“ Nobody's live is ever all balanced. It is a conscious decision to choose your priorities everyday.”

- Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Self care is not just bubble baths and chocolates

If you find yourself having to regularly indulge in consumer self-care, it’s because you are disconnected from actual self-care, which has very little to do with “treating yourself” and a whole lot to do with making choices for your long-term wellness.

It is prioritizing to do a morning routine and cooking yourself healthy meals and no longer running away from your problems and calling the distraction a solution.

We are all a wee bit too busy.

The Journal of Archaeological Science found that "Stress is a physiological disruption caused by real or subjective threats, which perturb an individual's physical or psychological state and may be caused by single or combined physical, physiological and psychosocial conditions or stressors" (Webb et al, 2009). Studies of ancient hair samples showed that cortisol levels were high even in our ancestors.

Add our modern day living and the pressure of everything having to be bigger, faster and better. A world in which self-care has to be such a trendy topic is a world that is pretty darn sick, in my opinion.

Let me suggest a few things about self care:

• Self-care should not be something we resort to because we are so absolutely exhausted that we need some reprieve from our own ongoing internal pressure.

• Self care means that you sometimes have to disappoint the people in your life, because at times there is just no room for them or their problems.

• Self care means you revisit old memories and honestly look your failures in the eyes. It will bring perspective so you can move forward and release the pain and discomfort that lives in your body.

• Self care means that you accept that life is not perfect.

• Self care means letting yourself be normal. It means that you sometimes will have dirty dishes in the sink and your bed may not be made. (although it does set you up for feeling a bit more organized)

• Self care means means reconnect with what you have until your everyday life isn’t something you need therapy to recover from.

It is letting go. It is choosing new. It is making sacrifices for others.

It is no longer using your hectic life as justification for self-sabotage in the form of liquor and procrastination.

It is learning how to stop trying to “fix yourself” and start trying to take care of yourself… and maybe finding that taking care lovingly attends to a lot of the problems you were trying to fix in the first place.

It is becoming the person you know you want and are meant to be. Someone who knows that bubble baths and chocolates are ways to enjoy life – not escape from it.

Use these 3 Journal Prompts to help you in reconnecting with yourself:

1. Embracing self-compassion: Reflect on the way you speak to yourself. Are you kind, gentle, and understanding, or do you often criticize and judge yourself harshly? Explore the power of self-compassion and how it can transform your relationship with yourself. How can you practice self-kindness and offer yourself the same compassion you would extend to a loved one?

2. Cultivating gratitude for your journey: Take a moment to appreciate the person you have become and the lessons you have learned along the way. Reflect on your strengths, achievements, and moments of growth. How can you embrace gratitude for your journey, acknowledging both the highs and lows? Practicing gratitude towards yourself can help you have a kinder and more loving connection with your true self.

3. Uncovering inner desires and dreams: Allow yourself to dream without limitations or judgment. What are the whispers of your heart, the desires that you may have suppressed or forgotten? Dive deep within and explore the dreams and aspirations that bring you joy and excitement. How can you reconnect with those inner desires and take steps towards manifesting them with kindness and self-belief?

X

Webb, Emily, et al. “Assessing Individual Systemic Stress through Cortisol Analysis of Archaeological Hair.” Journal of Archaeological Science, vol. 37, no. 4, 2010, pp. 807–812, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2009.11.010.

What if you could step out for a weekend and spend time on you? What if the 3 journal prompts above make you wish for a deeper search into what it is that you want to experience, feel and get out of life?

A MeTreat may just be what you are yearning for.

Plan a couple of nights away by yourself and experience this introspective solo retreat that I have created JUST for YOU. You will rediscover what it is that you want to pursue, find what is truly important to you and make some clear decisions based on what your soul is telling you.

Go check it out here