A gentle reflection on retiring, healing and moving from performing to being—finding rest, creativity and courage in a season of letting go. At the Start of 2025: Building Momentum A year ago, at the start of 2025, everything felt possible. I had just launched Adelaide Document Processing, a little home-based typing service, five months earlier and upon returning to work in January after the Christmas holidays, I welcomed my first th ree clients. I was approaching twelve months of volunteering in Spiritual Care at a local residential care facility, attending my late Mum’s Uniting Church congregation and enjoying the rhythm of activities with the Wise Owls over-fi fties community of Nazareth Catholic College. It felt like I was finally building something steady. When Momentum Unravelled: Letting Go of Performing After Easter something shifted. I crashed—emotionally, physically, spiritually—and...
Self-care isn’t always scented candles and spa vouchers. Sometimes, it’s saying no. Sometimes, it’s sitting with silence.
What Self-Care Isn’t:
- It’s not a reward for burnout
- It’s not a luxury item
- It’s not something to earn
When I hear the phrase “self-care,” I often think of how it’s portrayed in advertising—spa days, scented candles and expensive retreats. That version of self-care never felt quite right to me. It seemed more like a reward for burnout than a sustainable way of living.
What Self-Care Is:
Over the past 10 years, I’ve come to understand self-care differently. For me, it’s not something I schedule once a month or purchase as a luxury. It’s something I practice daily, quietly and intentionally. It’s built into how I move through the day, how I make decisions and how I relate to my body and my environment.
- Self-care is saying no to things that don’t align with my values.
- It’s choosing simplicity over clutter—both physical and emotional.
- It’s adapting my movement and my routines to support my arthritic feet and ankles, rather than pushing through discomfort.
- It’s letting go of metrics, urgency and the pressure to explain myself.
- It’s tending my orchid with care, not because it’s a hobby, but because it reminds me to slow down and pay attention.
- It’s marking small wins with quiet celebration.
Simple Acts of Self-Companionship:
I don’t chase productivity anymore. I don’t measure my worth by how much I get done. I focus on presence, clarity and consistency. I’ve learned that self-care can be as simple as a quiet morning, a well-organised desktop or a moment of stillness before I begin writing.
This blog is part of that practice. It’s not here to sell anything or prove anything. It’s a space where I companion myself and others through reflection, renewal and intentional living.
A Quiet Invitation to Reflect:
What if self-care was simply the way we companion ourselves through the day?
If you’ve ever felt that self-care was out of reach or reserved for special occasions, I invite you to reconsider. It might already be present in your life—in the way you make your tea, the boundaries you hold or the quiet choices you make each day.
What does self-care look like in your life—beyond the spa day? I’d love to hear.
Go gently,
Denise Marron 🩷
Denise Marron 🩷
🌿 10 Years of Simple Living
🤔 Learn More About Denise
Living simply, writing gently,
companioning with care.🌸
companioning with care.🌸
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