Hey! Remember me? Welcome back to The Shower Thoughts Series! It's been a minute, but I am so excited to be back and getting back into writing again. I took a little hiatus from writing - literally anything (which is so unlike me). But, like our topic today suggests, it was much needed. Sometimes you just need to hit pause - if you're a writer like me, chances are you write a lot. And even if you don't, we all know there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Sometimes we just get burnt out and need to reset ourselves to come back even better.
So, here I am! Ready to share not only a shower thought, but a concept that has been stuck in my head for months that we all know about, but how many of us really practice? Self. Fricken. Care. What a concept, right? Now, we're all rolling our eyes right now, I'm sure. Work an eight hour shift, drive in traffic for two hours, call your dentist, take the dog out, make dinner, do the dishes, clean the apartment, do some grad school work, take a shower, *breathe for four seconds*, go to bed. An average day in the life of a typical American 23-year-old. So, self care you say? PLEASE let me know who has a spare second for that. And, I'm sure you've guessed it, I'm here to tell you that you do.
Let's first be clear what self care is. It could be lounging in a tub with a glass of wine, candles lit, and your favorite Nicholas Sparks book (insta story: #selfcare). It could be going on a four mile run in the dead heat of 80 degree weather, calling your grandpa once a week on Sundays and hearing about how his Bingo game went that afternoon, or even quitting the nannying job that you JUST can't stand another second. Yes - self care can be a million things to a million different people.
But where is the time?? How often do I get an hour to lounge in the tub? Many of us may think "self care" means we have to carve out this large amount of time for something supposedly relaxing. For women specifically, this term is typically linked to face masks, wine, pedicures - the works. And sure, many of us love this, don't get me wrong. But what self care really means is taking some time out of your day - however much time you have available to you - to do something that will make you feel good.
For example, you're sitting in traffic. You have 25 more minutes before you arrive at work. You throw on a morning meditation podcast and boom - no time taken out of your day, less road rage, and you're starting off your day with a calm, clear outlook. Or maybe it's not a morning meditation, maybe you throw on some punk rock and scream at the top of your lungs about how stressful your morning has been and release all of your pent-up negative energy. Either way: self care.
We all need a break sometimes - no matter how busy our schedules are, we have to make the time to do something for us. For our bodies, for our minds, for our souls (and definitely our sanity). Even if it's just five minutes a day! There is nothing more important than recognizing our needs and fulfilling those on a daily basis - it is truly our responsibility to ourselves and our well-being.
SO I will leave you with this. If anyone is new to this whole "self care" thing, I've recently started a practice and I can't wait to continue with it. Sit on the floor of your bedroom, or outside, or anywhere that is comfortable and quiet. Light two candles in front of you, and close your eyes (stay with me here - this stuff actually helps). Envision whatever makes you feel good. Ice cream? The beach? A hug from your mom? Whatever it is, sit in this feeling for five minutes. What you're doing here is attracting positive energy to your life. And who couldn't use some positive vibes sent their way? If anyone tries this - shoot me a message! Let me know how it's working for you. And, as always, thank you for reading, please subscribe, and get your self care on!! I'll see you in my next post. :)