Written by Happy 2020! As we enter a new year and decade, what do we have in store for ourselves? Where are we and where do we want to go? Are we reaching for our goals, our hopes, our dreams? Are we living the life we always dreamed of living? Are we alive, happy, fulfilled, confident, present? How are our relationships, career, spirituality, physical activity, self-care? Are we happy with our relationship to community and the world around us? Are we at peace? Are we kind? Do we feel?
I encourage you to reflect on the questions above. You are one amazing human and deserve the best for yourself. Everyone does. Life is to be lived, enjoyed, felt. Each of us have the tools inside of us to live our best life. The possibilities are endless and it all begins with healthy self-care. Taking care of ourselves, attending to our own needs, getting to know ourselves and our truth, expressing ourselves and LIVING OUR TRUTH. Let us not allow so much time to pass that we forget who we are or why we are here. You can do this for yourself! Give yourself the gift of giving back to yourself so you can give more freely to others, and truly live more fully.
We all have different self-care needs depending on what our bodies need and our self-care routine will probably evolve over the years to better suit ourselves. Taking time each day to pause and give ourselves what we need will go a long way, and you will not only reap the benefits, but those around you will as well. Some healthy self-care suggestions include: waking up a few minutes early each day to start your day with yourself in peace; taking a walk in nature; journaling; taking a bath (my favorite is epsom salt with essential oils but maybe yours is a bubble bath or just a hot bath); 5 minute (or longer) daily meditation; saying no; sleeping; geting outside; cultivate gratitude; unplug from social media/TV/internet for a day; exercise routine; yoga; treating yourself to something you enjoy (spa day, ice cream, etc); participating in activities that you enjoy (golf, book club, happy hour, church, volunteering, reading); talking with a therapist; spending time with family, friends, those you enjoy being around; playing with your dog; traveling; gardening; cooking healthy meals.
As you begin or continue your self-care journey, smile for yourself. Enjoy every minute of your self-care time, and each and every day of your life knowing you are there for yourself every step of the way. If we each give ourselves the gift of self-care, imagine what the world will be like. It starts inside of all of us. How we are on the inside directly impacts how we are on the outside. Stay positive and take one step at a time moving forward. You can do this for you. You can do this for the world. Peace and love 🙂