Mastering Self-Care & What Comes Next
It took some time, but I finally began to recognize myself as a scintillating vessel of precious energy. Yup, that’s right. Throughout your day you have a limited amount of energy, or, as some refer to it – ‘shits to give’. In order for you to thrive and take on every obstacle with a bulletproof-like tenacity, you need to feed your body, mind and soul. While that may sound like a lot of work – it isn’t. With a little intention, you can indulge in a few simple rituals that will help you flourish. Because we are all just incredible, high-vibrating light-beings that deserve to flourish and feel good.
Self-care might be on trend due to the fact that we have few other things to do than bathe ourselves and put mashed avocado on our face; but if this time has taught us anything, it should be the importance of taking care of our body, mind… and planet.
Here are three things I propose you do right away to begin the radical journey towards making yourself a priority, so you can fill your vessel and kick-ass at anything you choose to take on.
Creating Space | Your Sacred Cocoon
Pick a spot in your home. Preferably near a window and a place where there isn’t too much foot traffic. This space will be your sanctuary; where you can go to stretch, to read, to write, to self-reflect, to live uninterrupted. Think of it as your charging station. Decorate this space with candles, a yoga mat, a blanket, pillows, incense, books, plants, all the ‘feel good’ necessities that will make this space magic.
Morning Ritual | All For You
Whenever I tell myself I have to do something, it usually doesn’t end up getting done. I spent a long time trying to convince myself to take up yoga. Funny enough, when I switched the word ‘yoga’ for ‘stretching’, it took all the pressure off and there I was at 8 am doing some non-technical yet very satisfying stretches. Cultivating a morning ritual that recharges you, grounds you and leaves you feeling ready for the day is the most important gift you can give yourself.
Mine looks a little like this: 8 am stretching (10-15 minutes), a guided meditation by Mindful in Minutes on Spotify (15 minutes), a hot cup of lemon water and some writing (2 pages of any thought or feeling that comes up, usually nonsensical) and finally a little workout to get the heart rate going (10 min of exercises that don’t require any equipment – squats, leg lifts, all that fun stuff).
It may take some practice to find what works for you – the most important thing is that you show up in your sacred cocoon space, begin with a little stretch, and see how it goes from there. You have an incredibly wise inner guide that will lead the way, all you have to do is ask yourself : ‘What do I need?’.
Affirmations & Observations | You Said It
Oh man, that inner voice, the loud-mouthed nut job that always has something to say. Bring attention to the way you speak to yourself; you may notice, it is often (if not always) fear-based and quite offensive. ‘You aren’t ready’, ‘You’re just going to embarrass yourself’. We bully ourselves. And when has bullying ever been effective in bringing about positive growth? Be your #1 supporter instead, tell yourself you got this, tell yourself that you are exactly who you need to be right now and that you are proud of everything that you are. Observe the voice and come up with a few affirmations that you can go to whenever you need to change the inner dialogue to be a little kinder.
Mine look like this: Observe, don’t absorb. I have some patterned behavior of letting emotions get the best of me. So I remind myself: Observe what you are feeling, ask questions, don’t let it consume you. It can be as simple as ‘I got this’. Some days I need to remind myself “hey, I got this, this is not too big or scary for me”. ‘I am overflowing with energy, I am unstoppable’. The feeling that comes with repeating these treasures to yourself daily is soul-filling.
What comes next?
When you have begun to master self-care – giving yourself the energy and love that you need to feel in abundance – you can begin to extend it outwards, to your relationships and to our planet.
Our planet is one big giant sacred space. It not only deserves to be treated kindly but for our survival, it requires it. Take any extra time you have to learn a few simple things you can do to give back to your home.
Compost It | #1 most impactful thing you can do right now
Step 1: Go find a bag, any bag – a paper bag if you have one. Put it under your sink. That is officially your dry compost. What can go in there? Paper towels, kleenex, pistachio shells, hair, nail clippings, toilet paper rolls… All things organic and dry. Step 2: When you are cooking, eating, making a smoothie – put all food scraps in a bowl. Avocado skins, apple core, garlic peel, coffee grounds, all of it goes in the bowl. Make some space and keep it in your freezer. No mess, no smell. When the bowl is full, you can dump it in the paper bag with your dry compost and take it outside. Find out if your neighborhood offers compost pick up, or find a community garden – they will be happy to take it off your hands. There are dozens of ways to compost, some involve worms, others don’t, whatever gets your mulch turning.
*Food scraps don’t decompose properly in landfill due to lack of oxygen, instead they release methane gas – a very potent & harmful greenhouse gas. Reducing your food waste, and keeping it out of landfill is a fantastic way to make a positive impact.
Carry Reusables | Your Zero Waste Kit
Ditching disposables and single-use plastics is the single most powerful way to take a stand against our waste problem. We have completely lost all control over our trash. Everything goes somewhere and the magnitude & consequence of that would be almost unfathomable, if we didn’t have islands of floating garbage and coastlines of rubbish to remind us there is no black hole in which to rid our garbage. We entertain a strange illusion that we can keep buying, using and throwing away billions of items every year without any implications. The easiest way to start living a low waste lifestyle, is to make a kit of reusables from things you have at home (cutlery, bag, Tupperware etc), or buy a portable zero-waste hemp kit from Keep Gaia Wild (www.keepgaiawild.com); keep it in your bag or car at all times. This way, you will never have to rely on the convenience of single-use plastics again. That’s massive.
Between learning how to love ourselves, how to be there for the ones we love, and cultivating a (re)connection to nature – it can all be overwhelming. With a massive wave of compassion and patience, one step at a time, we will learn from our mistakes and guide each other out of the chaos.
