It’s so easy to not make time for self-care, but when you realize it’s a big secret to setting the tone for how you think, move, and feel, and how you show up in the world, priorities can shift. Now more than ever, we are ready for our priorities to shift. We are ready to change everything and work toward a better way.
Self-care is not selfish. It’s just as important as drinking water, eating well, and taking a shower. I like to think about self-care as two sets of moments; luxurious self-care time, and all of the other moments in the day. Every moment is an opportunity for self-care. The more you take good care of yourself, the better off everyone else is too.
The luxurious moment is what we all think of, that time on your yoga mat, that walk in nature, or that moment for meditation. This is your practice that sets up your mood for the day. For the rest of the time, you can choose to come back to a self-care mindset and practice or you can choose to allow tension, rigidity, and force take over. We all can relate.
If you choose to be rigid during all the moments that you aren’t doing that luxurious self-care, the rigidity wins. To be well, we need to choose to be well every time we notice the tension creeping in. Slow down. Soften. Breathe deep. Notice how you feel. Every moment you notice the tension taking hold is an opportunity to soften and come back to you. The good news is softening feels good. It connects you to you and rolls the tension right off like a raincoat.
Our luxurious self-care moments don’t need to be stressful or fancy. In the arts, there is a lovely term, divertissement, where the moment in the dance is simply a celebration of dance. The moment doesn’t advance the storyline, it is simply a joyful moment to revel in. Divertissement is a natural luxury, and everyone deserves this joy. Here is a simple moment I create for myself to tap into this self-care and joy.
Allow yourself to be comfortable. Crawl down to the ground and grab a blanket or pillow to get cozy. Grab a journal, a mug of tea or water, and candle, or anything else to help you feel connected and at peace. Soften and allow your breath to move your body. Watch your breath and what’s going on with you for a while. If you have an overwhelming thought or idea, write it down and come back to your breath. Hang with this for a few moments and when you’re finished ease back into your day with this same feeling and physical posture.
