Guys, I am so so happy it is the weekend! You have no idea! After a busy weekend last weekend (full of fun!) and a fairly long week, I am ready for a weekend full of sweet nothings, lots of coffee, and all things barefoot dreams! Whose with me?
Speaking of relaxing, today I thought I would share my top go-tos for when I am needing a little self care. I am definitely one who needs a little pampering (slightly high-maintenance) and so when I am run down, I pull out all of my favorite self-care hacks for getting me back to my golden, shining self. To be honest, I think self-care is actually pretty underrated. Society expects us as women to be all and do all for everyone else, but I am going to tell you something that you may have heard before, but is something 100% engrained in me from nursing: You can’t take care of others, if you don’t take care of yourself.
You are no good to anyone, if you are tired, grumpy, hungry, sad, and down. Bottom line. You have got to make time for ways to re-energize yourself that work in your life and ladies, here is the most important thing, it doesn’t need to be complicated. I am not telling you to take a weekend away by yourself at some five star resort (although that does sound pretty good…do that if you can…haha). I am saying, incorporate a few ways that you get that time to re-charge. The key is figuring out what you need.
Today, I will share a few ways that work for me. Now, these are not all of my tactics, but these are definitely my favorites that are inexpensive and super simple to incorporate in to everyday routines.
- A bath – Now, for my mommas out there, this is a luxury, I know. But this a luxury that especially for my mommas will make the world of difference. Buy a magazine at the grocery store (I don’t care that it is $6, you are worth that $6), put it on the calendar if you need to, and go soak in the tub. Put in some headphones to drown out any noise, perhaps put some essential oils or epsom salt in there (oh, maybe a bath bomb from Lush?!?), and relax. No phone. No interruptions.
- A walk – sometimes when I am super tired or feeling down, I take a walk. Sometimes John will come with me, and sometimes I just take it by myself. It feels so refreshing to be outside, no matter the weather and I just breathe and observe. Typically, I will walk to one of my favorite coffee shops, but just the act of being outside helps me to clear my head, and the movement helps encourages my digestive system, lymphatic system, it raises my heart rate (only slightly) to increase good flow, and the fresh air increases endorphins. It is super simple and works wonders.
- Reading – for me, getting lost in a good book with a big cup of coffee makes me feel so accomplished an relaxed. I am able to forget my worries and get lost in the story line which is extremely freeing. Sometimes, all I need, is to get out of my own head and reading allows me to do this fully. Not to mention, it teaches me and works my mind making me feel good afterwards.
- Journaling – I now journal EVERY SINGLE MORNING. The goal is to free flow three pages, but I typically do what works for me that day. Some days I only write one, other days I need five. No matter what though, I journal. I literally just put everything down I am thinking about and this had worked wonders for my stress, anxiety, goal setting, focus, etc. I am able to get so clear on the problems I am faced with and many times realize they aren’t that big of a problem in the first place. I call this my morning pages, which you may have heard of from the book The Artist’s Way.
- Spending time with your favorite people – The last thing that works wonders for me is having an evening out or a morning coffee with some of my favorite people. When I am with these people I can be myself, I laugh a ton, and we talk about anything and everything. Maybe you talk about what’s going on in your life or maybe you get lost in what is going on in their lives, or maybe you get lost in memories…whatever it may be, spending time with friends or a significant other and just connecting (grab dinner, a glass of wine, or a cup of coffee).
I hope these simple self care tips help you find rejuvenation in simple, affordable, and easy ways. Sometimes life gets the best of us, but through these steps I have been able to manage all of many things on my plate. I would love to hear about any of your easy self care tips! Comment them below!
A few other easy things to implement:
- Aromatherapy (roll ons or diffusing essential oils, or sprays)
- Listen to a motivating podcast
- Meditation
- Light your favorite candles
- Wipe a Saturday morning clean of all to-dos and stay in your pjs until 2pm
- Read a magazine
- Yoga
- Get up 15 minutes earlier and take your time to get ready
- Spend 10 minutes just sitting and enjoying your morning cup of coffee
- Scroll pinterest and look up “funny animals”
- Make a super thorough to do list of all the things on your mind
- Pray
Warmly,
Melissa
