How Do You Self Care?
How often do you take a moment to care for yourself?
Self care is the most important thing we can do for ourselves. Unfortunately, it seems to be the first thing we sacrifice.
When I worked as a Licensed Massage Therapist, I did a lot better caring for myself. I was in that crappy relationship and work was my only safe place. I tried to utilize the perks of working at luxury spas, as often as possible. On breaks, I could get in the sauna, draw myself a beautiful bath, or sneak into the hot tub. My work days were filled with naturally lovely scents, gorgeous skincare, light music, dim lighting, and fireplaces everywhere. It was pretty dope and it was the best kind of place to relax. Now that I’m a brewer, that doesn’t look like my day anymore. I love what I do, but it’s physically intense, hot, loud, and can be long hours. Then there’s dinner to make, my dogs to take care of, my husband who needs love and attention too, a shower, and hopefully I can relax for an hour before I go to bed, to do it all again the next day. Somehow, in between all of this, we have to find time for laundry, house chores, errands, checking in with friends and family, spending quality time with our partners, and also find time for us! Honestly, I don’t know how folks fit it all in! I’ve realized, I need to be a lot better at setting aside time to take care of myself.
I can have a hard time with this. Once I put self care on pause a bit too long, I start experiencing anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks. Ah, CPTSD, my unwanted visitor when I start letting things slip. As I tried to make self care a priority, I would get overwhelmed. I have no extra time in my day! So, I made it part of my lifestyle. Self care is infused in much of what I do.
In order to feel my best, I need a few hours to myself. I can’t normally find that after work, so I’ve added it to my mornings. I’m an early bird, and love to wake up just before the sun rises. Since I naturally like to wake up early, I’ve embraced that. On work days, I wake up between 4 and 4:20am. Don’t worry, I would never ask anyone else to do that. It just fits into my lifestyle, so I'm honoring it and allowing it to work for me. I was allowed to create my own work schedule, so I tend to leave for work around 7am. This gives me about 3 hours to take care of myself, before I need to dedicate 8 hours of my day to something else. During those early hours I’ll journal as I sip local coffee or tea (support your local artisans!), meditate, and stretch. If I have time, I’ll bring the dogs for a little walk before we leave for work. It’s an amazing way to start the day! During my work hours, I’ll sprinkle in self care and try to get outside as often as I can. I bring my dogs to work (working at a brewery is really awesome) and that gives me an excuse to make sure I get myself out into the sun, while I’m working. I stretch in between lifting heavy kegs, hoses, and bags of grain. I also started keeping massage tools in my locker. You’ll often see me using them while brewing and cleaning. At least once a week I try to go for a hike and I camp whenever possible. I also love to cook delicious and healthy food. This is meditative, and helps me care for my body.
There’s so much you can do for self care!
Massage
Exercise or fitness classes
DIY facials
Zenning out to music
Stretching
Meditation
Walking
Cooking
Having a beverage that you love (not too much if it’s alcoholic, though!)
Journaling
What are some ways you practice self care? It’s important and we need to start prioritizing ourselves. If you have trouble finding extra time in your day, infuse self care into your lifestyle. It’ll only help you feel great!
