Spring Self Care Refresh
Its spring time- Ladies, it's time to refresh our Self care. Some may not have a self care routine or others may have one but may need to revisit it. Here are some recommendations on how to have self care as a part of your regular routine.
What is Self care and why do you need it?
We all know what this phrase means but why do we need it. Insert all the adages about you can’t pour from an empty cup, put your oxygen mask on first before others, etc. and all apply in this section. Ladies, we already know we can handle it all- but why aren't we handling ourselves the way we take care of everyone and everything else? You need time to refresh and rejuvenate.
What do you like to do for self care?
Maybe its been a long time since you have done something just for yourself. Try this quick exercise to start thinking of a self care activity. Close your eyes and recall the last activity that you did where you were relaxed. Or think of the things you did as a child/early adult with no responsibilities in your free time. That is a good starting point to rediscovering your self care time now. I enjoy reading, listening to 90’s hip hop and r&B, fashion shows (Project Runway.The Cut, Etc.) Use the basics to branch off into other things. Do not overthink it.
How often do you do self care?
Taking 10 minutes a day for self care and on one day do something for an hour straight. This will allow for more time for an extended activity and also allow quick restarts or self care maintenance every day until the one hour day. Restarts are what I refer to when life is getting rough on a particular day, I stop and have a Restart moment. I step away from the situation and disconnect. I do deep breathing, read a scripture, remind myself that the day is not bad-just this moment and quickly strategize how to pivot to end the day well. Or in self care maintenance mode, this is just keeping you in the habit of taking care of you.
How do I make it happen?
Boundaries and set the atmosphere! Exclamation mark is intentional here because I said it with my chest-be firm in these two things😊 Choose a time that makes it easy for you to disconnect-it will make it easier for you to stay committed and consistent. I choose the morning time (5am) when everyone is sleeping and no one will be calling/emailing/texting nor sending a courier pigeon.
Please refer to my previous blog post for the benefits of waking up early.
https://www.nowrightway.com/new-blog/2021/3/1/3-reasons-why-you-need-to-wake-up-early
I set aside Sunday as my day to do self care for an hour because the whole day is dedicated to rest. It's mostly a family day where Hubby and I just enjoy time with the kids and each other. Even if you are not Christian, it is good to set aside a day of rest to relax and rejuvenate so you do not run yourself into the ground. But for starters let's focus on one hour on a particular day. For those who do not have a normal Monday thru Friday work schedule, use one of your off days.
Pick a place in your home that is calming. If you don't have a room to dedicate towards this, designate a specific spot with a cozy chair. Eliminate the time waster of where am I going to unwind and get sidetracked with finding a place to relax when you should actually be relaxing. Stage the area with the activities for self care time so that you do not also waste time searching for items during self care time.
Challenge:
Schedule your self care time- both the ten minute times and the one hour time. Honestly, if you dont schedule it, it won't happen. I have an alarm set in the morning which is my cue for self care time. Reminder: If you are unsure of what to do- nap, listen to music for an uninterrupted hour. Or take a bath- you can be less tempted to hop up from a bath to respond to anyone plus you can close the door. Set boundaries with hubby, kids,friends, jobs, pets,etc that you will not be bothered during this hour. Set the phone to do not disturb and relax.
Here’s a link to some self care items in case you need some ideas for getting in the mood: