Everyday Self-Care

Have you ever secretly been happy to get sick? 

I don’t mean the running nose and slight cough where you still have to go to work.  I am talking about the full on cold or flu where it is miserable enough where you can’t really function at work, or catchy enough that you will make others sick too.

For me, when I worked a “regular” job, those days were amazingly awful.  The sickness itself sucked, but I got to finally take a break.  I could stay in bed all day in my pajamas and not feel guilty.  I could watch any movie I wanted, even the bad ones that my husband or friends would never watch with me.  I could ask people for help and support, without worrying about looking too needy.  Of course I need some warm soup, or another box of Kleenex, or more cough syrup from the pharmacy.

Sickness actually requires that we take care of ourselves.   

What about the rest of the time, though?  What would our lives be like if self-care was actually a part of our every day, instead of just our sick days?

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When people talk about self-care, sometimes they automatically think of spas or massages.  That is what I used to think too—the indulgences that I only did once in a awhile.  With my shift out into the health and wellness field, I have come to look at self-care in a whole new way. 

For me, self-care is all of those little things that I do for myself each day.  The gifts I give myself.  Sometimes they are small.  Sometimes they are big.  Sometimes they are free.  Sometimes they are expensive.  They are the moments in life that feed my body, mind, and soul. 

Some of my favorite self-care activities are:

• Making pancakes on Sunday morning, closing my eyes with each bite, and truly savoring everything about it.
• My runs with my dog Zephyr.
• My yoga practice—even though it hurts sometimes.
• Sitting on my back deck in the sunshine and listening to the birds.
• Closing the lid of my laptop and going for a walk just because I can.
• Giving myself a pedicure once open-toe shoe season comes around. (Or going to get one done professionally.)
• Eating breakfast without doing anything else.  No phone, no magazine, no book, no computer.
• Letting my husband go to a party, while I stay home and read.
• My lavender pillow spray. 

How do you engage in self-care on a regular basis?  How can you incorporate more self-care into your day? 

Please share, so we can all learn from one another.