Five ways I'm taking care of myself
I’ve started to loathe the term “self care”. I like what it means and originally stood for, but I feel like it’s a marketing ploy now and being used for just about anything these days. But after these past few months of blow after blow, I’m in desperate need of some healing. Maybe it’s the change of seasons, the longer days (with sunlight!!!🌞), or coming off the loss and pain of the past two months, but I’m ready for a change to my overall energy. So here are 5 ways I’m tackling taking care of myself:
Get Outside. There’s something about being outside that immediately puts me in a better mood. Even though I walk Rhaegar 3-4 times a day, these past few months it’s only been a short walk due to pain. Now that I’m feeling better, my goal is to walk him first thing every morning for 45 minutes. This jumpstarts my day and puts me in a good mood right off the bat.
Limit Social Media. It’s easy for me to fall down the rabbit hole of Instagram and Tik Tok. I’ll go on to create a post or kill time before starting a new task and the next thing you know, 30 minutes have past (if I’m honest sometimes its more like an hour!). It’s unbelievable what a time suck those apps are. And they don’t ever make me feel good. Usually I close the app thinking I’m not doing enough or comparing myself to others work and thinking how will I ever get there. I’m going to take a break from both the month of April.
Make plans with Friends. I’m a home body by nature. There is nothing I love more than staying in and doing my own thing. And while this is also due to the fact that I’m an introvert, I do find that when I meet up with friends my mood is improved. That connection is important and I have to remind myself that you get out of it what you put in. Having friends to grab a quick coffee with, hit up a museum or the library, or just a short walk in the park does wonders for your mental and social wellbeing. I’m going to make a consistent effort to plan things with my friends as well as connect with those back in the US. I’ve found that it’s really hard not having someone to just vent to now and again or share your big wins with that isn’t your husband 😉 I took that for granted back in the US where I had an established group friends and they were all easy to connect with anytime.
Try a Bath House. I’m really intrigued by the cold bath/sauna combo experience and want to try out it. It’s very common here and I think I’m ready to take the leap (pun intended ☺️ ). There is a wonderful bath house at the beach by us that I want to explore. I’ll report back.
Mobility training. Recovering from sciatica and a herniated disk has been a long and slow process. If there’s anything I’ve learned from this experience, it’s how important mobility is. It’s not just stretching every night or going to yoga a couple times a week. Both of which are great, but a mobility practice is more defined as are the movements. I’m looking to start a consistent mobility practice to hopefully keep my body moving and healthy.
There you have it. The small changes I’m making to take better care of myself. I could list about 20 more things from sleep to hydration, but I think it’s important to start in small increments, master those, and then move on. Tackling too many things at once can be overwhelming, resulting in failure. What are some small changes you’d make to improve your well being?
