How much are you hearing about self care lately? I know that it’s been a huge topic these days. Now more than ever, we have to pay attention to taking care of ourselves. It’s a challenge. We are in the perfect scenario for running ourselves ragged but burning the candle at both ends is crazy dangerous. So what’s a woman to do?
I think we have to look at self care differently. It can’t just be a trip to the spa or a pedicure. Self care has always been more than that. These days though it’s good to keep it simple and easily attainable. One of my favorite forms of self care is reading a book. I’m a big reader and take any chance I can to lose myself in a good book. Last month, I made my way through seven books. Reading helps me to stop my mind from racing.
This pandemic has proved to be a boon to streaming services. With so many people at home and unable to run to a theater for anywhere else for entertainment, Netflix-like services have been golden! My husband and I have binge watched Greenleaf and we’re working out way through Luke Cage again. We’re already trying to figure out what our next watch will be. Just being able to turn off for a bit is so needed. It also gives us something else to talk about besides politics and the pandemic.
The more traditional self care isn’t off the table though. A good bubble bath with bath bombs from a shop like Lush always makes me feel good. I’ve also been playing around with at home facials. I didn’t realize how many skin care products I had. I’m working my way through them now and my skin is better off for it.
Another traditional self care practice you can do at home is a pedicure. I’ve had a pedicure foot tub/massager for years. Now is as good a time as any to pull it out. It’s also fun to use it for some Mommy/daughter time. My little girl is always down for a pedicure.
One purchase we’ve made during this pandemic is bikes for my husband and myself. We’ve been making time for family bike rides and it’s so good. I’m mad it took us so long to buy our bikes. The kids love our rides because they kid to ride further than they can on their own. They also like that we’ll likely make a stop for fro-yo while we’re out.
You know what might be the greatest form of self care these days? A social media black out. I don’t watch much TV, when I do, it’s usually news. Another play I get my news is social media. Between Facebook and Twitter, there is so much shared. It’s not just a news story. It’s the story with someone’s opinion attached to and then the comments. Never read the comments. You see the rabbit hole that easily sucks you in? A break from that is great for the mental state.
I also love the idea of making a dream board. It can help to have a board of things to look forward to. It’s a reminder to keep striving for our goals. It’s also a reminder that storms don’t last always and that we’ll eventually come out on the other side of this.
