One: SGTSM Chapters One and Two
• Part Two: SGTSM, Chapters Three and Four
• Part Three: SGTSM, Chapters Five and Six
• Part Four: SGTSM, Chapters Seven and Eight

This post is about chapters 9 and 10.

Chapter 9 is all about healthy self-care. Nurturing oneself is crucial when you’re pouring out so much to others (as is the case with wives, moms, homeschoolers, etc). So how do you do that?

I think the answer is a little different for everyone, but most of us need to: plug into God and put emphasis on our spirituality, and connect with our spouse and make that relationship an oasis.

One of the specific things Crystal mentions is to “make a fun list” of activities you enjoy that don’t take up a lot of time. Laura Vanderkam, another of my favorite authors, also recommends this. It’s funny – when I make lists like this, it always surprises me how simple the things are that make me happy. Most of them cost very little, if any money.

Making a fun list may not be easy at first. I know it wasn’t for me. In fact, at one point several years ago I had to dig really hard to remember what I liked. It’s as if I had forgotten who I was. That’s easy to do when you’re spending all your time taking care of other people!

Finally, chapter 10 wraps up the book by answering the question (my words): what’s the point of all this?

To sum up, getting beyond survival mode means you have more time and energy for the stuff that really matters to you. 

Getting food on the table, keeping the house clean, managing the laundry and running those dreaded errands – these are all things we have to do, but if they are taking up all our brain space and energy, something’s got to change.

It’s worth the effort!

What kinds of things do you do to take care of yourself, to ensure you’re not running around in survival mode?