At some point, all of us will have experiences that require us to focus our attention on ourselves in an intense way. For example, an advanced cancer diagnosis, an accident, or shocking news may require you to go into extreme self-care. This is the kind of self-care I've been practicing for the last several weeks, and why there was a gap between Episode #49 and #50. I'm so glad to be back!

Biggest Takeaways From Episode #50:

• At certain points in our lives, each of us needs to go into what Vicki calls "emotional ICU." This, she explains, is why there has been a gap between the last episode and this one — she has been in her own emotional ICU.
• If you tend to put others ahead of yourself and give too much, you might struggle with practicing extreme self-care when you need to.
• Here are some ideas for extreme self-care: delegate daily tasks that you usually do yourself (like cooking), temporarily neglect things that simply aren't that important, set up an auto reply for your email, or take a step back from your online presence.
• When you want to support and help others, you need to be coming from a place of fullness and abundance. The world needs you to take care of yourself so that you can give back to the world.

Highlights from Episode #50:

• Welcome back to the Beyond Bitchy Podcast! Vicki acknowledges the gap between the last episode and this one. [00:39]
• Vicki digs deeper into why she has been absent, and relates her explanation to previous points about boundaries. [02:51]
• Let's talk about extreme self-care, with examples of what it looks like. [07:54]
• Why should we embrace the fact that it's okay to practice extreme self-care? [11:23]
• Vicki shares something she has learned over the past few months: how hard it is to ask for help when you need it. [14:37]
• We hear some specific examples of extreme self-care. [19:01]
• Vicki loves drinking a variety of teas from all over the world, and talks about how she used the experience of having a cup of tea as a form of self-nurturing during her recent emotional ICU period. [24:20]
• We learn about how extreme self-care relates to boundaries. [26:09]
• Vicki gives listeners a homework assignment related to self-care. [29:14]

Links and Resources:

• Vicki Tidwell Palmer
• Moving Beyond Betrayal by Vicki Tidwell Palmer
• 5-Step Boundary Solution Clarifier
• Beyond Bitchy Podcast | Episode 23: TMI, and Other Problems When Sharing Personal Information