Self lovin’ care doesn’t have to be complicated.
Yes, there are plenty of women who commit an hour or more each day to self care. And this may sound dreamy, but for most of us, in the day to day experience and fullness of life this may not always be our reality.
Maybe some days mean an hour or more of self care practices, but success in self loving care does not mean you have to commit an hour to your daily routine.
In fact, even one moment is enough.
I want to affirm to you that everything counts.
No matter if your practice is five minutes or fifty, the time and attention and love you give yourself on a daily basis matters.
Because you matter.
The love you give you creates a foundation of abundance. When you love yourself, you feel whole and complete and safe…and loved.
No longer aching or longing for someone else to fill that space in your heart and life, loving you gives you freedom and power to be and do and have anything you dream.
So even if you feel like you have no time for self care or you can’t commit to a daily practice, I invite you to erase those excuses and change that belief.
I invite you to revision what self loving care can look like in your life. To find a way to integrate self loving practices, thoughts and beliefs into your everyday experience.
Think creatively. And keep it simple.
For me, most days involve a few moments or minutes to begin…and continue cultivating this mindset of self love.
It always begins with appreciation.
When I first awaken, I focus my attention of appreciating this waking, the coziness of my bed, my wellbeing, the gift of life, the possibility that each day brings, the beautiful beings with whom I share this journey, the opportunity to be, the breath that flows through me.
On the days I’m feeling less than grateful, I keep it general…for the sunshine, the air, the Earth, the trees. This appreciation is just as valuable and may come more easily when we feel heavy with sadness or anger.
Starting the day with appreciation sets the tone for inviting more love and joy and experiences to appreciate into our lives.
I’m especially lucky because most days of my life right now also begin with snuggles, kisses and gratitude shared with my baby girl. And hugs from my other baby girl {who’s almost 10!} later when she rises.
When I decide to move my body out of bed, I do so with ease and I take my time. As I rise, I bring my hands together overhead and pull them into my heart space. For a moment, I honor the light within me and within each and every one of us. I say a silent namaste and acknowledge the unity and love the connects everything.
Next, I’ll drink about 18 oz of water. I prepare for this by filling my trusty stainless steel bottle the night before and keeping it by my bed. When I rise, it’s easy for me to nourish my body with hydration and awaken my digestive system. Many people like to add lemon or drink warm water, which is wonderful too…for me, keeping it simple works for now.
Of course, my next stop is the bathroom because letting go of whatever our body needs to release is part of loving ourselves. Making our physical wellbeing a priority is an act of self love.
As I wash my hands and splash a bit of water on my face, I give thanks for the luxury of fresh water.
And as I look at myself in the mirror, I practice self love by saying “I love you” to my reflection and consciously choosing to think something appreciative about myself.
This is a practice that can be really challenging at first, but has grown easier for me over time. It has been a foundational piece of really accepting, appreciating and loving myself. A must.
After this, I’ll give myself a little heart opener on my balance ball that I keep in my bedroom. This has become one of my favorite wake up movements that I also use any time I’m feeling a little frustrated or like my heart is constricting rather than expanding.
I simply drape my body over the ball and reach my hands overhead as my back gently bends along the curve of the ball and my body is fully supported. Not only do I feel the physical support beneath me, I also cherish the ease of opening my heart and the energetic shifts this creates.
Sometimes I’ll integrate a few other yoga postures or moves, but the primary feeling I want is aligning with my breath and feeling awakened and energized and at ease in my body. Even just giving ourselves a few conscious breaths can set the foundation for feeling aligned all day. The breath changes everything.
Then I follow up with a really simple physical self care routine, which means brushing teeth, scraping tongue, sometimes oil pulling, sometimes flossing or water picking, applying oil to my skin {lately Argan, carrot seed and helichrysium essential oils}, using a chemical free deoderant {I like the Thai Deodorant Stone or Crystal Essence}, brushing my locks, and choosing attire that I feel sexy, vibrant and beautiful wearing. I’ve noticed in recent years how much more alive and aligned I feel when I wear clothes that reflect my self love, that feel and look good on this body, that remind me to shine.
This means I’ve let go of any clothes that I feel less than rad wearing. It’s simplified my wardrobe and helped me embrace living in the now by wearing the clothes I used to “save” for special occasions. Beauty from the inside out…starts with mindset and is reflected with how we carry and adorn and tend to our temple, our physical selves in this lifetime.
I also almost always feel called to read or listen to something inspiring…this may be a poem or quote I have in my space, or a card I choose from one of my decks, or a message I receive from an inspirational newsletter, or a passage from a book on my shelf, or an uplifting video, or the stories my girls have to tell me. I trust my intuition to guide me, so whatever I choose is always just the thing I need to remember in the moment. And my heart feels full knowing that I always have access to this tapestry of wisdom and inspiration whenever I choose to tune in.
Because I’m a home educating mama of two daughters, most days my wake up self care routine is short and sweet. The thing is, it’s like I used to tell my high school students when they’d ask me how long an essay or assignment needed to be…what’s most important is the quality of the creation, not adhering to someone else’s standards or the quantity of the work.
I feel this reflects perfectly what I believe about our own self loving care practices.
It’s not how much we do for our self care routine or how many green smoothies we make or how many miles we run or how often we get on our mat. It’s the quality of our experience as we move through each of the moments in our life. It’s the feeling we have as we live each day. It’s the presence and awareness and love we bring to every breath.
The truth is, my self lovin’ care practices extend throughout the day…often with dance parties at home with my girls in our kitchen, with journaling, with barefoot walks on the ocean or in the park, with amazing conversations with people I adore, with gazing at the sky, with lounging on the hammock, with eating nourishing foods, with hot baths, with time to rest, with connecting, with choosing loving thoughts, with creating from my heart…
The vision is to create a lifestyle of self lovin’ care. To build a life that feels really good to you, inspired, delightful, fun. To design your days to be something you wake up excited to experience. To fully live in a way that feels wonder~full.
So please stop letting any comparisonitis or feeling like what you’re doing is not enough keep you stuck. Just start giving yourself a little more…attention, kindness, energy, and love. Even a breath is enough. Everything counts. And you are worth it.
In love,
D
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