How to Take Care of Yourself When You’re Dirt Poor
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When we moved across state lines again, we were told the house we bought would rent in the next ten days. I know how stupid it sounds to have believed that.
This was in August, and it is NOVEMBER and we still don't have anyone in our house yet. Our budget is dying a miserable death.
We are now paying a mortgage in one state, and living in another state with another mortgage.
This is military life.
This is why self-care is so important.
I know military families don't have a monopoly on financial hardships. There are reasons why anyone can be having a hard time and needing to stick to a budget.
I get it.
You won't find judgment here. Pain is pain, no matter who you are.
Self-care is usually the first thing to get neglected.
“I'm fine, just pay the bills”
And we suffer. Then everyone suffers because you can't fill anyone's cup when yours is empty.
Self-care doesn't have to be costly. But how? Here are a few things to try:
Meditate
Meditation is so great for your budget, right? It takes some time but costs nothing.
Sit.
Focus on your breathing.
Be aware of yourself and your presence.
Imagine your negative thoughts and feelings being carried away from your being as you exhale.
Picture yourself free and thinking clearly.
Visualize your successes in your day and be ready for your day's challenges.
Shower
It is so normal to forgo taking a shower when you're not feeling mentally your best. Moms are notorious for skipping showers to make sure everyone around them is taken care of first.
Taking a shower will help trigger your impulse to take care of yourself. You are worth it.
You'll feel like a million bucks after a nice hot shower by yourself.
Read Something Fun
When was the last time you read something for fun instead of operating instructions?
George R. R. Martin
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads only lives one.”
Reading and using your mind to create rich worlds will help your stress level goes down.
Pick something that excites you and holds your attention, that way you won't get bored. I never thought I would love reading in my adulthood because Harry Potter had such a lasting impact on me. How can anything compare?
Once I began reading again, I haven't been able to stop. I use Scribd to get all the audiobooks and ebooks. Scribd has a huge selection of books and audiobooks, and it's great if your library doesn't have much.
We recently moved to a new area and the library doesn't have much of an online library, which is difficult for me.
Scribd has been great because now it doesn't matter what my library has, because Scribd has everything I want. Click here to start your trial at Scribd, and then tell me if you love it too!
I've listened to 3 books this month while I was doing housework or waiting in the pickup line at school.
Dance
Start practicing now.
Someday those little children are going to be teenagers and totally embarrassed by everything you do.
Dancing is great for you, also. It helps your coordination in ways that nothing else you do will. Your back will love you for it too, as long as you don't go too crazy.
Learning how to dance is fun too. It can be challenging but also very rewarding. I love finding new work out dance videos on YouTube.
The Fitness Marshall is my favorite of all. He has new videos often, and they're fun songs I want to dance to anyway.
This one is Pilates through this lovely channel, called “The Balanced Life”. I find her workouts to be just enough difficult to be a good workout but not overwhelming. She also has a nice 15-day challenge every few months. I linked you to her free 30-day challenge.
What are your favorite ways to take of yourself when you're dirt poor? Tell me below!
Selfcare does not equal selfishness. That is hard for us to remember.
My dad did an amazing visual with me when I was burning out at the start of high school. He got a measuring cup with water and all the billion meaurinf caps feom medicines. He had me label each little cup as something that was taking me energy. He then showed me how we each have a finite amount of energy (big cup of water) and poured it into the little cups. Being the teen I was, no little cup was labeled with life necessities. He then asked me how I planned to have enough energy to do anything else. We talked about activities that refill ypur energy and happiness (those little cups pour some water back into the bigger you) and those that drain you completely (those cups we drank little shots of water). It helped show me how important it is to do activities that refill you so you can keep going in life.
Meditation and dance are my favorite suggestions here. Thank you for the reminder to take care of myself no matter what!!
Self-care is so important for everyone. When you're stressed, it's so easy to let it fall by the wayside. These are great suggestions for ways to ensure you still make time for it.