Hello darling,
I used to think that self-care exclusively meant taking bubble baths and putting on face masks while wearing fuzzy pink robes.
Now I know that that is simply not true.
Self-care is as diverse and multi-faceted as we are. Each person has unique ways in which to take care of their precious self.
Perhaps more importantly though, I have come to realize that self-care looks differently for the same person on different days.
Some days it looks like a bubble bath.
Some days it looks like a hard-core workout.
Some days it looks like calling in sick to work when you aren’t actually sick, but you really just need to burrow under your covers and read and sleep and drink hot cocoa by yourself, curled up in an approximation of a caterpillar that has just been poked with a stick. Sometimes it feels like the world is poking you with a stick; this is simply the best remedy.
Some days, self-care is making fresh green juice and some days it is eating the slice of decadent chocolate cake.
The act of self-care is really an amalgamation of many tiny acts, performed on each day in accordance with how you are feeling. Taking care of yourself is about constant self-assessment and re-assessment. Tapping into your true emotions at this present moment is the path to taking care of your beautiful self.
All that being said, here is a short list of some of my favorite ways to practice self-care:
· Lay in bed and flip through a magazine that inspires you!
· Sit in a coffee shop and day-dream for an hour or two. Bring a journal if you like. Writing helps connect you to how you are actually feeling.
· Try a short, gentle yoga practice (this is a good, easy for the soul, place to start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpW33Celubg).
· Cook yourself the healthiest, yummiest meal you can imagine. Use the good dishes.
· Light a delicious candle, cozy up in your favorite chair with a fuzzy blanket, and re-read/re-watch your favorite happy story.
· Break out the chocolate chips and bake yourself some cookies—definitely indulge in some cookie dough (this is completely safe if your cookies don’t contain eggs)!
· Take a nap. Napping is not a waste of time. Period. You need sleep, love!
· Buy a plant and start taking care of it. Sometimes taking care of yourself means helping others. Start small. (I have a whole post about plant parenthood here:
· Drink water out of your prettiest cup.
· Tap into your childhood sense of creativity! Draw a picture, color in a workbook, print out some pictures and make a handmade card for someone you love, or finger-paint.
· Drink a green juice or green smoothie (my favorite smoothie recipe is on the blog! http://thegirlbecoming.blogspot.com/2018/07/green-goddess-smoothie.html).
· Go for a bike ride through a park or by a body of water.
· Sleep in. When you finally wake up, drink some water, have a snack, and go back to bed.
· Read an inspiring book (my list of top self-empowerment books for women is here: http://thegirlbecoming.blogspot.com/2018/07/top-5-self-empowerment-books-for-women.html).
· Go all out with the girly traditional self-care: slap on a face mask, paint your nails, take a bubble bath.
· Meditate…or visualize…or plan out your dream life.
· Buy a bouquet of fresh flowers for yourself (The Art of Buying Yourself Flowers: http://thegirlbecoming.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-art-of-buying-yourself-flowers-stop.html).
· Put on your prettiest dress (or your favorite piece of clothing) and take yourself somewhere nice. Even if it is just to go buy a fancy coffee or a pastry.
· Force yourself outside and go for a walk. Breathe deeply. Just be. One of my favorite aphorisms is “We are human beings, not human doings.” Just be.
If you find yourself looking for more inspiration of yummy things to do for yourself, I have a list of 40 ways to boost your mood: http://thegirlbecoming.blogspot.com/2018/07/40-ways-to-lift-your-mood.html
My dear, you need to be compassionate with yourself and really give yourself the love and attention that you both need and are worthy of.
Please don’t ever feel that self-care is selfish.
Self-care is
necessary
and
deserved.
You are loved. Love yourself.
Love,
Lola
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