I’m the girl who doesn’t know how to relax, how to shut off, how to turn off. I can lay in bed listening to my rainforest pandora station (Yes, I know no one uses Pandora anymore) and my brain is still going. And yes, I know self-care is important. More important than we all know, probably. So I spent a week, consciously thinking about taking care of my self, my body, my skin, etc. And here’s what I did and how I felt at the end of it.
How to Indulge in Self Care
Monday: Day 1 – Learning to not dread Monday’s
Monday’s are always a lag for me. I dread them, not because I hate my job. Or hate my days – it’s so ingrained into my thoughts. “Ugh, Monday,” so today, I didn’t let myself go there. I didn’t let myself have a few extra minutes in bed after my alarm went off. I got right up because I was excited for the day (hey, mind over matter right?). Gatsby and I went to our typical morning park, with our typical crew – but instead of hating the cold – I let the brisk winter air wake me up.
After work, I normally have a quick dinner and go straight for the couch. Today, I decided I’d try a new recipe. This is something I would NEVER do on a Monday – because LOL who has time!!!
Tuesday: Day 2 – Taking a break from the day
Work for me is normally straight through lunch – not because my company doesn’t allow “lunch breaks” been there, never doing that again. But because I mentally think I’m that busy! Today, I took the hour out of my day to treat myself to lunch and sit there and eat it not in front of my computer screen.
Normally in the afternoon, because I’ve been there all day long – I feel drained and at max capacity but this day was different. It didn’t happen at 3 PM – it happened at 4:45 PM. And BAM! The workday was done.
Wednesday: Day 3 – Face mask & Chick Flicks
I love a good face mask. And I love a good chick flick. After work tonight, I made my favorite dinner – which is currently the cauliflower gnocchi and turkey meatballs from TJ’s. Put my favorite Beautycounter Charcoal face mask on once dinner was done and popped in one of my FAVORITE chick flicks – The Devil Wears Prada.
I even poured myself a glass of wine, after all, it was #winewednesday and with that it was almost 9:30 (my bedtime these days) and I was off to bed, chuckling about everything Miranda says.
Thursday: Day 4 – Continuing to make time for your friends
If you’ve been following my life for a while now – you know that I have the best friends. And I am a firm believer that you’re nothing without your girls standing behind you.
We all have busy days – and our to-do lists are never-ending. But at the end of the day, you just have to prioritize your time. And you can always find time for the people in your life that you want.
So today, my girls and I did some wine tasting at City Winery in Boston! Wine flights? Yes, count us in!
Friday: Day 5 – #girlsnightin
As if I didn’t get enough of my girlfriends the night before, we decided to have a game night. Ordered pizza because #dieting & made some fun and very #instaworthy drinks. It may not be glamorous but it is fun! I can never say after a night (or two) with my friends, that I wish I didn’t do it. I wish I had been anti-social or went to bed.
Saturday: Day 6 – Coffee & Magazines
Please don’t tell me that I am the only one who drinks their coffee on the go. Whether that’s getting ready for the day, on the way to work, or while doing work. How often do you sit down and actually enjoy the cup of coffee? I sat on the couch, sipped my coffee (while it was warm!!!) & caught up on the copious amounts of magazines I always get sucked into buying.
Sunday: Day 7 – Move That Body
I got outside and worked out, especially I treated myself and did a workout class outside. I am always so much more inclined to workout in a class and since I’m a competitive person, I want to work out harder or faster than the person next to me. Breathing in the fresh air while getting endorphins from a great workout was everything I needed that morning.
Self-care is different to everyone. You have to find what works for you, and not forget about it. I always think I thrive on the busy life and the pressure I put on myself. But maybe I work best, am the best when I remember myself.
It also worked great when I did a little here and a little there instead of trying to cram in everything about self-care I can think of in one day or one night. I think self-care truly works when you focus on it every day, every week, month in and month out. If you’re anything like me, you’ll take care of everyone before yourself, and I’m sure you’ve heard something along the lines of, “how can you take care of others when yourself isn’t taken care of?” It’s true.
Focus on YOU
Now, I’m going to challenge you to try to incorporate just one thing of self-care for your life this month. And it doesn’t have to be something that worked for me, or that I did. Remember, this is about you. After, tell me what you did & how it went!
~ XOXO, the zen-ed out, Amanda // Blonde out of Water
