I have to admit something, you guys: this global pandemic has not been good to me, self-care-wise. Before Covid-19, I had my regular routine where I woke up early, meditated, got my son ready and off to school, then when I got home I’d give myself what I called my “Self-Care-10.”
What is the “Self-Care-10,” you ask? Well, it consisted of me giving myself 10 minutes each morning to:
- Make my bed
- Wash my face/apply face products
- Brush teeth
- Brush hair/braid hair
- Get dressed for the day/apply light make-up (I’m not really a make-up type o’ gal – but it gave me a chance to FEEL dolled up….)
- Pour a cup of coffee, take my vitamins, apply my essential oils needed at the time
It doesn’t sound like much, but only recently with the pandemic am I realizing how critical an actual R.O.U.T.I.N.E. is!
Okay, okay – so I did already write a post awhile back about how important it is….but even I, dear readers, have found myself in a slump as-of-late.
Amongst the hullabaloo of family life, homeschooling, household chores, raising children, raising dogs (haha), work, friends, and oh yes – existing during a global pandemic with no end in sight…..well, it’s no wonder we’re all seriously uninspired! 🤯
And with allllll those other things we have taking up our energy, time, and headspace – I guess it really isn’t surprising that making some time for myself and a wee little bit o’ self care each morning has completely fallen by the wayside the last 5 months or so….
But it has been through the bad habit of NOT giving myself the Self Care 10 that I have come to realize that if Mama ain’t takin’ care of herself, the whole darn household is negatively affected and not takin’ care of themselves! 💡
Side Note: honestly – what do families without Mothers DO???? We’re the glue, y’all…..
I was starting to find myself staying in my pj’s all day, not even washing my dang face you guys!!! 😫 NOT OKAY!
I mean, even if Rachel Hollis HERSELF were standing next to me in my bathroom, I’m not sure I’d have actually followed through….
Yup, it was THAT BAD. It HAS BEEN that bad!
It doesn’t help that with all.the.things. on top of my Chronic/Perpetual Lyme Disease symptoms, even being mobile for me can be a challenge more days than I’d like to admit. So, to say I’ve been putting myself on the back-burner lately would be a gross understatement….
It didn’t help that everywhere I looked, or anything I read, seemed to be giving me the green 🚦 light to:
» be lazy!
» have no schedule!
» stay in your pj’s and slippers all day!
» don’t go outside!
» isolate! Don’t talk to others!
» not an essential worker? Guess what: you don’t matter!
» you don’t have to go to work, go to school, and your children don’t even get any celebrations! Wahoo!!!!
» all we have is time!
» eat chocolate, drink more wine, eat your feelings! (no joke, we actually received a hipster clothing line mag in the mail that actually said, “It’s happy hour SOMEWHERE: pour yourself another drink”) 😳 😳 😳
Well – you all get the gist and I’m sure you know the types of messages society has been sending us!
It’s as if society’s marketing message is: JUST.GIVE.UP.
And, honestly, I know A LOT of us out there right now are feeling like we ought to just.give.up. I know that this pandemic has had such a powerful effect on all of us, but I really hadn’t woken up to the fact that perhaps staying in my pj’s all day, not washing my face, brushing my hair, or heck – even brushing my dang teeth (TMI?) – miiiiight just NOT be an ideal way to move forward in life….
What’s really critical to understand here, readers, is this: I honestly hadn’t realized just how impactful and essential my Self Care 10 had really been!
It’s interesting, because when I think back to my “before” life (don’t we all miss it sooo desperately???), I really do recognize that my outlook to each day was more positive, motivated, and inspired than it has been of late. So, THIS is why everyone is talking about Covid depression, mental health, and how to stay sane during this pandemic! 💡
It’s like it hadn’t hit me, y’all! I knew WHY everyone was talking about it – but I didn’t realize that I was in fact totally being psychologically affected myself!
So, my point is that the Self Care 10 is like providing yourself with a positive outlook Superpower! 🦸🏼♀️
Ensuring I followed through with this simple and achievable routine actually allowed me to feel more able, useful, productive, and it absolutely provided me with more personal drive.
It’s actually really incredible how doing such a simple thing each day can completely alter your outlook!
