Self-care Sunday with Zuzanna

Self-care is such an important thing to remember, but if you’ve experienced any type of loss, it’s easy to forget about our own needs. We shift and refocus on other bits we consider ‘more important’.

On Sundays, I want to touch base on different ways we can look after ourselves during our darkest moments. It may not be easy at first, but some things we do unconsciously anyway, so I want to move towards intentional self-care.

In this weeks’ blog, I want to talk about what has helped me in the first weeks of losing my baby. And as simple as it is, it was going out for a walk every morning. 

I was signed off from work for a couple of weeks, and whilst I needed it, I found it impossible to stay still. I found myself being ‘on the go’ and not resting, so I made myself a promise of going for a walk every morning. Just me, a podcast or a book in my earphones, and nature. To help me go out, I made it a mission to be ready to leave at the same time my husband was going to work. I walked a repetitive 10k steps circle every morning, taking me around 1.5 hours. I always made sure to walk home through town: one - because there were bathrooms (postpartum joys) and two - because there was always some sort of market and I was able to spend some time looking at different stalls, occasionally treating myself to a slice of cake or a sourdough bread. 

Once I returned from my walk, I was able to get on with a couple of bits at home, but also, because I was tired from the walk, I was actually able to sit down for a brief moment with a hot cup of coffee. If I didn’t go for a walk, I would’ve pottered around the flat without any aim. 

I walked the same loop for 4 weeks. 

When I went back to work, I was initially on reduced hours, so I was able to continue my daily walk. It actually became part of my routine, which I was so happy about. But once I worked full time again, walking became more difficult, and reflecting back - I made the most of my time off, the walks were so beneficial to me. I still aim to go for a daily walk (though not as long as I’d like it to be).

So tell me… what was the first thing you did intentionally for yourself when you experienced your loss?

With love,

Zuzanna x