As I have been thinking about how I want to feel this year, this question keeps coming up for me: How can I show up for myself, the way I show up for my job?
If you’re like me, you know how to grind, work late, take a shorter lunch break to get sh*t done. You know how it is. But I gotta tell you, I’m done with that. I need to direct some of that energy towards myself and my well-being. So this week we’re going to talk about self-care, why you need it, and tips for starting a self-care Sunday ritual.
Self-care is simply taking time to look after yourself on purpose.
This includes taking care of your mental, emotional, and physical self. For me, self-care is how I align with my truest self.
I recently watched an interview where Oprah was asked about the importance of taking care of yourself. Oprah replied as you would expect, dropping truth nuggets that we all need to hear. She said,
“The truth is you don’t have anything to give that you don’t have, so you have to keep your own self full. That’s your job.”
It gave me chills because I had forgotten that , my real job is to keep myself full.
This goes against what we’ve been taught. We work so hard to get and maintain jobs (aka paychecks) that we forget our most important job.
I know this is why we burn out. We are literally driving around with an empty fuel tank.
Shout out to Oprah for the reminder that self-care is not indulgent, it is necessary. As an added bonus, practicing self-care will help you show up at your best when serving others.
How we choose to fill ourselves up will be different for everyone, but I think a good place to start is relaxation. If I may go back to my driving analogy, what do you do when you are low on gas? You pull into a rest stop.
See what I did there;-)
My favorite way to relax and refill is to take a soothing warm bath. I started doing a self-care Sunday during the first lockdown and now I can’t imagine my weekend without it.
Although I’m calling it Self-care Sunday, I’ve done this bath ritual on Fridays and Saturdays too. The important thing is that you make a date with yourself and make sure everyone in your home knows that you are not to be disturbed.
It’s still a bit cold in the UK, so I start by turning on the heated towel rack. I honestly had never used it before, but let me tell you, wrapping yourself in a warm towel after your bath feels divine.
Whilst I run the bath water to fill the tub, I gather my bath time goodies: bath salts or bath gel (sometimes both), a hair treatment mask, candle, my journal, and possibly my phone if I want to listen to music or a podcast. I’m currently loving Neal’s Yard’s Seaweed and Arnica foaming bath gel. It smells so good and creates just the perfect amount of bubbles.
I set out what I will need afterwards: moisturizer for my face and body, hair products, and a cosy outfit. I then apply a hair treatment before stepping into the tub. I figure why not show my hair a bit of love too.
I soak in the tub for 20-30 minutes or however long my body tells me to stay.
I find that it can also be a great idea to do something for yourself before or after your bath. Movement would be a nice addition as you can then soothe your muscles in the tub. My sister and I currently meet up on Sundays via zoom to do pilates or yoga then I prepare my bath.
Or you can prep a delicious healthy meal then enjoy it after your bath with a glass of wine (if that’s your thing).
Please know that these are only suggestions, creating your own Self Care Sunday should not feel like a chore. In the beginning, keep it as simple as possible. Over time you’ll know what, if anything, needs to be added to help you relax and tune into yourself.
I would love to know how you practice self-care. Do you create a weekend ritual or do you find ways to sprinkle self-care throughout the week?
Remember, you can’t give if you’re running on empty. As Oprah said, “you have to keep your own self full. That’s your job.” Through self-care we align with the fullest expression of ourselves.
Peace,
Grace
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