It’s been about two weeks since I posted a blog but I haven’t been feeling well and instead of pushing myself to post each week I decided to give my body the rest and time it needed to heal. Plus I’ve been posting non-stop since January and even people who work 9-5 take a vacation at least once per year. I’m not comparing my blog to a full time job but sometimes it does feel like it and as a someone who writes about the importance of self-care, it’s imperative that I take the time I need to myself regularly. My plan was to take the rest of the month off and start back fresh with a new topic in September but I wanted to have a few ideas on the blog for visitors on spiritual self-care and its benefits so chose to finish the month strong.
I say it all the time but these topics don’t get any easier. I spent most of the week trying to decide what to write about as it relates to spiritual self-care and I had a tough time coming up with something. This week I want to talk about the essentials but I’m not sure I know what the essentials are. Mediation comes to mind but I’ve written about meditation a lot in the past, I even have a blog post that talks about the different forms of meditation that you can read HERE. But I think spiritual self-care is essential because our spirituality is what helps keeps us grounded. I know we are not all religious but I do believe that each of of us have something that we can fall back on when we feel our lives are starting to fall apart and to me that falls under our spiritual self-care.
CREATE A SACRED SPACE this might not be easy for everyone to do and I understand in most instances some people have an entire room dedicated to this (i.e. their meditation room). But sometimes we have to work with what we have, perhaps this can be your at home work space or the vanity area where you apply your makeup or daily facial routine. The purpose is to use this space to help get you re-centered and focused. Often times when we are in these designated areas it’s just us, take advantage of that time.
CARVE OUT TIME FOR YOURSELF do this daily if possible. You can use the time you spend in your sacred space or it can be anytime during the day that you find for yourself. I understand that everyone’s schedule and situation is different so it may not be ideal for most to take time for themselves each day at the same time. But any amount of time you can find just for you during the day will make a difference.
FORM A CONNECTION no two people will fall in this same category. I chose to use this as an option because I think a lot of us believe we can do it all and believe that they have it all figured out but the truth is we can all use some form of help at some point in our lives. This connection can be to a being that’s higher than yourself, it can be to an object that has meaning to you, or it can be a connection to a scripture or an affirmation.
READ I recently went through some books I’ve had in storage for a while and I learned that I use to read a lot of books on spirituality, specifically by His Holiness The Dali Lama. I’m not a Buddhist but I have a great deal of respect for the practice and a lot of what buddhism stands for resonates with who I am as a person. I encourage you to read books on spirituality to help with forming some type of connection. My biggest take away from reading spiritual books is it has an impact on the way I view life.
RELEASE CONTROL there’s probably a big question mark over your head right now lol but this one is similar to what I mentioned above about having it all figured out. We can’t always be in control all the time and sometimes the universe, energy, god, etc. will make this very clear. Releasing control in this instance means that when things are out of your control, you simply learn to accept. I know this isn’t always easy; especially if you’re in a situation where you really wanted things to go your way.
APPRECIATE BEING OUT OF TOUCH I think some of us always feel like we need to be in the mix and need to know what’s going on all the time and it’s not necessary. I posted something recently that said “normalize not being in the loop.” Not being in the loop doesn’t mean that you’re missing out on anything, you can use that time to work on yourself or focus on other things that matter more in your life.
APPRECIATE LIFE I think we are all guilty of taking life for granted at some point. I think we’ve been programmed to navigate through life without fully appreciating what life is offering us even though we all know that at any moment it can all be over. I don’t want to turn this into a dark post but take the time to really start to appreciate life, especially the small things like the wind blowing, the sun shining, the seasons changing, and the time spent with those you love.
BLOG FEATURE! I’m honored to share that Lovet Planners has featured me on their BLOG. I’ve mentioned them in some of my blog post in the past and I am a huge fan of their self-care products. Check out my feature HERE.
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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