Day 14 - Rachel

What space will you make for yourself for self-care in the new year?

Hmm.. I'm not great at self-care.
I'm great at getting obsessive and working all day and night.
Even with cosplay, which is the thing I set aside for myself, I tend to do it obsessively too, so both Miriam and Bob can attest that I pushed myself into tears and breakdowns during con-crunch season last year.
I don't know how to do anything else.
Which makes this the hardest question of all for me.  Let's see.
I promise to continue to make time for my son whenever he asks, which means the world to me because he asks less and less as he gets older and he's going to be a sophomore, so I have so little time left with him. We have been watching Glee together, which has been great, but we are in the 5th season and the Finn episode is next (if you don't know what I'm talking about, then I'm not spoiling it), so I'm not so sure how much he'll trust me to choose shows for us in the future.
I promise to actively make time for my husband, who won't ask, because he's really bad about making sure I have everything I need and thinking his needs are third in the household.
I promise to maybe sometimes play video games. I really miss them. But I feel like I'm not achieving anything when I'm playing them, which makes me nervous, so I end up playing for a day, and then working extra hard for three days to make up for it.
I promise to take care of myself, medically. This seems obvious, but I tend to put off medical things because "I'm busy" and I can get pretty bad before I actually take time to see a doctor or remember to finally get medicine that I need to stay on (see Day 13). 
I promise to try to keep cosplay fun for myself and avoid more con crunches. They really are overwhelming and I shouldn't take something I love and make it stressful. 
I promise to shut off social media when it gets overwhelming. I already do this one. When I disappear from facebook and twitter, that's because I've got plenty going on elsewhere and adding to my socialness is just something I'm not able to do and stay healthy anymore.
I promise to take on no new leadership positions for one year. I can't promise more than a year at a time, but I really am at my limit. I am the ACL Treasurer, GJCL Treasurer (until April!), and GCA vice-president, plus all the things that I do with Miriam and Bob on this site and Pomegranate Beginnings. And of course full-time teaching. And presenting. So adding more to that for now is a bad idea.

Okay, that seems like some things. Seven of them in fact. Look, it can be hard. I've mentioned before that teaching is a career that is rooted in service and passion, and it is. That makes it hard to put down, and it makes it easier to develop guilty feelings when you do put it down. I get that. I'm trying to be healthier, though, and I hope you all are too.