To put it lightly, it’s been a tough few weeks. Between everything in the news and the general stresses and anxieties of millennial life, self-care seems to be a pretty low priority for a lot of people, myself included. Self-care shouldn’t be neglected, for any reason, so today I’m sharing some of my favorite self-care ideas so we don’t lose our minds over the next few weeks.
Ah, Valentine’s Day. The holiday we all love to hate. For some, it’s just another day on the calendar. For others, it’s a day to show someone just how special they are to you—whether that person is a significant other, spouse, or just a dear friend. But there’s one other person you should never forget to take time for on Valentine’s Day—and that’s yourself!
Let’s start off with a couple of questions: How stressed have you been lately? Do certain things or people in your life make you feel overwhelmed? Are you trying to make changes and nothing seems to be working or getting you there?
Sometimes, life get busy and stressful. It happens. It throws you off your routine and getting back to it isn’t always easy. In the last couple of months, I got so busy and wrapped up in projects that I lost the great routine I had set for myself earlier this year. I’m back on track now, thanks to a series of small changes I added to my routine to help me get there.
When was the last time you had “me time”? Like, actually set time aside to just be you and do something for yourself? If you can’t remember, then it’s time to make it happen again. A couple weeks ago, I wrote about alone time in the first installment of the Weekly Sip. Finding things to do by yourself is essential to a good self-care practice, even for the most extroverted people. It gives you peace of mind to reset and get back to your goals and intentions.
Who’s ready for a fresh start? A new year is always full of resolutions and promises to be a better you. “New Year, new you” mantras are everywhere. I make resolutions or set goals every year, and sometimes I’m good about making them happen or sticking to them. Other times, not so much. This year, I’m making a resolution to practice better self-care.
The holidays are always a magical, exciting time of year. Christmas music plays on the radio (and everywhere else), red, green, silver and gold take over, everyone is out and about running errands and shopping, and not to mention the food and sweets this time of year are top-notch. Nothing beats the buzz this time of year.
The holidays are also always crazy busy and sometimes stress-inducing. There’s just so much to do and seemingly so little time to get it all done. I’ll be honest, sometimes I have a hard time staying patient this time of year, with myself and with others. Staying stress-free isn’t always easy.
Fortunately, there are some great ways to help stay (mostly) stress-free during the holidays! You may already practice some of these habits in your routine. If you don’t, now is a great time to try one out.
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and I’m single. I could write a post about being single on Valentine’s Day–either how it’s kind of nice, or how it kind of sucks–but instead, I’m going to take a different direction. Instead, I’m going to write about loving myself. That’s what’s most important here.
I’ve mentioned in other posts my challenges with fitness, like how I’ve struggled to find a method that’s good for me, doesn’t kill my knees and is enjoyable. I used to do lots of high-impact weight training and stuff like that, but my knees can’t take it anymore. Consistency was hard, too. But recently, I’ve found a fitness method that meets all of my criteria: barre classes. It’s made a huge difference, even though I’ve only been doing it for just over a month.
Barre classes are my fitness match made in Heaven (well, them + yoga and stretching). It’s rooted in ballet, small muscle movements, isometric holds and other small-impact exercises. After taking ballet for 12 years, I thought I could jump into barre classes and catch on quickly. It’s harder than it looks, I’ll say that! But so far, so good.
Well here it is, the fourth and final week of the Be Bold in 2016 linkup series! I’m so proud of and excited for this community we’ve built in the last month. We’ve talked about our words of the year, our blogging goals and our health goals; every week has been full of inspiration and encouragement, and it’s been incredible to see all the connections and growth just in these last few weeks. There’s still time to link up with us for the last week, as we share our personal goals for the year.
Don’t forget to check out posts from all of the #BeBold2016 hosts, too: Gina, Allie, Christina and Catherine!
This year, my personal goals will focus on self-care. After a not-so-easy couple of months at the end of last year, I’ve realized just how integral self-care is to being healthy and successful in life. And I don’t mean “successful” just in terms of my career and work, but in my personal life and adventures, too. If I don’t take care of myself, then there’s no way I can do everything I want and need to do efficiently and with wholehearted passion. Making my dreams happen boils down to taking care of me first.
I almost chose “self-care” as my word of the year, but I felt like “care” on its own was more applicable to more areas of my life. Self-care is appropriate now, though, so it all works out.
