Weekend Whispers: Self-Care & Tips
I know what you’re thinking. Becca is doing another meme on her blog? Yes, but for a good, really good, reason. It occured to me while I was reading my millionth book this week that I don’t take enough time to care about me. Or my needs or what I want to do. And I think that a lot of people are in my shoes, too. We care so deeply about others and making our careers, social lives and relationships so bright and beaming that we forget about little old us.
So I’ve made this new meme, WEEKEND WHISPERS, just for you. For me. For anyone who needs it. Every weekend (or every other, I haven’t decided yet) I’ll write a blog post about self care, tips and tricks and hopefully some things that will help you to take a moment to breathe and do something for you.
1. Take A Moment
It isn’t as simple as it would look. Sometimes it’s really hard to get a few moments to yourself in the day to relax. But I can’t stress how important this is. You might think that ten minutes in a day isn’t enough, but sometimes it’s all you need to recharge your system. I like to do this midday on the weekends or before bed in the week. Here’s what I do:
Put in your headphones (distracts from noises, blocks out world). Play your favourite instrumental piece of music (something calming and resolute). Lay down (or sit) and close your eyes. Breathe in for four seconds and out for seven. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
You can set a timer on your phone or an egg timer to have a set amount of time, but I take roughly around ten minutes (or more or less if I think I need it).
When you’re finished, take a few deep breaths to reintroduce yourself to the world. Know that your mind is refreshed, your body is recharged and you’re calm.
2. Delete
When your mind is busy, your subconscious always eager to get on social media and keep up with trends, you can start to feel a little deflated. Social Media can have that affect on you hugely. There’s competition, the need to keep up, replying to messages…it can get stressful. So once a day, or whenever you feel like it’s needed, pretend that you’ve deleted your accounts. I know, shocker. I’d probably lose it if I had to actually delete them. But if you pretend that social media doesn’t exist, that there’s no need to tweet or take selfies…you gain something called freedom. Ditch your phone, take a walk outside (while it’s still sunny out there) and just be. I know it’s hard. I really struggle to do this sometimes but it’s so needed! I can’t recommend this tip enough. I usually do a two-hour detox from social media around 6-7pm to 8-9pm, just to give myself a breather. I think I’d struggle without that slice of freedom from the social norms.
3. Vent
It’s debatable, but venting? It’s pretty much the only thing that will unload all of that stress that the day can put on you. There’s a few ways you can deal with venting. Some people like to write it in their journals, write it on paper and then burn it, tell their troubles to someone in their lives that they can trust and vent to. But the majority of people actually don’t vent at all. They keep all that tension pent up in their system and it’s bound to unleash on a poor soul who gets on your nerves. The best way to avoid a massive blow-out, is to pick a way to vent. I’ve tried talking it out but honestly, that only works for me some of the time. I like to write anything that has stressed me on a little notepad (it doesn’t matter what it is, just some lined paper and a good pen) and write away my troubles. I don’t look back on them (you should never look back on things that have stressed you out because they’re bound to return if you do) so they end up in a neat little notepad I can throw out at the end of the year or stash at the back of my desk.
What’s your favourite way to vent? If you have a different suggestion, let me know in the comments or via my Contact Me page! I’m always looking for new ways to unleash your stress responsibly.
4. Don’t be too hard on yourself
Real talk time: I have CFS/ME. If you don’t know what it is, that’s okay! Not a lot of people do. You can read all about it here. It’s basically something that I’ve had since I was around fourteen years old. It affects my immune system, my whole body and my brain. For the most part, I can live a normal life. But I have severe pain and sometimes memory problems that can push my limits. But within myself, I really want to just be normal. I’m not saying that I’m not “normal” or that anyone with a condition isn’t normal. But you know what I mean. I want to be ordinary, live a pain-free life. And sometimes I can be really hard on myself, when in reality, I can take it slow. I can go easy on myself because I’m only human. I know that everyone can feel this way sometimes. Like you’ve beaten yourself down…but you don’t have to be hard on yourself. Trust me. You’re doing great. You have people that love you and I promise, if you’re going through something, there is brighter things coming for you. Don’t be hard on yourself, because you’re pretty darn magical.
5. Self care is important
Whether it’s painting your nails, watching Netflix, listening to music, baking, reading…self-care is important. You could start a bucket list, lay on the grass and watch the sky, talk to a friend for hours on the phone about old times. Whatever feels to you like taking care of yourself, then that is self-care. It’s important to take self-care seriously. It’s totally valid to have a hard time doing it, but it’s worth it, by making yourself happy.
To celebrate self-care and putting you first, I’m giving away a self-care kit full of happy items and things that you would love. If you’d like to be in with a chance, just fill in this form below and tell me about you. I can then personalize your self-care kit if you win! This will end in May (around the middle) and is open Internationally. Click HERE to enter.
