Episode 1: Why All Therapists Should Create a Self-Care Bucket List

In this Episode, I talk all about the importance of checking in with yourself as a self-care measure.

I'm not sure how many times I've heard therapists push the idea of self-care. The concept of self-care has become so trendy that it's thrown around and interpreted as just a thing to do, as opposed to a way of life. Practicing self-care is something that we should practice often. It's more than going to a spa, or taking a trip... Self-care requires you to tune in to yourself enough to know when it's time to take a break. It's knowing yourself well enough to know when to say no, when to create firmer boundaries, and when to detach and decompress.

I am no self-care guru, but I've gotten better at listening to my body and knowing when it's time to do things differently. So I came up with a bucket list. It's a simple way to ensure that each week, I tap into me. I encourage you to do the same!

Here are 3 reasons why you need to create your self-care bucket list NOW:

You need to be intentional about taking care of you first: We take on hard emotions and indirect experiences of trauma on a daily basis. At the end of the day, I go home drained. I love doing therapy, but at times I need to ensure that I "therapize" myself! (Corny, I know LOL). One of the major reasons I created a self-care bucket list is to keep myself at the top of my mind each week, and as I cross off my bucket list items, I am confirming that I made a conscious effort to take care of myself.It's necessary and preserves our mind, body, and soul: So one of the items I put on my bucket list, that repeats itself throughout the months is to set clear boundaries. Boundary setting is hard to do, but gets easier the more you do it (like most things). I have to put this on my list because I know this is something I struggle with. So it appears on my list as a means of preservation, to decrease the days I come home exhausted, and increase the days that I feel as if I have made it clear where I begin, and where others end. This is applied with clients, family, and friends. When you're making your list, think about some of the self-care practices you need to work on to preserve your mind, body and soul, and put it on your list!You're building a habit: As many of us know, it takes about 28 days to build a new habit, why not develop a habit of being excellent at taking better care of yourself. I push consistency and never giving up to my young adult clients EVERY DAY! I don't want to be like the dentist with bad teeth, or the hair dresser with bad hair. I know that I will never be perfect, but I want to at least make a honest attempt to do some of the very things I campaign to my clients on daily basis.

To that end, I want to hook you up! I am sharing the bucket list template that I use with you. Simply print it out, and start planning out some of the weekly self-care activities you want to start your new year off with! I employ you to be bold in your list items. Dear to list things that seems ambitious and strive towards attaining it... Or not, because a bucket list item for a busy therapist could be to do absolutely nothing! And that's just fine.

Enjoy!