Let’s pretend you’ve been given two hours to yourself, no strings attached. The kids are off on the best playdates of their lives. Your man is doing whatever he likes to do… out of the house. And you are left alone, at home. How do you choose to spend the time?
A. Chill out on social media
B. Lie on the couch for a serious Netflix binge
C. Call a friend. Head out for some fun.
D. Work
I’d choose D.
Because not only am I a workaholic, I am obsessed with productivity. If I’m not accomplishing something off my to-do list, I feel like I’m wasting time. (I know, there’s an issue here, but it’s irrelevant to this post topic.) The last thing I’d do is some sort of self care activity. (Notice it’s not even an option??) And the reason is that what’s typically considered self care – like lying in the bath with candles – just isn’t me.
To me self care as always been some serene thing, preferably in low light. But then I went away with my mom on a spa trip, and my whole definition of self care blew open. I learned what it really means to take care of yourself along with ways to implement it.
To take care of yourself is to nourish who you are. If long baths with candles do this for you, then yes – that is an excellent activity for self care. Other examples of self care would be long bike rides, long hikes and long sessions of doodling on paper. Self care doesn’t have to always be a long time. It could also be 5 minute meditations, quick retreats to your bedroom and simple moments with a smoothie. All forms of exercise are usually part of a self care practice as long as you’re not overextended and left feeling depleted. This is the main component of self care – it must nourish who you are.
Another form of self care is knowing when to say no. At the spa there were nonstop activities that appealed to every aspect of who I am — meditation class, hikes, tai chi, skin seminars and more. So yes – partaking in these activities would definitely nourish my being. But it was also feeding my need for productivity and do do do. I needed to sit out sometimes to quiet that worker bee part of myself. Sitting out (or a time out!) is self care too.
So you see, self care is way more than relaxing in a bath with candles. It’s about nourishing who you are. And experimenting with your wardrobe is another way to do this. That’s right – your closet refresh can be part of your self care practice!
To take a self care approach with your closet refresh, make sure to keep a relaxed attitude. Don’t get caught up in the pressure of finding something to wear. Consider it your ME time. Your opportunity to really get into your clothes, see what you have, what you love, and what doesn’t work anymore. Be kind to yourself when faced with things you no longer like. I have a tendency to feel bad about my poor decisions wardrobe wise. You know, when you buy something for a lot of money, yet never wear it. Better to just let that sh!t go! Both literally and figuratively. Creating outfits is a creative process. Think like an artist. Experiment. But most importantly, let it nourish who you are. What do you feel good wearing? Use that feeling as your foundation for making outfits. And don’t forget to have fun. Keep it light. When things don’t work, move on.
Ultimately, using your closet refresh as self care is about finding new ways to express yourself which is 100% nourishment.
The big bonus– it’ll also give you a bunch of new outfits to wear that make you look and feel your best.
Click here to read the best morning routine to look your best!
As you know Elysha, in yoga practice they say – find what feels good. That is what I am trying to follow in my self care. In dong so, the first rule is getting in touch with the self. then calming the mind, and opening the heart. As you said, self care can be active instead of passive. So if that means work, so be it. And, I do believe what you wear affects how you feel. Great post.
Thank you, Terry. Curious if you consider your running to be self care?