I was hoping to write a hard-hitting piece on anxiety and depression for this week’s post, but seeing as how I’m completely wrapped up in the thick of a depressive downswing we’re going to save that for another week. Considering I’m dealing with the pangs of depression and anxiety I figured I’d share the importance of self-care.
What is self-care? Is it necessary? How often should we practice self-care? Well, I’m here to answer all these questions and more.
Self-care is simply the act of taking time to do something nice for yourself. You could read a book, take a hot bath, go for a hike in the woods, meditate, practice yoga, sit with your healing crystals, exercise, take a nap, try making a new recipe, draw or color in a coloring book, write in your journal, make and listen to an inspirational YouTube playlist. Anything that takes you away from the stress of your everyday life. It’s important to unplug and disconnect so we have time to decompress our minds and bodies. From the moment we wake up, until the moment we fall asleep, our minds are working hard to take in and digest the information and experiences of the day. Our bodies carry the physical expression of stress as aches, pains, exhaustion, and illness. If we don’t take the time to heal and recuperate our minds, bodies, and souls we can end up with irreversible illnesses whether they’re physical or mental. Aint nobody got time fo’ dat!!
I’m quickly learning that I’m an empath and what that means for me. I’m learning about my gifts and how to use them. I’m learning about the lowest lows, the highest highs, and the sweetest sweets. I’m not going to lie, it’s extremely difficult. I had someone recently tell me the more she learns about herself, her spirituality, and her practice, the more she feels she suffers. She said that suffering, in and of itself, is an art. I felt that deeply. We feel everything deeply, which is beautiful and painful all at once. Because we feel and experience so much mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually it’s extremely important for us to get ourselves back to a healthy state of being. The quickest and easiest way to do this for most empaths, or people in general, is to take a hot bath. I suggest soaking with Epsom Salt and a relaxing essential oil for at least 20 minutes. However, if you end up reheating the water and soaking for an hour, there will be no judgment here!
For an extra relaxing soak, check out this recipe. It’s my favorite I’ve stumbled upon yet!
Ingredients:
2 C Epsom Salt
½ C Baking Soda
½ C Almond or Coconut Milk
1 TBSP Coconut Oil
1 TBSP Honey
10-20 Drops of Essential Oils (that’s a wide range but some oil’s aroma is stronger than others)
Mixing Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and add to your bath water. Swirl the water around until all the ingredients are fully dissolved. You can also just throw everything in individually and stir it all together, like I do.
I’ve talked to many people about the practice of self-care and the number one thing I hear from people is, “I just don’t have time!” I get that. I used to live that. Life is busy, fast, fleeting, stressful, and we all want to do the best we can. Unfortunately, we’ve been taught that family, friends, work, and school all come first. We’ve been taught that self-care is selfish or an indulgence. The house needs to be cleaned, bills need to be paid, kids need to be clothed and fed, and you have a work deadline that you absolutely have to meet!! But holy cow, doesn’t that take a lot out of you? You need to replenish yourself because if you’re honestly expecting to be able to do all those things without burning yourself out, self-care is necessary. A little louder for the people in the back…SELF-CARE IS NECESSARY!!! You don’t even need to devote a whole day or even a whole hour to this practice, either. If you can get 10-20 minutes in every couple of days you’ll be doing yourself a huge service. You’ll notice a difference almost immediately, too!
Ok friends, quick quiz. What’s the one phrase you’ve seen me post a million times on all my social media sites? LOVE YOURSELF, YOU’RE WORTH IT! Yes, you were right, good job! I’m here to tell you that self-care IS selfish, but in a good way. It’s a way we can show ourselves we truly do love and care about ourselves. There are two types of selfish; self-serving while disregarding the outcome or effects on others around you, and my personal favorite, self-serving with the intention of healing, replenishing, and creating more space within yourself to handle the good, bad, and everything in between. Please, hear me when I say being selfish (in a good way) and taking care of yourself is a good thing! Promise.
Do you practice self-care in your life? How often are you able to care for yourself? What are some positive changes you’ve noticed? What is your favorite way to practice self-care? We can’t wait to hear from you and try some of your ideas!
Thank you for joining me today, I hope you’re able to take some time for yourself very soon!
With Love and Light,
Kay
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