If I’m great at anything, it’s self-care. I majored in self-care. I even have a Ph.D. in self-care.
Publishing this memoir is the hardest thing I’ve ever done (harder in many ways than living through the story itself), and I make no apologies for self-care being the focus of my day today and every day for the next little while. Case in point? As this blog post is posting I’m gallivanting in the Andes Mountains of Argentina. For the record, I don’t recommend seemingly abandoning your publishing team to go on an epic trip right before the on-sale date. But I couldn’t imagine surviving pre-publication anxiety any other way. So I asked for permission and went. See? Self-care.
Here are some of my favorite self-care tricks:
• Hiking, running, and mountain-adventuring whenever I want, even on weekdays, and even yes, the month before publication
• Going to bed as early as I need. Eight pm? Totally fine!
• Using Pharmaceuticals. Seriously. Antidepressants and anxiety medicine and vitamins, too
• Alternating between four – yes FOUR – onesie pajamas that make the COSIEST loungewear
• Cuddling with five – yes FIVE – cats on a daily basis
• Eating my feelings. Hey, I didn’t say all my strategies were healthy
• Bing watching subpar television programming
• Going dark. I feel badly for the friends I’ve ghosted over this last stretch, but I also hope they understand sometimes I’ve absolutely had to hide from the world
• Did I mention hiking and running? I signed up for a 100-mile ultra in 2016 just so I had the excuse to hit the trails whenever I wanted.
• Leaning into relationships. Yes, sometimes I go dark, but other times my friendships are what I need to get through
Perhaps I go a little overboard with the self-care. But those of you who have read Caged Eyes already know that I haven’t always been so great in this department. As I go through this process, I’m determined not to make those same mistakes. But eventually, I’ll have to find balance again. I’ll have to remove the cats from my lap, take off the onesies, clean myself up, and go be more productive in the world. But not today. And maybe not tomorrow either.
That is definitely a list I would like to copy, with the exception of the cats. I have a shih tzu named Sassy who is my napping partner. Congratulations on your memoir.
Lynn k Hall, you rock. We should all print out our own self care manifestos in large print and paste them as wallpaper above our desks. It’s the pure indulgence and shout out “I DESERVE this” tone every woman, every woman writer needs for herself to navigate this punishing business. I, for one, need a break from “I’m my own worst critic” and what better way to do it? Rewards. A regimen of rewards. Thank you!