Self-care Challenge
Last week I talked about the importance of self care. Beginning self care routines is a process, though. Giving yourself permission to take care of yourself presents a rainbow of ideas to nourish your whole being. We can approach self care by providing for the usual suspects - body, mind and spirit.
For the body, yoga practice is essential (like, totally). But then it goes beyond that. If you've been reading my notes for years, you know I'm a proponent of foot care (power to the feet!). Soak, scrub, exfoliate, moisturize. For the rest of the vessel that houses your soul, grooming can be a huge benefit. Have you seen the care with which a cat grooms himself? He denies no part. He's a lesson in self care. One of my new routines is pushing back the cuticles on the nails - finger and toe - every other night (I know, but it's so much better if you do - that goes for men, too). Moisturizing the skin - entire body - every day - connects you to your body and keeps you informed of the state of your skin.
For the mind, observe what you're feeding it. How do you wake up? With morning news? Stories of death and destruction? Perhaps the news can wait til later in the day - if you want to make the change, push til after breakfast at first, then see if you can get to noon. You'll still be an informed citizen. What about Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.? Are you starting your day comparing yourself to other people's curated depictions of their lives? Maybe that can wait til later in the day too. Now that we have some space, can you work in a few minutes of meditation? Even 5 minutes? Sit down and encourage the thoughts to go by like clouds in the sky. It's really hard at first but it gets better over time.
The spirit is all you. Do you like movies? Sit down and watch one - and do nothing else. Like to paint, draw, knit, build, fix? Go for it. Work it in somehow. Just a little. Over time, things tend to shift. Self care is a practice, not a project to be completed in one night. I challenge you this week. For the next 7 days, can you do one thing each day for no reason but to take care of yourself? Triple dog dare.