I got up this morning, turned on some Jazz music (as opposed to the TV which has the potential to suck me into binge-watching!), had breakfast, did some journaling, did some much-needed apartment cleaning and now I’m here writing this post with a cup of tea and candle lighting.
I’m so enjoying the morning, I don’t have anywhere specific to be, I don’t have anything specific to do and I’m loving it! It made me think, why do I never schedule in some much needed “me” time? I’m so busy scheduling in events, activities, meetups that I never schedule in a day of simply… nothing.
If we don’t slow down and listen to ourselves and do what we want to do, then we will simply burnout. Between a hectic work life and personal life, days blend into months and months into years and we look back seeing that we were always running around planning the next thing. Are you actually enjoying what you’re doing at the time you are doing it or are you already thinking of the next thing?
So I challenge you to practice some self-care! Below is an idea of some of the things you can do:
Plan one day/evening/hour a week completely to yourself and do something that you want to do and do it alone
Practice journaling. Spend 5 minutes a day, writing what you’re grateful for and what you achieved that day and don’t focus on what you didn’t get done. For example, this week I wanted to do resistance training twice, work on my business, practice my Spanish. I didn’t get to the business or Spanish but I wrote in that I achieved my exercise target, met up with friends, worked a busy week. It’s not easy to get to everything on our lists, so don’t dwell on what was missed and make sure to prioritise what’s important to you.
Practice Yoga/Meditation twice a week. I go onto YouTube and type in “15-minute yoga practice”. There’s plenty to choose from and if you do this in the morning, you’ll feel refreshed for the day.
Put away the phones! I know we need to use our phones for a lot of different activities daily but put a limit on your phone usage. I’ve noticed the negative impacts if I spend too much time on my phone. Mindless scrolling through posts I’ve already seen, seeing someone away on holidays and wanting to be away myself etc. Remember social media isn’t always telling the true story so put a time limit on how much you use it during the day and turn it off at least an hour before you go to bed. If you’re like me and tempted by checking the notifications, put it on do not disturb until your alarm goes off in the morning. It really works for me, I stay away from it and feel a lot fresher.
Go to a café and read a book or light a candle, get on the couch with a cup of tea and read, there’s nothing better and it is the ultimate zen 😊
Go for a nice long walk. In between the storm season, we are having, get out for a nice long walk for yourself. Surround yourself with nature and just be present. It should help you to try switch off from the rush of everyday life!
Pick up something you really want to do, whether it is a pottery class, painting class, dance class, do something that may be an hour a week and something you want to do
Whatever you decide to do, recognise how important spending time with you is!
Thanks for reading,
AlwaysAisling
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