Self-Care is an important part of my life. There are things that I do daily like how I eat, exercise and sleep, but there is one big day a month I note in my planner. That day is noted so no matter what comes my way, I can kindly decline, putting myself first and sticking to my goal of making my day of self-care happen.
This past Saturday, I took my self-care day. As I was enjoying my solitude, I was thinking about you and I decided I would take some time to share this concept with you. One note on this big Self-Care Day that I take monthly, my phone is off for at least 80% of the day (I just check it for emergencies and turn it right back off) and I do not touch my computer for the entire day. It is how I let myself disconnect and feel recharged.
I like to include all things that I do for optimal health, so from exercise to rest, let me run you through my game plan. I take these self-care days alarm clock free. I set my coffee pot the night before, but with no timer, just ready to push the button and go when I finally wake up, as you should know every standard day, my coffee pot is set to make my coffee five minutes before my morning alarm rings. I love waking up to those five little beeps my coffee pot makes, followed by the smell of fresh coffee waiting for me to enjoy.
These self-care days, I love to take a class at the gym mid-day. Yes, to me a mid-day class is totally wild as I am usually on a pretty structured schedule, so on Friday night, I locked in a 11:30am Saturday spin class. I mapped out my time, including after spin shower, steam and shower again in no rush, just enjoying the time I have. I also booked a sweat. Let me explain that one. I fell in love with Shape House about a year ago. Shape House is known as an Urban Sweat Lodge, this is the description from the Shape House site “using FAR infrared is a radiant form of natural energy. FAR infrared cannot be seen but can be felt as a nourishing heat that safely penetrates the skin to increase core-body temperature. This results in an intense, detoxifying, health-boosting sweat that helps you look and feel healthier, happier, and brighter.”
A sweat at Shape House after a tough workout is the perfect way to avoid feeling sore as it helps reduce inflammation and places me into a deep feeling of relaxation. For me, it mimics a massage, that feeling after, so amazing. I should say I am pretty hooked on these treatments and try to regularly throughout the month. After the treatment I am taken to a beautiful quiet room where I enjoy some hot tea of my choice with some fresh orange slices.
Saturday morning, I woke up on my own around seven thirty. I turned on my coffee along with some relaxing spa music. Once my coffee was ready, I took my coffee back into bed where I took a nice hour to read the news and enjoy listening to my music in no rush. Once I got up and made my bed, I packed my gym bag which included a banana so I would have a snack between the gym and my sweat.
On the taxi ride between the gym and my sweat, I didn’t turn on my phone, instead I enjoyed watching the snow fall and scoping out my surroundings. One of the things I always did traveling alone was pay attention in the car. It helped me learn my way around and spot restaurants and places I may want to check out on my trips. This is no different, I am in living in a new place, in a new area and taking time in the taxi to continue to learn my way around is fun. The snow was pretty heavy that day and I was loving watching it fall and I had to laugh at the squeaking sound of the taxi’s windshield wipers. Not something I heard much in California, but something that brought me back to my childhood in Pennsylvania. I love taking time away from the phone and opening my mind and that is exactly what I did on both trips that day, to and from my sweat.
After my sweat I like to go home and get in a nice long nap, again with no alarm clock. This time I slept for a good two hours. I woke up feeling refreshed and hungry, so I made myself a nice soup and salad combo that I enjoyed it while I caught up on the new season of Grace and Frankie on Netflix. I timed it perfectly so that I could stay up to watch the new episode of Power. Sometimes, turning off my brain and turning on the tv is all I need!
The workout, sweat combo moves me into a perfect state of relaxation that allows me to, guilt free, disconnect with the world and just enjoy being still and relax the rest of the day. I don’t need much, I just need time and taking that time for me is how I create the space in my life for one full day a month of self-care.
Life can take us away, especially with the pressures of twenty-four hours of social media and the constant responsibilities we are all faced with. I recommend starting with one full day a month while sprinkling in little things that you enjoy through the month. I write them in my planner like a meeting, so they remain just as important as everything else I do. The better we all feel, the more we have to offer to others. So, take it from me, taking time for you is the best thing you can do for me. I hope to hear what you like to do for your days of Self-Care.