Self-Care Slump

Do you ever feel like all you want to do is stay home, eat chocolate and crawl into your woman cave?

That was me this past week.

I hit a wall. It felt like steel. Cold. Hard. Blue.

I’m a force in the world. A happy, resourceful, tenacious, spirit-rich woman. I don’t hit walls.

I move through the world like

FIRE.

I love my life. I love my work. I love feeding people and inspiring women to enter their kitchens with new hope and new enthusiasm.

But this week, I couldn’t find the motivation to color my own plate.

“That’s what you’re having for dinner?” he asked, glancing at my cauliflower.

“It looks a little white.”

Me, who teases him when everything on his plate looks a little

White

Mashed potatoes (he’s Irish)

Chicken

Cottage cheese (?)

And here I was, the culinary rock star eating a bowl of cauliflower for dinner. Nothing rocking on my plate that night.

I call it the self-care slump. It doesn’t happen often. I have great tools. I’m trained in the art of pull-yourself-up by your bootstraps.

But even super heroes have their self-care slump days. Here’s what I learned from mine:

Give yourself permission to feel . . . tired, sad, lonely, angry, quiet (you fill in the blank).

Feelings are energy. They move through you.

And with you.

They remind you that you are human, that you’re alive. Give yourself permission to feel.

Don’t try to figure it out. Sometimes a self-care slump sneaks up on you. Stay out of your head and move into your body.

Get curious.

Be compassionate.

Give yourself a hug.

But please, don’t try to figure it out. Because then you might be tempted to “fix” it.

Pull out your nourishment menu and do something on that list. What? You don’t have a nourishment menu?

Compose one, TODAY, over a cup of tea and chocolate

Me? I made a pot of soup.

With some delicious magic mineral broth that I had placed in my freezer

For

A

Rainy

Day

It worked.

Like magic.

 

How do you nourish yourself? What do you do when find yourself in a self-care slump? Leave a comment. Don’t be shy.

16 thoughts on “Self-Care Slump”

  1. I have had a few self care slumps recently. And have a tendency toward guilt when they happen. This really spoke to me today – thank you!!
    KC

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      I’m so glad we can give ourselves permission to let go of the guilt! Thank you for sharing that, KC. I wonder why we’re so hard on ourselves. . .

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    I love this post Sue Ann! I am not sure what is going on in the cosmos however, it seems so many fell into a slump over the past few weeks. A strange off balance place where I am not sure I and others are as comfy in as our regular “charmed lives” that we created with much love. For me, I need the support of my girlfriends, at times, I just adore getting dolled up and dining on a fun lunch menu, or cooking some wonderful meal and have friends over. At times if I am very blue, I do know that having chocolate for breakfast works every time!

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      Yes, Nasrine, I’m thinking it has something to do with that marvelous moon. Let’s plan a moon dance, shall we?

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    Sue Ann, I loved the above post, as I have fallen into my own slump trying to keep up the pace of the holiday season. I am thankful for my amazing gourmet market near home which gives me access to homemade food, even when I can’t manage the energy to cook my own…and usually I do, so it is disheartening when you feel you can’t do it one particular week. I love the concept of just accepting the slump….I don’t need to feel “less than” on the weeks I relinquish my cooking duties and lobster apron.

    I went to a holiday party last night and met some of the most amazing people I had ever met, made new friends…and came home feeling buzzzy again….so getting out of my woman cave helped me transition…..I am back to cooking, laundry, working at my computer and prepping for holidays.

    I believe it is important to feel good about feeding myself healthful food, even if I don’t make it myself, or make it as pretty and vibrant as it could be. Just choosing to eat healthful and make conscious decisions around food is something to be thankful for and give yourself credit for. Thank you for this reminder about this….and thank you for the amazing cookbook…I am going to spread the word to a few friends who I know could benefit from your gift. XO

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      Thank you for stopping by, Freea. Here’s to accepting the slump, relinquishing the lobster apron (you make me laugh), and finding more gourmet organic markets for when we need to nurtured and nourished by someone else. Enjoy the ebook, and yes, be sure to spread the word!

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    BeautiFULL! I am so gifted by your guidance of in this place of my own self-care slump… which has lasted much longer than this season! I crave this idea of the simplicity of good foods and having THOSE conveniently on hand (magic mineral broth). I realize that I have tricked myself into believing that good care = lots of time and effort… the right stores, the perfect foods, the high prices. I DO eat better than most…. but i feel a shift coming on that is going to take me to a whole new level! I realize I will be able to integrate all that I know (too much many different ‘diets’ over the years) into my own personal tao… with your GUIDANCE! I am THRILLED to be part of your upcoming program! YAY!!

    And… after reading the first section of this post… I was kinda glad you DID fall into a slump. Even you need to be released from this high fiery achiever from time to time! haha! That’s whose caught me right now.

    I really enjoy the poem like quality of this piece… it gifted me with a LOT of space to take it all in. Something to ponder. xo

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      Yes, yes, Kathleen it so important for people to know that “simplicity in the meal” is really the key to nourishment. My grandmother’s hands (and heart) guide me in the kitchen. I rarely use recipes. When we know a little bit about the elements of taste, we don’t need a whole lot of ingredients to create something deliciously simply and simply delicious. . .

      I look forward to being your guide at the side as you find your way back to the kitchen and YOUR own personal tao. Welcome to the Inner Circle.

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    Such beautiful writing, poetic and thoughtful and candid. I think many of us were in a slump the past few weeks. The cosmos? Very possible. It’s a nice reminder to just let it flow through us, rather than fight it or feel guilty. But even though you were eating something white, at least it was cauliflower and not mashed potatoes!

    I’m glad you’re back to your fiery self…but even goddesses like you need a break sometimes.

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      Ha, ha, yes, Tracey, though my foodie sensibility tells me that cauliflower looked pretty pathetic! LOL And yes, even goddesses need a break sometimes. . .

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    Hi Sue Ann!

    I happen to be a big fan of cauliflower cooked in milk and seasoned with nutmeg. It’s very nourishing for when we have self care slumps as we all do! I just think the perfectionist type of us think we can’t go there, especially when we’re trying to be models for others. So I love how you’re showing yourself as both the teacher and student!

    And Winter Solstice is a great way to give space in our lives to that which needs the most self care!

    Marion

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    I was in a slump this week until a head cold forced me out of it! =) Now I’m all over the kale soup with wheat crackers. Digging into salads and greens and veggies and sweet potatoes. Healing myself. Meanwhile I’m writing a sales page for a wellness class! Perfect timing.

    I think you’re so great Sue Ann. I love how you encourage us not to try to figure it out. Just experience. The human experience. It’s quite beautiful, even all the bumps in the road. =)
    Love, Kat

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    Sue Ann, I loved this post. It nourished me as much as your magic mineral broth nourished you! Ahhhh, the healing power of food and insightful writing…

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    Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh says that depression is the price we pay for knowing what we feel. For me, the occasional slump (I call it being inside an emotional condom) is preferable to being detached from my true self. I’m glad you pulled out of your slump, Sue Ann, but let’s not hasten to diss the lovely cauliflower! Last week I roasted some florets in olive oil, s/p, and whole cumin seeds, then just before serving I topped them with some plain yogurt (with a pinch of salt stirred in) and fresh pomegranate seeds. White can rock after all!

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      Yum, I love the tang of pomegranate seeds with the softness of cauliflower! And yes, I would take “feeling” over not feeling any day—the good AND the bad. Each is richer for the other. Thank you, Bonnie.

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