There’s a debate raging out there about Girl Scout cookies. Do we love them because they are in limited supply, because we can only get them at a certain time of the year? Or do we love them because they are actually really good?
I’m convinced that I love them because they are delicious. Tagalongs and Thin Mints are the only non-homemade cookies I really care to eat (take that Oreos), and I really, really enjoy them.
When I eat a Tagalong, I enjoy it for the two minutes it takes me to eat it, and maybe for a few minutes after. Granted, it’s a very good few minutes. But the reward of eating it is short-lived. To enjoy that experience again, I need to eat another cookie. And there seems to be a law of diminishing returns, at least in one sitting. No cookie is as good as the first bite of the first cookie.
There are some forms of self-care and self-nurturing that are pretty immediate in their impact. Like that first bite of a Tagalong, you immediately feel soothed. A lot of times these are things that connect us to our physical selves and engage our senses. Hugs, warm blankets, hot cups of tea or coffee, a bath or shower, listening to music, and lighting a candle are all small acts of care and nurturing that can have a quick, clear benefit.
There are other forms of self-care that are not as immediate and fast-acting. Things like meditation, journaling, exercise, yoga, prayer, sleeping, serving our community, spending quality time with friends and family, and creative practices are all things we know are good for us and healthful for our spiritual, physical, and emotional selves. But these things don’t always feel good or easy.
Not everyone feels a runner’s high. There are people who exercise and finish only to feel tired. Sometimes meditation feels frustrating and difficult. We know that having meaningful relationships is one of the biggest predictors of a long, healthy life, but sometimes relationships are a lot of work. It’s easier to find something entertaining to watch on Netflix than to go to bed early.
These things are often challenging and require discipline, and you might not see immediate results. For example, I frequently hear people say that they tried meditating, but they weren’t good at it and “it didn’t work anyway.”
One of the cool things about meditation is that it does have an immediate benefit to your physical health. One of the hard things is that you can’t necessarily see this benefit with your eyes, or even feel it in your body. You would need a doctor right there checking your vitals and giving you a full physical to see how the meditation is helping. But if you practice meditation regularly, the mental and physical health benefits are astounding.
Regular exercise has been shown to be incredibly helpful in managing mood and anxiety. But the key word is regular. Exercising once can feel good and have a small benefit to our health; but we may not notice the benefits until we make exercising a regular part of our life.
Many of these forms of self-care must be repeated over and over again. And when they become part of our daily lives, part of the fabric of our days, then they raise our baseline. They make stress less stressful. They make disruptions less disruptive.
And the good news is that these slower-acting forms of self-care are also longer-lasting. Choosing to consistently prioritize good sleep can make you feel better overall. Exercising can raise your mood and increase your energy. These types of self-care have a much longer impact than a Tagalong.
Just because you don’t see an immediate result does not mean the practice isn’t working. Keep at it. Each day you build into your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. We need the fast and immediate forms of self-care and we need the slow and long-lasting forms.