We are all creatures
(Nimue)
Self care starts with the recognition of being a mammal. We aren’t machines. We cannot push forever, work tirelessly or pour from ourselves as though we are limitless resources. We are physical beings with soft bodies, limited and finite. There is only so much use and abuse a human body can bear. There is only so much time you can spend running on willpower.
Most of the people I know would not willingly work an animal to death. They would not demand that some other soft creature trudge on relentlessly no matter what. They would not deny a small being the basics of sleep, rest, food and comfort. And yet, so many of us do this to ourselves.
If you could see yourself in the same way you would see a cat, a dog, a child, or some other limited and fragile being, would you do differently?
Generally speaking, mammals left to their own devices do not do what so many modern humans feel obliged to do. Mammals do not normally work themselves into states of misery, illness and exhaustion.
The idea that we are separate from nature enables the idea that we can treat ourselves as something other than soft mammals. We are squishy things, and while we can be resilient in bursts, we cannot tough things out forever. We did not evolve to run endlessly with no respite.
If your soft mammal body is tired, be gentle with it. Speak kindly. Don’t ask that creature to push on without rest or comfort. If you have a hard time being kind to yourself, try to see yourself as the sort of animal you find endearing, and try to treat your physical being in the same kind way that you would respond to such a creature.
When we can see each other as creatures in this way, it may be easier to be kind to each other. Rather than expecting the impossible and demanding that other people work like machines for our benefit, perhaps we can see our shared creaturehood and with it our shared humanity. When we can accept our humanity as being a physical thing, needing of care and gentleness, perhaps we could collectively learn how to be kinder to the rest of the world as well.
