Self-Care Like Computers Do Maintenance

It seems that we are constantly being reminded to practice self-care. Eating nutritionally, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly are common messages that we have all heard repeatedly. But there is more to self-care than just these three things.

I remember a time when we were told that computers were going to save us paper, time and effort. These claims have not always been realized. I know that the amount of paper that I use has increased rather than decreased. Often I think that computers take more time and effort that if I had just done a job manually, especially if the system goes down or there are error messages when I am in the middle of it. And, over the years, I have had to take many hours of training just to learn how to use computer hardware and software.

As a result, there are times that I don't really respect the computer or recognize the fact that computers are like humans and even they need self-care.

Over the past few weeks, I have been annoyed by the fact that my computer frequently shuts down right in the middle of something that I was working on. Without warning the screen goes black and the tower shuts down. I have to wait for a few minutes and then reboot, which takes many minutes of lost time. This was occurring as many as five times a day.

Today I spoke with my older son who is a technology expert. He gave me insight on the parallels between my computer needs and my own life needs as follows:

1. Updates - Because the world is changing rapidly computer software needs to be upgraded regularly or it won't have cutting edge efficiency. Rob explained that my computer shuts down so that updates can occur. As people, we also need to be keep learning and updating our lives in order to be informed and function as proficiently as possible. Updating your mind with stimulation and knowledge is as important as updating your wardrobe or home.

2. Shut down - My computer cannot do too many things at once and therefore needs to shut down in order to focus on completing the necessary upgrades. We often think that it is wonderful if we can multi-task and do several things at once. What we forget about is that doing this might prevent us from being able to focus properly. We not only need to focus on activities to do well but also need to have time to relax!

3. Time - It can take hours for a computer to complete updating everything and when we try to cancel or interrupt the process, it will keep trying until it is allowed to do what needs to be done. It's the same with life. Things take time and often our expectations and impatience can negatively interrupt the process that needs to occur. Rather than pushing forward, take a step back and see how a little time can reveal new information and lead to resolution.

This week, think about how you can update your life, take breaks and give circumstances enough time to work things out.

Oh, and don't forget to respect your computer when it needs a little self-care.

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From Dr. Linda Hancock, Registered Psychologist and Registered Social Worker