Blissful Self-Care
Sometimes, self-care looks a little different to what we imagine it to be or what we are told it should be. Self-care is seeking out the things that make you whole and leave you feeling better about yourself. It does not need to be lavish or expensive. It’s being aware of what brings you inner peace. It’s being aware that sometimes you need to move out of your comfort zone. Self-care can look different for different people. Sometimes self-care can look like:
- Surrounding yourself with those who make your heart smile.
The power of friendships and connections can be underestimated. It is often said that people who are surrounded by friends and family in their lifetimes tend to live longer than those who lack such connections. We all have that one friend or group of friends that make the world seem a little more bearable. They are our tribe. Love them hard and spend as much time as you can with them. We never regret spending time with the people we love and the people who make our souls dance.
2. Releasing the things that do not bring peace.
If it does not bring you peace, it’s not worth it. We tend to hold on to things or people sometimes because they are familiar, and we can’t picture our lives outside of them. Yet time and time again, they have proved to cause more harm than good. Your peace of mind is as paramount as your physical health. If and when you are not at peace, your life and the people around you suffer for it. Choose yourself and trust that everything will work out in the end. That discomfort you feel after you let certain things go, that’s normal and it’s a good sign. Revel in it and don’t be afraid of it because it will be over before you know it.
3. Taking the day off to rest.
When was the last time you did nothing? When was the last time you shut off the world to just be by yourself and not be constantly pulled in this or that direction? We are constantly wired. If we are not on our phones, we are outside doing this or that other thing. We are ever busy. Ask someone randomly how they are, and I bet their answer will go something like, “Oh, I’m fine, just a little bit tired.” We are constantly fatigued. Take a day off. Take a few days off if you can. Let go of the constant buzzing of your phone. Take a walk, soak in the sun, watch the sun rise, enjoy a cup of coffee or a meal without seeking a distraction. Allow your mind to wander and just be.
4. Creating art for yourself.
There’s always a notion that you have to be good at something before you even take a shot at it. But what if no one had to see it? What if you did things for yourself, no matter how badly? We can’t all be Picasso but we can sure as hell draw. It doesn’t matter if it’s a stick figure or a badly shaped flower. Creating art doesn’t have to be good if you are doing it for yourself. So don’t be afraid to do things badly. Draw and paint and make it messy, dance like no one is watching, take bad photos of people and places you would love to remember years from now. Because it doesn’t matter if your art is bad or good, it’s still art and you did it for yourself. At the end of the day, that is all that matters.
I’ll leave you with a quote I absolutely love by Ullie Kaye:
“Show yourself the same grace that in a fraction of a heartbeat you would extend to someone else. The last thing we need is a world full of people who are barely hanging on. Find some shelter and stay for as long as your soul requires it. This journey was not meant to be taken without setting your bags down and stopping to rest for a while.”
