Buffered


Basic self-care won’t fix chronic health issues, physical or psychological. Sunlight won’t fix your depression. Exercise won’t fix your chronic fatigue. Diet won’t fix a broken arm. But that’s no reason to neglect them. You still need all of those, if only to make it all hurt a bit less.

You wouldn’t expect your car to run well without regular oil changes or to run without any gas in the tank. The same goes for your body and mind. Neglect fitness, mindfulness, sleep, or the like and you can expect the chronic symptoms to manifest sooner, hit harder, and last longer. Of course that doesn’t make covering the basics any easier: You can’t drive a car to the gas station when the tank is already empty. You’ll need a tow.

Reach out for help. Accept it when it’s offered. At the very least, you can help others feel better by letting them help you. There’s a good chance that someone close you to is desperate to see you suffer less. Your future self will thank you, too.