Happy New Year friends!
Whether you set New Years resolutions, goals, or an annual focus, I’m pretty sure one thing we can all agree on that we need to be mindful of in the new year is taking better care of ourselves. All too often I hear women say there’s just not enough time in the day to get all the things done that they need to, and that includes self-care. Trust me, I’m guilty of it too! We go to work, clean the house, shuttle the family around, buy groceries, make appointments, and the list goes on and on. But let’s face it, we can’t do any of those things if we’re not doing well ourselves!
Take me as an example. This fall/winter, I neglected to take any time for myself and wouldn’t you know, I got a cold. However, I didn’t stop when I got sick to take the time I needed to get well, instead, I kept pushing through. Days of being sick turned into weeks and it just kept getting worse. Eventually, I ended up getting a severe case of bronchitis which rendered me completely useless. I couldn’t breathe well, couldn’t walk up stairs without getting completely out of breath, grocery shopping was nearly impossible, basically, staying in bed was my only option. Even after visiting the doctor and getting on medication, breathing treatments, etc… it still took me several more weeks to begin to get back to normal.
After this horrible experience, I’ve made a promise to myself to practice self-care and to not let this happen again. It’s one of the worst feelings to not be able to take care your family and I want to help all of you prevent something like this from happening,
The following activities aren’t meant to prevent you from getting sick, but they are meant to help you become more self-aware, listen to your body, and get a little “me time” in each day. So let’s jump right in…
1. Create a calming space.
Legos, dirty clothes, and piled up dishes can make it hard to relax, so you need a place you can escape to in your house that is free from all this stuff. For me, it’s my closet. Yep, not kidding. I keep my closet free of clutter and stuff on the floor so when I need a break, I literally walk in, sit on the floor, and just take a few minutes for myself. It’s quiet, free from clutter, and is truly my space. Now obviously if you don’t have a walk-in closet this might be an odd place to try to get some “me time,” but get creative! Do you have a corner in your bedroom that you can put a chair for you to kick back and relax in? Do you have a guest bathroom that is rarely used, and therefore always clean? What about the basement? The point is to find a quiet, calming space that is only yours to escape for a few moments each day.
2. Journal
Journaling can be very cathartic, meaning just getting your thoughts and emotions out, if nowhere else than onto paper, can relieve stress and tension that’s being held within your body. While there are tons of fun and fancy journals out there, you don’t have to buy one to get started, you can simply use a plan old spiral bound notebook! There are even journaling apps out there, although I highly recommend getting started with basic pen and paper. Not sure what to journal about? That’s ok! You can literally write down anything that’s on your mind, whether it’s how you’re feeling physically or emotionally that day, what hopes and dreams you have, or obstacles that you see standing in your way. If you’re still really stuck, you can even purchase books or journals that have provided prompts for you, so you simply read the prompt and write your response.
3. Meditate.
I feel like we’ve all heard about meditation, but very few of us have actually tried it or embraced it as a practice, because quite frankly, the term is sort of misunderstood. When most people hear the word “meditation” they think of someone sitting in a yoga studio type setting with their legs crossed and fingers pinched together, saying the word “om” over and over. Well, that’s sort of true, but it doesn’t have to be. See, meditation in it’s simplest form is a mind/body exercise designed to promote calmness and physical relaxation. While there are technically many different kinds of meditation, they all have four common elements.
- A quiet location with as few distractions as possible.
- A specific, comfortable posture (sitting, lying down, walking, or in other positions).
- A focus of attention (a specially chosen word or set of words, an object, or the sensations of the breath).
- An open attitude (letting distractions come and go naturally without judging them).
So when you look at these four elements, you can see it’s actually pretty easy to meditate. Not only is it easy, it’s highly beneficial too! It reduces stress and anxiety, and according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, is beginning to be used alongside treatments for many chronic conditions, such as chronic low back pain and cancer.
4. Stretch.
Have you ever noticed when you’re really stressed your whole body feels tight? That’s because stress can restrict blood flow, which causes your muscle to tense up. Often times this can lead to many of us feeling fatigued or getting a tension headache. That’s why stretching every day, especially when feeling stressed, is a crucial part of your self care routine. Whether you prefer to stretch in the form of yoga, or simply pull your arms over your head then touch your toes, all forms of stretching are beneficial when thinking about self care. As I mentioned, stress restricts blood flow, so the point of stretching is to get your muscles to loosen back up to keep the blood flowing. Doing so will not only help to relieve the feelings associated with stress, but can also prevent fatigue.
5. Drink herbal tea.
Herbal teas, such as peppermint tea, chamomile tea, and lemon balm tea can be useful aids to help promote calmness, relieve stress and reduce anxiety. When looking at herbal teas to try, it’s helpful to know that not all herbal tea is caffeine free, like green tea or black tea, so be sure to read the label as caffeine can sometimes lead to an exaggeration of stress-related feelings, making your self-care routine a bit contradictory. Also, some herbal teas can be so effective that they actually help with any sleep-related issues you may be experiencing, so in these cases, it obviously makes more sense to practice your self-care routine before going to bed instead of first thing in the morning.
I’d love to know – what other things do you do as part of your regular self-care routine?
