Self Care Sunday

Hey Everyone!!

I hope you are having a great Sunday so far. I know that Self-Care is pretty much discussed everywhere these days. While I used to be annoyed by the talk about self care, I have begun to understand why it is important.

Lately, I have been burning the candle on both ends it seems just trying to tread water and make it through the day. While that is not something people like to discuss, it is real life.

I don’t often do a lot for myself but I am great at taking care of others. Well, as most of you know, that begins to take its toll and before you know it you’re running on fumes but still making sure that life is smooth sailing for everyone else in your circle. I was and kind of still am here right now.

Today, I decided that I was going to indulge myself a little bit. I decided that not only was I going to get my nails filled but I was also going to get a pedicure and my eyebrows done. The fill is necessary, I think so anyway, so that I look presentable at work. The pedicure and eyebrows felt frivolous. Even as I was waiting to get them done I hesitated and considered cancelling them. However, I decided not to and decided that it was something I deserved to do every once in a while. I am so, so glad I stuck with the plan because not only did I take a little time for myself, my toes are now in running shape for my upcoming races.

For the rest of the day I pretty much did things that I wanted to do instead of things I felt I should be doing. If you didn’t know, I run an Etsy store in addition to this blog where I sell top-knot headbands and scrunchies. Today, I focused on our Halloween designs and was so happy to finally get them made! I also took the time to wash and style my hair and reorganize the pantry so it is easier to navigate when I am cooking and baking.

These are all small things and self-care might look different from one person to another but they definitely made me fell good.

In Rachel Hollis’ Made for More, which you can find on Amazon by the way, she asks you to picture a vase sitting under a steady flow of water. In this analogy you are the vase and the water symbolizes all the things necessary to help you thrive. These are things like, nutrients, love, sleep, etc. Now around you are empty cups that are waiting to be filled. These cups represent your job, your significant other, friends, kids, parents, siblings. As you observe these cups emptying, you pour from yourself into them. The problem is that if you keep tipping and pouring, tipping and pouring you will soon wind up tipping so far that you fall over! At this point you are empty and cannot help anyone, let along yourself. The message she is trying to drive home is that yes, you can tip and pour yourself empty but eventually you will tip over. The other option here is to remain standing tall and instead of tipping and pouring, allow yourself to fill up to the point that you overflow and fill those around you. Bottom line… if we take care of ourselves, it is so much easier to take care of the people around us.

I would highly recommend you take a day or even just a few hours to focus on you. Make sure that you are allowing yourself the opportunity to get what you need.