We’ve made it to the final month before summer officially ends and personally I’m sad to see Summer go since it’s my favorite season of the year but I’m always excited about the month of August because August is my birthday month. As you know a new month equals a new focus for my Self-Care Sunday and my Wellness Wednesday post. Last month I wrote about Social Self-Care and this month we will focus on Spiritual Self-Care. When I think about spiritual self-care, the first self-care practice that comes to mind is meditation, and if I think about it some more other actives that comes to mind are; burning sage, using crystals, and being mindful of anything that interferers with your overall energy. I have talked about meditation a lot since starting my blog so I feel pretty comfortable writing about it but I also don’t want to beat the topic to death. I don’t know enough about crystals and sage to write a blog about it so some of you may have already guessed it lol; the focus for this month will be a challenge but as per my usual, I will make it work.
Outside of religion, whenever I hear the word “spiritual” I always think about how something or someone may affect my energy. My personal energy plays a big role in my own spiritual journey because I try to practice meditation to help keep me centered, when life throws me curve balls I try to find the positive, and when I’m around someone or in a situation where my energy feels off I view it as a sign. I try to protect my energy/spirituality as often as I can because when it’s off. I am off. Today I think I want to provide you with seven self-care tools you can use to help protect your energy when things are off.
Exclude Yourself sometimes we tend to stay in situations that aren’t good for us because we’re trying to make things right even if it’s destroying our personal wellbeing. While I think some things are worth salvaging, sometimes we have to take a step back if we feel our energy is being affected. Not everyone is good for us even if we want them to be. And this does not have to be relationships, this may occur in social settings or conversations.
Tune In check on how you’re currently feeling. Sometimes I feel off AF and I can’t figure out why. The best way to explain this is, it feels like something is wrong but I can’t pin point it. To take the extra stress off myself, I just tell myself that it’s hormonal but I’m also mindful of who I give my energy to and I’m careful not to spread myself too thin. During times like this I tend to spend a lot of time alone until I feel like I’m back to myself again.
Burn Sage this option will not be for everyone and honestly this is not usually my go to. I’m not well versed on this at all so I don’t feel comfortable sharing but this is what I do know. Burning sage or sumdging is an ancient spiritual ritual that may help dispel negative energy. You can read more HERE. I’ve burned Sage a handful of time when I felt like I had bad energy around me. I can’t say for sure that I felt better or that it helped but what I can say is I trust that it does what it’s suppose to do and I leave it at that.
Read start a book that focuses on spirituality because you can learn so much. I don’t read nearly as much as I use to but when I did read, I think spiritual books were the only books I read. I think you learn so much about yourself, what resonates with you in terms of the direction you want your life to go in over time and, it can make some of your unanswered very clear. What I learned from these books in my 20s were, I wasn’t in competition with anyone and I was on my own life’s journey; not the journey that friends or family thought was best for me.
Listen To A Podcast this is similar to reading but podcasts provide more instant gratification. One of my favorite person to listen to when I need help with my energy is Tara Brach. Her voice alone centers me. She talks a lot about equanimity which she defines as the quality of presence that is open, balanced and non-reactive.
Attend A Church Service I am not very religious but I know a lot of people are. I feel safe assuming that most people who believe in God will likely attend a service or read a few scriptures from the bible and/or pray to help get things back in line.
Acceptance I talked about acceptance in the past and if you’ve excluded yourself from the situation and tried everything above and you still feel off. I’m encouraging you to sit with the feeling until it passes. Sometimes there’s a lesson there and sometimes there isn’t. The important thing to keep in mind is; we’re not always able to fix everything and nothing last forever.
Self-Care on the go are essentially bite size versions of my self-care challenges. It’s open to anyone but it’s specifically created for moms and other working women; who may not have time to participate in all (or any) of the challenges that I provide weekly because of their mommy duties or busy work schedule. You can access the infographic HERE. I’ve been posting them every Sunday since the beginning of the year and I really enjoy creating them. If you’re one of my readers who participate in, or enjoy these options because you find them convenient, leave a comment and let me know what you like about them or what you think I should change. Thanks for going on this self-care journey again with me this week.
By the way, if you’re interested, my Newsletter and Self-Care Accountability Worksheet is now available. The worksheet will act as a supplement to my daily self-care challenges. The purpose is to help you stay on track with your daily self-care routines. If you’re interested in receiving these items weekly, email me at tam33ks@yahoo.com. The self-care worksheet is FREE, but will only be available to my Newsletter subscribers. I will NOT spam you, I will only email once per week.
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Enjoyed reading this post. An alternative to burning sage is using lavender oil burner or sandalwood.. you can use incense sticks too. I also find taking a bath with coffee scrub helps me release the days stress.
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