SEAS: Stop Everything and Self-care

As a child of the 80s, the phrase “stop, drop, and roll” is indelibly imprinted on my psyche.  This PSA was drilled into us, whether by a smiling Dick Van Dyke on TV or a serious-faced fire marshal visiting our elementary classrooms. The message was clear: if you or your clothes were ever to catch on fire, your immediate task was to: “Stop, drop, and roll.”

As children, the instruction to immediately drop everything else and take action was peculiar (not to mention the harrowing idea that our clothes or our bodies actually could catch fire).  We were accustomed to being told that every household and classroom task had to be finished before beginning a new one.  First tie your shoes, then you can go play.  Eat your dinner before your dessert.  You can’t watch TV until you finish your homework.  We’d been raised on a sacrosanct list of “should’s” and “have to’s,” and “first and then’s,” and it seemed impossible that those initial tasks could be ignored or left incomplete.

But, no, as our teachers and parents would explain to us: this was an emergency.  All other activities were to cease until said clothes and body were fire-free.

I think of this PSA often when I’m working with stressed-out, wary clients or when I’m up to my ears in my own life turmoil.  I know my clients and I are on metaphorical fire because our bodies start sending us signals that we are.  Pain. Fatigue. Stress. Unhappiness. Stalled motivation.  

Kind friends, this is more than a signal; it’s an alarm. It’s an emergency. Your clothes and body are on fire. And there’s just one task you have—SEAS: Stop Everything and Self-care.

Your only job in this emergency is to tend to your body, heart, and spirit. That might mean taking a nap, dropping into a hot bath or shower, doing a five-minute deep-breathing exercise, calling an uplifting friend, or anything that’s going to give you the break that you need. These self-care moments and a deep, abiding pledge to take care of the body will help you later weather the storms and take actions when and where they’re needed. But only if you first and foremost respond to what your body is craving. The important point is this: it’s an emergency, and all other activity needs to cease.  

Yes, but . . . 

“The house needs cleaning.” 

“My in-laws are visiting.” 

“Work deadlines loom.”

“My kids need me more.”

“It’s really not that bad. I’ll be fine.”

I have muttered all of these “yeah, buts” and a litany of others. But, I’ve learned through my own personal work and the work of my brave clients, that those “can’ts,” “shouldn’ts,” and “ought nots” are simply thoughts.  They’re not truths.  Your body and soul are on fire, dear one.  It’s an emergency.  Stop Everything and Self-Care.