When most people think about self-care they think about face masks and a hot bath, or maybe they think of a relaxing movie night with some hot chocolate or wine. Not a lot of us think about meditation, exercise, organization, and thoughtfulness as being part of self-care! Self-care can be anything that nurtures the mind, body and/or soul.
Self-care is just that, caring for yourself. Although this can be on the surface level, which does bring a lot of satisfaction and relaxation. It can also be much deeper then that. The thoughtfulness and caring that goes into feeding one's soul. I started my journey with self-care as baby steps. Actually taking that moment away from the kids and the house and the cleaning to do the things that I wanted to do again. They were small steps but they felt mighty to a tired mother. Little things such as saving a treat for myself, having a long hot bath, buying face creams and lotions for myself, listening to my favorite music again and spending more time trying to love myself! It's not easy!
As my journey continued I took bigger steps each time! A girl's night in/out, a day spent with adults, even a weekend away! I started to find myself again. The person that I thought was gone years ago. The person I thought no one would appreciate or think was funny. The person that I wanted to be, but didn't know how to be anymore..until now.
As my confidence grew, so did my steps. Soon they turned into leaps and bounds. I started collecting crystals and herbs and getting into hobbies that I had only dreamed of getting into. I started thinking of changing my career path, broadening my horizons. Something I had shoved off many times. Something I never thought I could do. It all started from taking these moments away, taking these moments for myself.
Something as simple as taking a hot bath, or wearing a face mask might not change your life. But if you use that time wisely and think about what you're grateful for, think about your journey, think about where you deserve to be, it really can be the small step in an incredible direction.
By Toni Howell
(A loved dedicated follower)
