Learning to rest and how some of your favorite boudoir accessories can help!
Somewhere between the end of summer and the foreshadowing of the holidays are busy women holding it all together and completely neglecting their self-care.
I’m here to encourage you to find ways to practice self-care, they’re all pretty simple, but you have to be intentional about making the time or the opportunities will be gone before you know it.
Truth is, you’ve been running around with end-of-summer preparedness, making sure your family is being cared for, you probably even spent most of the summer attending to their needs.
If you have small kids at home, I bet you spent all your free time trying to make sure they were having the best summer ever, from vacations, sleep-overs, and family time, taking care of your loved ones is top of your list.
But you’ve been neglecting the person that should be at the very top. And that’s you.
Listen, when you are flying on a plane – if you listen to the safety instructions – which we absolutely positively are all definitely listening to each and every time – they tell you in the case of an emergency to put your mask on first.
Why is that?
It’s because you cannot pour from an empty cup. You cannot give back to others if you have not first given yourself the care you need and deserve.
Anyone can operate on power save mode, but that battery is going to run out really quickly.
So here are my top picks for how you can restore your energy and breathe new life into yourself before the holidays demand all your attention.
Self Care 101: Get Yourself Alone Time
Can everyone please just be quiet?!
If you’re feeling extra burnt out, you’re probably hyper-sensitive to noise and chatter, commotion can feel hectic and if you find yourself ready to snap – you need alone time ASAP!
The wonderful thing about alone time is it can look like whatever you want it to.
If sitting in a dark theater by yourself eating warm buttery salty popcorn while drinking a crisp ice-cold Coca-Cola is going to give you the escapism that you so crave, then do that!
If it’s meandering through a park and then sitting on a bench to watch the ducks swim around the foggy late evening pond, that’s great too!
What does your perfect alone time look like? It’s really up to you and it can change by day and season.
Self Care 102: Read Your (Favorite) Book
Do you have a stack of books piled up to the ceiling that you just don’t even have time to read?
Is there an old classic or a modern favorite that you can find solace in?
Bring yourself to a coffee shop, order a delicious dirty chai, snuggle into a corner of the shop and settle in for some solid reading time.
Being adjacent to people but not having to talk to them is sometimes all the recharge you need. Getting to focus on a book while the chatter around you becomes ambient noise, that’s icing on the cake.
Reading your favorite book can transport you to another time and place and almost make you forget about the demands of your daily grind.
Picking a seasonally appropriate book will help set the mood even more.
Self Care 103: Build A Playlist to Match Your Vibes
Sometimes a song can really help you process your feelings.
Sometimes drinking tequila while dancing like crazy to your favorite song with your bestie, Meredith Grey and Cristina Yang style, will really help you release some of the pent-up stress and emotions you are carrying.
We love dancing it out and the song doesn’t have to be predictable, if you are feeling emo, then put on that Adele song and belt it out.
Do whatever feels good to you. And if you’re not sure what that is, browse Spotify for curated playlists. Somehow they tend to know just what you need before you even do.
Self Care 104: Bath + Boudoir Accessories
This one is a fun one!
I know you’ve been holding onto all those fancy schmancy bath bombs and Epsom salts. You maybe even have a drawer full of face masks and hair conditioners.
Now’s the time to bust them out. Enjoy the bath of a lifetime.
Treat yourself to a bath by candlelight, put on some instrumental playlist, and let the water soak away your stress.
When you’re done slip into your favorite bought-it-for-the-boudoir lingerie. A silky robe to top it off will have you feeling a restored sense of self and leave you waking up feeling rested and recharged, ready for a new day.
Self Care 201: Enlist Help
There’s a reason we’re now in self-care 201. This is the next level. It’s not easy, but it’s essential.
Ask. For. Help.
Whether it’s asking your partner or spouse to take over to allow you downtime or asking another parent to let the kids have a sleepover (and then you swap to give them a break), find ways to allow yourself to receive the help you need.
If you’re single or live alone, see if one of your friends can come over to help you tackle some of the things weighing on you. Let your family know that you really could use a break and see how they may be able to jump in to assist.
You’ll be surprised, but family and friends love to help and when you’re vocal about needing something, they’re usually pretty good at brainstorming ways they could do it.
If you know something specific they can do, let them know. Otherwise, see what their suggestions are, and don’t feel ashamed or bad for asking for help.
Our ancestors all lived in communities where they shared the responsibilities, you are not designed to do everything on your own. So if it feels like a struggle just know there are ways around that and you’re doing great.
Self Care 202: Journal It Out
Not everyone is a journaler.
I tend to go through seasons of life where I’m either all in or I’m not.
But nothing beats a new journal and a set of pens.
Stroll the aisles of Target, pick out the cutest journal you can find, treat yourself to those spendy pens, and give yourself space to journal.
Let it be messy, let it be random. The simple act of writing out your thoughts and feelings often helps you process big things and see the path forward.
It’s a way to release some of the tension you’ve probably been holding in and if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, writing it down will help.
Self Care 203: Treat Yourself
Now’s the time to take extra good care of yourself.
There are simple ways to treat yourself without you blowing the budget.
Buy yourself a new nail polish in a fun color you’ve never tried before. Allow yourself to stop at the new coffee shop and try a seasonal latte. Rent that movie on Amazon that you really want to see. Go to your favorite shopping center and stroll around, bring your favorite cozy drink with you for the extra holiday feels.
Now if you have it in the budget to really treat yourself, book a weekend getaway. There are tons of adorable homes on Airbnb for rent and you can choose the features that matter to you. You don’t even need to go far, search within an hour or two of your home. You’ll get an easy quick getaway without the expense of money and time to get there.
Self Care 204: Spend Time with Friends
Sometimes you can simply feel disconnected from the people you love spending time with.
As the seasons change we often find ourselves busy with errands, school, sports, and holiday pressures.
If it’s been a while since you’ve seen your besties, call them up and ask for a girl’s night.
You can do whatever feels right for everyone. Maybe you want to go out dancing or throw it back old school with some Saturday Night Bowling. Karaoke and Piano Bars can be a blast but so is trying a new restaurant you have been wanting to visit.
Or have an adult slumber party. Why did those ever end anyways? Face masks, paint nails, watch movies and wear matching pajamas.
You can make it fun however you want!
Congrats! You’ve graduated from the Self-Care Academy!
Let’s recap the simple ways you can practice self-care:
- Schedule Alone Time
- Read Your Favorite Book
- Make a Playlist
- Take a Bath
- Ask for Help
- Journal it Out
- Treat Yourself
- Time with Friends
It’s not easy to practice self-care which makes it all the more important to do it.
Even if you don’t feel like you’re struggling, you deserve to give yourself the love and attention that you extend to others.
Getting in the habit of doing small kind things for yourself will help you remember to do it when things get busy or life gets hard.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, it hardly ever is, but it’s the intention that matters so really try to give yourself this space and time.
You truly deserve it!
Looking for more information about self-care? Check out this great article from Verywell.
And if your self-care happens to be booking a boudoir session in the Atlanta area with me so you can get dolled up and drink champagne, then you get all the extra credit. You can book with me here and I can’t wait to see you!