After months spent caring for others and navigating the curious times we live in, spring now awaits us with the promise of warmer weather and the joys of new life emerging all around us. Because we look upon spring as a time of birth and renewal, it’s an excellent time for us to examine how we, ourselves, might be nurtured and experience that same sense of renewal in our daily lives.
Self-care has become a common, sometimes overused, buzzword we may hear several times a day, but many times in the course of our busy days, self-care sits on the back burner. The old saying, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” rings true. We know this. We realize the importance of caring for ourselves in order to better care for others and lead happy, healthy, fulfilling lives, but at day’s end, sometimes we’re just too tired to do anything more than say, “I’ll take care of myself tomorrow.”
While we can’t add extra time to each day, there are a few ways we take a moment here and there for a bit of rest and rejuvenation. We’d like to share a few ways we’ve found to sneak a little self-care into our days:
- Getting up to enjoy the silence. One way to start your day is to get up just a few minutes earlier to enjoy some time alone before the day begins. Sitting quietly and enjoying the new day’s dawning can help us focus and create a framework for things that need to be accomplished. Great plans are often made in solitude.
- Relaxing in an Epsom salt bath. While there is no definitive proof that magnesium is absorbed through the skin, our mothers knew that soaking in Epsom salt can help ease muscle aches, reduce inflammation, and provide stress relief. An old-fashioned Epsom salt foot soak also works wonders for those who spend a lot of time on their feet.
- Taking a walk outdoors. There are so many sources that tell us even a short walk outside can yield enormous health benefits. Getting a bit of exercise and connecting with the sun, the air, the ground, other companions we might meet along the way can truly help improve your day. Just a few minutes outside on your lunch break help you move your body and can also help alleviate stress.
- Engaging in a favorite hobby. Hobbies add interest to our lives and can connect us to others with similar interests. Doing something purely for the joy it brings can be an important way to build self-confidence or express our creativity.
- Journaling is one of the easiest means of self-care one can exercise. Taking a moment to get in touch with ourselves and our feelings and writing them down can be gateway to new perspectives. You can journal about a specific topic like gratitude, or you can just free-write. No matter what your journal holds, it can be a valuable tool in so many ways. Sometimes writing things down can help us release them, if needed, or can help us set our goals and intentions.
These are just a few ideas for self-care, and we’re sure you have some of your own. Our Sisters enjoy spending time outdoors and engaging their senses and some experience the benefits of gentle movement. No matter what method(s) you choose, self-care should remind you that your needs and your means of renewal are important. Fulfilling those needs helps you to be fully present for others and for yourself. As we enter spring, remember not to allow your cup be emptied when there are so many pleasant ways to keep it filled.