Taking time for self-care

BY COLLEEN LINDBERG

I am currently in New York City, the big apple of the United States. Why I mention this is because I was drawn to come here for some much needed self-care. I needed a break from an intense project, from work and all the things I have been pushing out over the last four months and wasn’t able to achieve from home.

Have you ever felt that way where it’s hard for you to unplug at your house because there is just so much to do there, and all you think about is the stuff to do?

It really got me thinking about the small things we can do in life to honour our self-care ritual on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. This way, we don’t have to escape to take time away; it becomes more of a choice to take time away instead of it being a necessity.

Self-care is defined differently for each person, but in essence it’s doing things for yourself that makes you feel peaceful, that makes you feel connected to yourself, that helps you regroup. For some of us it’s sleeping. If we just got a bit more sleep we could reset. For others it’s physically doing a task like mowing the lawn that resets it for us.

There are a couple other things you can try;

Spa days/treatments – making us decompress by putting our phones away and being present with our bodies. Relaxing and breathing could also be combined in this spa day.

Hobbies and activities we love – when we do things we love, let’s say like painting, it connects us to ourselves; it allows us to escape the things in our life that stress us out, and we can be with ourselves. This could be a sporting activity, fishing, collecting stamps…. and of course since we are such diverse as humans this list could go on forever.

Breathing/meditation – this is definitely another way to unplug daily. It takes discipline and focus to do it, but if you really are looking for an everyday outlet this is one. Just focusing on breathing; it allows us to be present and to be one with ourselves. The great thing about this practice is that we can do it anywhere. You can escape into your car at lunch and take a few minutes just to breathe. How powerful is that?

Working out – this grounding activity definitely allows us to regroup. We can leave all of our tension on the floor when we go to the gym, and push the body to help us relieve the day. It’s a needed activity for sanity, and it also aligns with self-care.

Doing nothing- yes this is self-care… Netflix and chill nights are a powerful way to unplug. Walking in the forest and being present can also be considered in this category. Lying by the pool and sunbathing, reading in the park, all of these are examples of self-care.

Whatever excites you, makes you feel connected to yourself and allows you to decompress should be included regularly in your everyday life. The more we can get connected to ourselves the more we can shine our light bright. As I finish these two days of self-care in New York, I am revaluating this same thing in my life. Sending you love from the big apple.