It is the peak of summer, both in terms of heat and travel and just overall juggling, so I am going to keep it short, sweet and light, but hopefully helpful.
Alright. Here we go.
There are times when I learn as much from my clients as they learn from me.
(Let's be real: a LOT of times. What can I say, you guys are brilliant.)
Facts.
This happened to me a few months ago, when a lovely client of mine introduced me to a concept that blew my mind.
Are you ready for this?
(I wasn't.)
“The Everything Shower”
My hero: Andy Cohen.
What, you may be asking yourself, is “The Everything Shower”?
Well, let me tell you, as she told me.
It is a shower, yes, but not a normal shower.
Not a rushed shower.
Not a get it over with Monday morning shower.
Not a “Did I do my conditioner yet- I can't remember because I am so mentally in my to-do list for the day that I wasn't even paying attention so screw it I will do it again just in case” kind of shower.
Please, tell me I am not the only one.
No.
The Everything Shower is different.
As the name implies, you do everything in this shower.
You shampoo (maybe even twice), you deep condition (perhaps with one of those hair masks things they want you to do once a week but no one ever does), you body wash (loofah and all people!).
But we aren't done yet.
No, sir. We are not.
You are going to shave your legs/face/armpits/whatever.
You are going to exfoliate with the stuff in that rose smelling jar someone gave you for your birthday 6 years ago that you haven't had the time to use.
You are going to pull out that pumice stone (I mean, what even is a pumice stone?!) and get all that dead skin off the heels of your feet.
Whatever the most luxurious, drawn out, 9 step version of a shower is for YOU: that is The Everything Shower.
Ahhhh.
What feels revolutionary about The Everything Shower
is the accessibility.
No matter how busy we are, we can find time for The Everything Shower.
You don't have to buy anything.
You don't have to go anywhere.
And you can do it with less than 30 minutes.
The Everything Shower is important because it is a doable tool in your toolkit to help you take care of you. Which is really, really important, especially if you want to turn around and support someone else, be it your child or your clients.
In fact, I was so often talking to parents and providers about Refueling, that I made REFUEL the entire Step 4 of The Response Roadmap curriculum.
(Note: I say REFUEL and not "self-care" because when you say “self-care” everyone tunes out and stops listening to whatever you are saying even if I was saying, “Self-care and here are the winning lotto numbers!” because everyone hates the term “self-care” because it implies getting a massage…on the beach…in the Maldives. It feels extra, and who has time for extra? Refueling, on the other hand, is non-negotiable and necessary to keep going. You can't Parent on an empty tank people. Refuel. Rant over.)
And what I love about The Everything Shower is that it is something you can do, if not today, probably this week.
