For You Who Are Balancing Childcare, Caregiving, and Work: A Guide to Self-Care That Unwinds the Heart

Childcare, caregiving, and work at the office.

Don't you find that as you juggle so many roles every day, you eventually lose touch with the voice of your own heart?

There are days when I, too, wish I could gently say to my past self, "You did a great job."

Today, I am sharing with all my heart a way to gently convey those "painful past experiences" to your present self.

1. Be close to "the you of that time"
Try to picture the you from back then as if they were a best friend or someone dear to you.

"You did a great job."

"It was really hard, wasn't it?"

I want you to gently say words like these in your heart.

The feeling of cherishing yourself completely will lead to healing your heart little by little.

2. View your experiences as "treasures"
The pain, the embarrassment—it has all become fuel for who you are today.

Let's gently accept that "failures and suffering are also treasures of life experience."

The feeling of blaming your past self might soften just a little.

3. Broaden your perspective and look from above
When we have painful memories, our perspective tends to narrow.

Try to "look at yourself from a broader perspective," as if watching over yourself from the sky, and tell both your past self and your present self, "It's okay, even your failures are treasures."

4. Try putting it into words
When you write things down in a diary or a letter, you might find that you can look at yourself objectively in a mysterious way.

"You did a great job."

"I love the me from that time, too."

Such words might naturally well up within you.

5. Find small "things you can do now"
With the intention of telling your past self that "the you of today is okay,"
try to find small moments of peace and joy in your daily life.

Accumulating those moments will heal the wounds of the past little by little.

No matter how hard you try, I think there are days when you feel, "I can't do this anymore..."

But I want you to accept every version of yourself completely and speak to yourself gently.

I feel that just doing that will raise the temperature of your heart ever so slightly.

If you are currently going through a very difficult time, you might not have the capacity for this.

However, if I dare say it, this is what I want to tell my past self.

I also waver day by day, but to live a life without regrets, I cherish my own feelings.

I would be happy if we could walk through such days together, gently.

Thank you very much for reading until the end.

If something resonated with you, please let me know with a like or a comment.

Follows are also very welcome.

May gentle light shine down on your every day.