At my latest check in with my therapist we were discussing a few low days that I had had over the past few weeks and over the course of talking it dawned on me that one of the factors was that I had been particularly busy and perhaps had pushed myself a little far. So we recapped the importance of self-care and making sure I manage my energy. Afterwards, it got me thinking more and more about what self-care actually looks like for me.
Often, when I ask clients what they do for themselves or what they can do for self care the common response are things like a massage or facial or treating themselves to a night out. Now don’t get me wrong, these are all awesome things to do for yourself and I in no way discourage them. But it can also be easy to think about those things as the only representations of self-care. But what I found myself thinking about was the ways I can and do embody self-care in my day to day life. And some of them were not what you would necessarily expect.
A big part of my self-care routine happens on Sundays. I do my washing, ironing, cleaning, catch up on emails and admin, reflect on the week that’s just happened and plan for my week ahead. And I know, it sounds kind of chore heavy (don’t worry there’s plenty of rest and chill time allotted to) but when I don’t get a chance to do it I really notice the difference.
See, it’s this routine that lets me start (an continue) the new week feeling calm and energised. I don’t feel like I’m starting behind and rushing to catch up all week. All my outfits are ready to wear, I know where I’m going each day and what I’ll need so I can pack my bag each night ready to go in the morning. It means if I want to spend an extra 15 minutes in bed I can usually do it without having to rush around to get out of the house. And it leaves me free to get the creative and productive part of my week done.
I’ve always valued planning and preparation as important, but I’ve never really thought about it as self-care. But that’s really what it is. It’s taking the time to set up my life so it flows more easily for me. And thinking about it has also made be realise how important it is to keep that boundary for myself on a Sunday so that I can get that stuff done. To know that if I say no to something it’s so I can give myself that care and attention.
Like most things, the best self-care isn’t just about big, occasional gestures; it’s the small, everyday boundaries we set and actions we take that help us keep our lives more calm and joyful. So, by all means, book that monthly massage and enjoy it. But take some time to look at and acknowledge the little unexpected things you do each day and if you feel like you need some extra self-care make sure you’re making time for those.
Okay, I’m off to do my washing now 🙂
Often, when I ask clients what they do for themselves or what they can do for self care the common response are things like a massage or facial or treating themselves to a night out. Now don’t get me wrong, these are all awesome things to do for yourself and I in no way discourage them. But it can also be easy to think about those things as the only representations of self-care. But what I found myself thinking about was the ways I can and do embody self-care in my day to day life. And some of them were not what you would necessarily expect.
A big part of my self-care routine happens on Sundays. I do my washing, ironing, cleaning, catch up on emails and admin, reflect on the week that’s just happened and plan for my week ahead. And I know, it sounds kind of chore heavy (don’t worry there’s plenty of rest and chill time allotted to) but when I don’t get a chance to do it I really notice the difference.
See, it’s this routine that lets me start (an continue) the new week feeling calm and energised. I don’t feel like I’m starting behind and rushing to catch up all week. All my outfits are ready to wear, I know where I’m going each day and what I’ll need so I can pack my bag each night ready to go in the morning. It means if I want to spend an extra 15 minutes in bed I can usually do it without having to rush around to get out of the house. And it leaves me free to get the creative and productive part of my week done.
I’ve always valued planning and preparation as important, but I’ve never really thought about it as self-care. But that’s really what it is. It’s taking the time to set up my life so it flows more easily for me. And thinking about it has also made be realise how important it is to keep that boundary for myself on a Sunday so that I can get that stuff done. To know that if I say no to something it’s so I can give myself that care and attention.
Like most things, the best self-care isn’t just about big, occasional gestures; it’s the small, everyday boundaries we set and actions we take that help us keep our lives more calm and joyful. So, by all means, book that monthly massage and enjoy it. But take some time to look at and acknowledge the little unexpected things you do each day and if you feel like you need some extra self-care make sure you’re making time for those.
Okay, I’m off to do my washing now 🙂