The topic of ‘self care’ has taken on a life of its own the past few years, and for good reason. We’re so connected to the world mentally thanks to technology that we find ourselves stressed, overwhelmed and disconnected from ourselves more often — or, it takes burning out to realize we’ve been neglecting our mental health.
Self care doesn’t have to be a radical act you need to clear your calendar for every day, week or month and spend lots of time and money on — it can literally be one small thing you do for yourself every day.
What stops most people from practicing self care is the way it tends to be positioned:
Spa days.
Unplugged trips.
Long baths.
Having a full day with no work or responsibilities.
AKA, stuff that probably requires time you’re already stressing about not having enough of. (Which is another topic we should talk about at a later time because we have more of that than we think.)
And while these are definitely great ideas that I subscribe to and practice as well [especially baths and unplugged trips] it’s not always feasible depending on the season of life you’re in.
Here’s a reframe on the whole self care thing: It’s not necessarily what you do. It’s the intentional act of taking a few moments to do something for you that you enjoy.
A few minutes journaling first thing in the am.
Slowing down your morning with a few extra minutes sipping your coffee.
Reading a few pages of your book in the sun (even if you just have time for 2-3).
Saying no to a night out, in lieu of getting cozy in your robe at home.
Buying that cute ~thing~ you’ve been eyeballing (yes, I do think intentional shopping is a form of self care).
Texting someone you care about to say hi.
Listening to your fave song.
Sitting out in the sunshine for a few minutes at lunch, or to wrap up the day.
Watching your fave show.
Cooking your fave dish (or ordering your fave dish for take out).
Wearing your fave perfume for absolutely no special occasion at all.
Taking the evening off from social media and technology (airplane mode is a god send).
A 5 minute meditation or yoga practice.
Fully enjoying how good it feels to slide under the covers after a long day and acknowledging you made it through the day.
You get the point.
And if you wanna practice self care by taking a car out on the track, taking a week long unplugged vacay, or finally buying a bunch of things on your “want” list, that works too. Self care is incredibly individual.
I’ll leave you with this: You’re able to steal 5 minutes from your day tomorrow. What’s one tiny thing you can do that’s just for you?
Do that thing.
tiny bets are all the small things you do that stack up over time to craft a reality you love. These memos are a mix of woo, science, philosophy, and thought experiments to help you feel inspired to show up for yourself and your work daily.
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