The Self Care Practice I've Started This Year & Am Loving
Self care. It's a big topic people are talking a lot of lately. But with so many insta-stars posting their rose-petaled bath and dreamy face mask routines, maybe you're thinking..."That's not me", or "I don't have time for that fluffy stuff!" Well, I'm with ya sister! I do love a smelly bath sometimes, but it's definitely not on the regular. But I do have a self care practice that has made the world of difference to me this year and I wanted to share it with you!
This month, if you haven't noticed, we've been talking a lot about self care and loving your body. Why? Well first of all, Valentine's month, a day when we try and show a little more love in our relationships, and I believe that should mean our relationship with our body as well. So of course we're going to take some time and talk about self care.
When I used to think of self care, I thought of facials, manicures, days at the spa, bubble baths...you get the idea. I don't know about you, but I don't have the time or finances to do those things all the time. So how am I supposed to take care of myself? I guess I just can't!But self care, if we break down the true meaning of the term, simply means "caring for self".
Caring for self.
How do you care for yourself? Hopefully you get a good night's sleep every night. You get dressed and do things to help you look your best, maybe makeup or washing your hair. You eat food that makes you feel your best. Maybe you go to the gym for both body and mind care.You see? Self care doesn't have to be this whole big ordeal! It's the little things you do on the regular that really and truly help you to take care of yourself.
So, I try to do all of the above things as part of my self care regimen. But there's one thing that has really helped me feel more cared for this year. And that thing is journaling.Yes, journaling. Maybe it's not the first thing you think about when you think of self care for yourself. But this time of stillness and getting thoughts on paper does wonders for relieving stress and anxiety, promoting positive thinking and brainstorming. It has helped me to move through my fears and push forward to reach my dreams. It's been my place of crying out and also of singing praise! It's been the best addition to my self care regimen.
You can journal!
First off, I like to start my morning with journaling. But before I start journaling, I usually will read a couple pages of a book, usually a thought provoking book (I'm currently reading Captivating by Staci and John Eldridge). Then I read a chapter of my Bible because I love starting my day with God. And lastly, I spend about 5-10 minutes journaling my thoughts and prayers. It ends up being about a 20 minute process that leaves me feeling motivated and ready for the day!I so easily used to neglect this time thinking I didn't have time for anything extra in my day. But I now genuinely feel like something's missing if I don't start my day this way. It's been the best thing for my mental health.
So maybe the idea of journaling sounds good to you, but you don't know where to start. I have a few tips and tricks that help get the creative juices flowing in the morning so that, soon you'll be a pro-journaler too! JK...I'm not a pro-journalier, just a journaler who's pretty passionate about the results!
How to be a pro-journaler.
Ok here it is...First off, I recommend having a set time in your day that you journal. I love journaling in the morning, but if you feel best about doing it mid day or in the evening, go for it! Just try and make it a set time every day. Having some continuity of time just helps when you're getting started.Second, get yourself a journal you feel happy about writing in and maybe even a nice pen. It seems trivial, but it helps to be excited about what you're using to journal.Lastly, I always start my journaling with a greeting. I usually write, "good morning" because it's just as I wake up, but you can use any greeting. Maybe, "hey beautiful!" or even a simple "hey!". I do this because, even when I'm not sure how or what I want to write, I at least have the first sentence down and usually, the rest follows quite easily.
From there, journal what happened the day before, what made you happy, what made you sad. Journal what you may be anxious about in the upcoming day or what you're excited about. Enjoy the time as a bystander, listening to yourself as your thoughts come out on paper. That's why journaling can be so effective! Because you're essentially able to provide yourself some counsel through writing things you're feeling down and you'll oftentimes be able to come to a realization while you're writing, which is always amazing!
But even if right in the moment of writing you don't gain much clarity, don't be discouraged. Keep it up and then one day in the future, look back on your writings and I guarantee you'll see more of a big picture view of whatever it was you were going through.
So, are you going to try to pick up journaling as one of your forms of self care?
If so, I'd love to hear about it! Share below your experiences with journaling as self care!