Beginning ~ with our chores

Beginning lines

What are care tasks and why are they so hard for people?  Our care tasks are the "chores" of life:  cooking, cleaning, laundry, feeding, dishes, and hygiene.  These may seem like simple or noncomplex tasks to most.  When you actually break down the amount of time, energy, skill, planning, and maintenance that go into our care tasks, we begin to see that they are not always simple.

How to Keep House While Drowning: 31 Days of Compassionate Help ~ by KC Davis, 2020, self-help

Why is it so hard for me to stay on top of my housework?  This book will introduce you to six life-changing principles that will revolutionize the way you approach home care — without endless to-do lists.  Presented in 31 daily thoughts, this compassionate guide will help you begin to get free of the shame and anxiety you feel over home care.  You will learn:

• How to shift your perspective of care tasks from moral to functional.
• How to stop negative self-talk and shame around care tasks.
• How to give yourself permission to rest, even when things aren’t finished.
• How to motivate yourself to care for your space.

KC Davis, licensed professional counselor and mother of two, says:  "I birthed my second baby in a new city right as the world shut down from COVID-19.  Without access to a support network for months on end, I used every tool in my therapy training arsenal and created a self-compassionate way to address my stress, depression, and ever-mounting laundry pile.  After sharing this unique approach on social media, I gained hundreds of thousands followers within a few months.  I realized the shame over not being able to keep up with housework is universal, and that’s why I wrote this book."

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.