So, here’s my advice regarding how to start – and stick to – the Self Care 10:
🛌🏼 When you get out of bed, head straight to your bathroom!
I’m completely serious, here. I do this: I tell myself I am absolutely, unequivocally NOT ALLOWED to walk outside my bedroom/bathroom space until I have done the following:
- brushed my teeth
- brushed my hair
- washed my face and/or showered
- changed my clothes (even IF this means changing from pj’s and into leggings and a new tee!)
- applied my skincare products and lotion
- made my bed (I just always feel I can take on anything once my bed is made…..)
My son likes to pretend there is a huge line of fire 🔥 running along my bedroom doorway – and honestly, I instill this visual each morning myself! It actually really helps me to remember! It’s like just looking at the doorway reminds me I am NOT to cross that line without gifting myself with the Self Care 10!
📝 Write Notes, Hang Post-It’s, Ensure The Reminder Is Always Visible!
I also have found that if I put a post-it note on my bathroom mirror or set Alexa to remind me each morning on my phone, I’m definitely more likely to follow through. Personally, I always head from bed straight into my Master Bath to use the loo, so putting the reminder right in front of my not-fully-awake-face is actually super critical to my remembering. In case the ring o’ 🔥 tactic doesn’t work, lol.
Alexa has truly streamlined my life so much recently, and discovering each day just how useful she really is to me is fantastic! She reminds me to do just about everything – and not only is she wonderful at reminding me to practice the Self Care 10 – she’s also been extremely effective at reminding my son and I of our home-school schedule each day and keeping track of teacher Zoom sessions! 👌
Lastly, good ole’ Google Calendar might work for you! Just add the Self Care 10 into each morning and even if you have forgotten, when you go to sit down at your computer and look at your Google Calendar – it will be right there to remind you!
💅 Think of the Self Care 10 As A Way Of Life!
I know this sounds a bit dramatic, but really start to think of the Self Care 10 as not only A way of life, but YOUR way of life! This is what you do without fail, just as you would frame the concept of drinking water or providing yourself with sustenance.
I, dear readers, tend to not be the most disciplined person on the planet. Therefore, assuming I’m not completely alone in this, I have found that being this serious with myself about the Self Care 10 and viewing it as essential to my life really does help me to follow through and do it! I half-joke here, of course, but hey – whatever works!
Just re-framing the Self Care 10 in my psyche has actually really helped me to not only follow-through, but actually I now see it really IS essential! Remember: if Mama ain’t happy – ain’t NO ONE happy….. 😜
When I imagine the Self Care 10 as a lifestyle and not just as something “I have to do,” it immediately becomes mandatory in my mind; re-framing is super important for all things we hope to create into a lasting habit. This fact cannot be stressed enough!
It is still something I always struggle with (as I mentioned earlier, I am NOT a self-disciplined person – so if I can do it, trust me – you can, too!) but by incorporating the good ole’ ring of fire 🔥, re-framing how I view the Self Care 10, AND ensuring I have written notes to keep me on track – well, if I manage to do these few things I have discovered that I have set myself up for automatic success and it becomes an actual habit!
Sometimes I don’t think we give enough power to the concept of re-framing our thoughts. As mentioned in my earlier post, I am really discovering through personal experimentation just how powerful the idea is that I control my thoughts, and not the other way around! 🙌
My hope, dear readers, is that this post will encourage you to gift yourself with the Self Care 10 each morning.
By doing this seemingly small act each day (although we all know it does require some self-discipline!) – what you are in fact doing for yourself is building self-esteem, confidence, compassion, and awareness. It forces you to prioritize yourself first, THEN to head out past that ring of fire and into the chaos of each day. But, by gifting yourself with the Self Care 10, your ability to take on each day with gusto and positivity will be greatly improved!
Considering most of us in the world right now are not in the lightest of mental states, I think there is no better time to incorporate the Self Care 10 for ourselves. If you doubt you’ll be able to stick to it, find yourself a mentor or a muse! I’d suggest enlightening podcasts, audio-books that inspire, or a family member to make you stick to it.
Do you have a system in place for self-care? If so, I’d love to hear in the comments ⇓ below what you have found helps you to make self-care a daily habit! Or, if you are having trouble, I’d love to hear that, too! It’s in times like these that we all really do need to be there for one another….
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Always Here,
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