It takes what it takes

A few weeks ago I wrote about the luscious, feet-up summer I was having. The contrast between last month and this one couldn’t be more stark. Not only is it back-to-school for the kids, but back-to-school for me and a big mental transition out of a period of grieving for my father and my role as full-time case manager for my son with special needs.

Hear that grinding noise? That’s the sound of me switching gears rather ungracefully, from first to fifth and back again without completely depressing the clutch. As I work through the tasks of coordinating new childcare routines, figuring out how to be a student in the 21st century (there are no Trapper Keepers on this side of the millennium),  swapping summer clothes for fall, getting used to my husband being away for travel more often again — I am a hot mess. It is not pretty.

In the midst of all this busy-ness, I committed one of the cardinal sins of special needs parenting (and honestly, parenting in general…no, make that life in general): I decided I was too busy to take care of myself.

Self-care for me is the stuff that builds my capacity for this intense life, increases my strength, stretches me and makes me grow. It is not glamorous or even pampering; it is sometimes sweaty, sometimes painful, sometimes boring, often the last thing I want to do with my limited time and energy. It is more akin to the “wax on, wax off” training exercises that Mr. Miyagi had the Karate Kid do — motions that, when done often enough, become part of muscle memory, protective stances deeply rooted in habit and graceful in their economy of movement. Practices that bring me into my body and present moment and hopefully keep me there long enough to fix a couple of problems, give someone a hug and have a laugh.

It started out that I told myself that I didn’t have time to go running because I was too busy catching up on a summer’s worth of email. Then, I couldn’t go to yoga because I was too busy getting ready for school. I couldn’t plan or cook healthy meals because…you guessed it, I was too busy. Eventually, it wasn’t just that I was too busy, but I was too tired, too.

An occasional skipped workout — what’s the big deal, right? Isn’t all of this focus on self-care really just self-indulgence? Maybe for some, but for me, not taking care of myself quickly spirals into unpleasantness towards for the people I care most about, my husband and kids and my mother: I become critical and I raise my voice. I hold others responsible for my emotions. (“Don’t make me angry…you don’t want to see the Hulk when he’s angry.” That kind of thing. Real nice.) I overextend myself, get overwhelmed and anxious, which I strangely compound by trying to distract myself from by going on-line and taking in even more mindless information. I also tend to not pay attention to details and make mistakes which cost me more time and energy.

When looking at the costs of not taking care of myself, I see that self-care is not self-indulgent. It is a responsibility. For the sake of my family, my friends and my community, I can’t afford not to.

What is sort of confounding to me is just what a huge amount of self-care I, a bundle of anxieties and distractions, require. No two people require the same amount, but when I look at the list of just the basic self-care maintenance activities that are needed, it’s almost absurd:

• Physical: run twice a week, yoga class twice a week, some form of activity (walking or biking instead of driving) on other days; plan and prepare healthy meals
• Mental and spiritual: attend weekly talks at my local insight meditation center and meditate daily at home for 30 minutes; make some art once a month; step away from my phone and computer every day
• Emotional: connect with my husband and kids every day; go to therapy every other week; blog once a week; sketch or write in my journal as needed; get together with a friend (without kids) once every other week; read books and blogs by and about special needs parents

I get up at 5am to meditate and journal. I go out after the kids go to bed for yoga and to see friends. I squeeze in the runs when I can; I’m no longer ashamed to show up to school pick up drenched in sweat. I leave early for my meetings so I can bike. At times it seems so unfair that in addition to IEP meetings, doctors’ appointments, therapies at home and everything else, that what this life requires of me is a tremendous amount of time and energy simply on maintaining my sanity.

But this morning, as I headed over to the yoga place around the corner, despite the fact that I have a million other things to do, I remembered there’s a brilliant saying from AA (Alcoholics Anonymous): “It takes what it takes.”

It takes what it takes. As in, yes, to get sober sometimes you do need to check yourself into a hospital, move, get a new job, leave your spouse, get new friends, go to a meeting every single day for the rest of your life.  Some people need more than that. Some will need less. How much does it take to get sober? It takes what it takes.

How much does it take for me to live without be angry, stiff, whiny and overwhelmed? Apparently a fair amount. It takes what it takes. For all of us. Even for me.

Anyone out there care to share what it takes for them? Can you share what you’ve done to make time for self-care, especially when you’re busy? I could really use some inspiration!