Take Care of Yourself (Yes, Really)

Julie Bolejack

23 Dec 2025 — 2 min read

Some days don’t need commentary, lessons, or perspective.

They need one honest sentence:

Take care of yourself.

Not in the bubble-bath, inspirational-poster sense. In the practical, adult, this-is-a-lot sense.

We’re living in a moment where everyone seems to be drafted into constant reaction. There’s always something new to be outraged by, frightened by, or required to have an opinion on immediately. The pace alone is enough to wear a person down. Add real life — work, family, bodies that ache, worries that don’t resolve neatly — and it’s no wonder so many people feel brittle.

So if you’re tired, distracted, irritable, numb, or just quietly done for the day, that’s not a failure of character. It’s information.

And here’s the harder truth: carrying around a permanent sense of “enemy” doesn’t help. It doesn’t sharpen thinking. It doesn’t improve judgment. Mostly, it just keeps the nervous system on edge, running hot, burning fuel you can’t easily replace.

This isn’t about excusing harm or pretending conflict doesn’t exist. It’s about recognizing that you don’t actually have to internalize every battle you’re presented with. You can disagree without consuming yourself. You can stay informed without staying inflamed.

You’re allowed to step back.

You’re allowed to not engage today.

You’re allowed to close the app, skip the argument, and choose quiet.

You’re allowed to care selectively.

Taking care of yourself might look like doing less, not more. Eating something simple. Going to bed earlier than planned. Saying “not tonight” without a justification speech. Letting one unanswered message wait. Choosing a walk, a book, or silence over another round of commentary.

This isn’t disengagement from the world. It’s maintenance.

Because worn-down people don’t make good decisions. Exhausted minds aren’t especially wise. And no one benefits when you run yourself into the ground trying to be endlessly available to everything and everyone.

So this is your reminder — not dramatic, not poetic, just practical:

Pause when you can.

Lower the volume.

Protect what steadies you.

Take care of yourself.

It’s not selfish. It’s necessary.

Julie Bolejack, MBA

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