Self-Care ~ The Perfect Day

I hear the term self-care a lot but what is it really. It can mean different things to different people. The dictionary.com defines self-care as:

• The practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health
• The practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during times of stress

I think taking time for yourself on a regular basis is important. It keeps you refreshed and able to tackle the difficult things that come your way. For me, I decompress when spending time with the chickens. Sometimes, it’s just 20 minutes at lunch. Other times, I’ll spend an hour outside in the evenings. 

Recently, I had the whole day to myself. The Bearded Rooster was working and my little Chicky was traveling with her best friend. 

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So what did I do on my Perfect Day

I put my phone and laptop away and withdrew from social media. Today was about me and not scrolling through other people’s lives and it definitely wasn’t about working. 

Candles – I lit several candles and kept the lights to a minimum. There is just something relaxing about the flickering light and aromatherapy. I have a stress free candle that’s my go-to when I need to destress.  

Bath and a Beer – no one was home and demanding my attention so I took a long bath and drank a beer. The bath was hot and the beer cold. Need I say more! 

DIY Pedicure – Only on special occasions (birthday or a holiday) do I actually go to the nail salon. This was something I cut out of my budget last year. So while in the bath, I scrubbed my heels and shaved my legs. I added more aromatherapy with the shaving cream. Then I DIY my own pedicure. Another great option would be a bath balm. 

Read a book – I got my favorite cup of tea and started reading a book. After an hour, I put it down and made some lunch. 

Sit with the chickens – I took my lunch outside and sat with the chickens (and truth be told, I had another beer). If you have backyard chickens, you know how relaxing it can be to just sit with them. I sat in my lawn chair with a little sun on my face and the girls were pecking all around me making their chicken noises.  

Sitting outside is a great picker upper. Vitamin D has many health benefits, including lowering blood pressure.

Movie  – I watched two movies!! Yes, two!! One of the movies was Book Club. For a woman my age, it was absolutely hysterical. I laughed out loud several times and didn’t realize how much I needed that. 

I didn’t do any chores. This day was all about me. Now, this is an unusual treat and not something I get to do very often. However if I find I have the entire day to myself, I fit as many of these things in as possible and I don’t feel guilty about it. 

What else can you do to promote self-care?

Exercise – great way to get your endorphins going

Relaxation – sometimes I just lay on the floor with the lights dimmed on my yoga mat and take deep breaths.

Eat healthy – I always feel better when I’m not eating a bunch of junk. 

Do something that brings you joy – do you remember what joy is? For a while, I had forgotten what brought me joy. My advice is to find it and do it!

Don’t commit to things that you don’t like or don’t want to do. Right?! How many times do we feel obligated to do something? It’s okay to say no. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s okay to take some time for yourself. Take a walk or go for a drive. Leave the kids with a Grandparent. Right now it’s even more difficult with social distancing but do something that you’re comfortable with. 

All those other things on your to-do list can wait. Or better yet, enlist some help, get someone else to pick up the toys, or load the dishwasher. 

I’m a big believer that if you don’t take care of yourself,  you can’t take care of anyone else. Just remember, you are not in this alone. Take advantage of a few moments here and there. Self-care really is important.