I am awake, I am alive, and this morning I am focused … on my self-care game.
I do not believe there has ever been a period of time when self care was more important than now and I don’t mean the self-care in the form of a spa date or a night out. I mean those activities, any activity or word or deed, that reinforces for ourselves and others that we are valuable. Anything that has us treating ourselves as someone we love, as someone worth protecting and nurturing.
But as social interaction moves online, I am seeing a HUGE increase in messenger traffic. For many, sending a meme via messenger is preferred to posting on their wall but for recipients like me, their meme is merely one of many sent in any 24-hour period, a collection that or may not be healthy.
And I understand the reasoning – posts and memes about the virus may or may not be accurate but they are always sent out of fear or concern for the people they are sent to. That is love. The posts shared that show racism rearing its constantly ugly head are sent to educate, although sadly, rarely am I surprised. But for me, a constant influx of messages I do not control is not healthy, it is not self care, and today it must end.
On my agenda for the day, a culling of my personal friend list (nothing to do with those that follow this business page). Some may be removed, many will be blocked from sending messages via messenger.
Why? Because messenger use to be my joy, my means of communication with the children I adore. Facebook notifying me that I have a message has always been a priority for my children are just that, especially now. But that practice now exposes me to messages I do not wish to see, memes that hurt my heart, and a volume that exhausts my soul. That is not self care, but fixing it is.
So my friend, today I beg you – consider what you send before you send it. Personally, I have no interest in chain messages that must be forwarded to prove you love or anything of a Christian slant. I am not interested in spreading racism or sexist jokes but that’s just me.
As always you must decide what and who you let in, online and in your real life experiences. It may not be easy, but it is in that decision that your strength, your wisdom and your confidence is born.
Stay safe my friends and please, stay inside.
I love you! HUGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Sandi
