Piper Nuelle

Self care is a hard one for me, I’m a creative person but I know that I also have OCD / Neurodivergent tendencies (Never been diagnosed but my kids have… And they have to get their specialness from someone right? Might as well be me...) But I really struggle with maintaining a self care routine for myself, and I quite often let myself burn out and then I tend to try and recuperate with some form of emergency self care to repair my burnt out body, mind and soul.

The ways in which I allow myself to burn out are:

• Let both ends of my candle burn – I am a clean freak, I hate germs and I despise a messy house. So, in my mind I must clean and tidy my house before I can do anything I like. This can sometimes lead to me not actually doing what I like until silly o’clock in the morning, then I end up going to bed ridiculously late and then trying to get up for the school run and work in the morning is just a no…no…
• Taking on too many responsibilities and not asking for help – Unfortunately my childhood and teenage years and actually well into my adult life I have not had many people to rely on. Because of how I am, friends would use me, and I would help them but I would get nothing in return. The moment I needed help they would abandon me. It’s a similar story with my family too. So, I therefore grew up relying mostly on myself, and I now find it so hard to ask for help, because when I’ve needed it before, no one has been there, so in my mind, why would people be there for me now?
• Not exercising my creativeness – If I don’t write for a few days it really narks me, to the point my mind starts having a meltdown and once I hit meltdown status, I burn out. I need to make sure I keep writing often.
• My illnesses – I have endometriosis and a brain disorder because of it. I have a continued Pulsating Tinnitus in my right ear that has been brought on by hormones and a forced menopause using the Zoladex injection and has caused a slight enlargement to one of my arteries in my brain. Which can cause brain fog, dizziness, pounding head pressure and more. Then with the endometriosis I suffer with: chronic fatigue, back pain, stomach cramps, heavy bleeding three weeks out of four every month, more brain fog, aching muscles and joints, depression, migraines and so much more. Take all this, trying to live a semi normal life, looking after kids, having a husband, cleaning the house, a job and I’m pretty much a walking, talking mess who is so frazzled and burnt out I’m sizzling.
• Plus I will do anything for my kids, including being their personal taxi and maid… Which I want to do because I love them, and I want to be there for them, because I didn’t have that for me.

So, when I do decide to do self care and I really must try to do it more often to prevent such… ‘Burn outs’, I usually try to do these things:

• Write – This is the one thing that keeps me sane, writing! Blogging, writing novels, poems, lists, anything and or everything. As long as I’m writing and exercising my creative personality, I feel calm, content and collected.
• Reading – I love to read and just sitting outside on a nice warm summers day is perfection for me. A glass of wine, a good book and good company with my husband and or kids is enough to keep me happy.
• Gaming – I don’t do it often but I should do it more. I love Gaming! Number one games inspire me to write, so I should do it more, but number two, they also relax me and take me off to another world that isn’t this one. I adore The Sims, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, Call of Duty and Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West.
• Light a Candle – Aroma’s and smells, they can be so relaxing can’t they? I do love a good scented candle to calm my nerves and ground my soul. Just not a Citronella one, I’m allergic to that! Nothing says burn out like puffy eyes and a rash.
• Listening to music – 21 Pilots, Florence and the Machine, Melanie Martinez, Sia, Game / Film soundtracks… Anything that can transport me to another place with sound.
• A face mask and pamper session – When I’m burnt out my skin suffers, a good face mask, serum and shower helps a lot.
• Going for days out with my family – This one I LOVE the most! A good day out away from the stresses of work and home, to just be with my family and enjoy their company. I love history and enjoy going to places of historical importance and learning and I love my kids to learn too.

These are the things I do for self care… Are they similar to yours or different? And what makes you burn out? Let me know.

Love ya… Xo Piper Xo