In Praise of Self Care

I've been thinking about self care lately, especially after I pretty much worked myself into the ground the last quarter of 2016. Although I don't do much besides get my hair colored and trimmed and get an occasional pedicure, I do see the value of taking care of yourself. I used to think being low maintenance was good, as in I live a simple life and simple is always good. But if self care were measurable, I'd leave virtually no carbon footprint.

I'm sharing this with you because I know I'm not the only who puts herself last. Take it from me. Nothing good ever comes from feeling depleted.

So once again, as I crawled toward the 2016 finish line feeling more and more like a rubber band that had lost its stretch, the notion of regular self care became very appealing. Actually I was more like starving Scarlett O'Hara clutching the dirty radish and vowing she's never be hungry again. As God is my witness, I'm going to take better care of myself in the future!

But first I had to ask myself what self care looks like to me. Naturally I did this while drinking coffee. In bed. Looking at Instagram. What can I say. This is how I do my best thinking... What I came up with surprised even me. It turns out my self care is not just about salon services - although don't get me wrong. I'm down for a pedicure any day of the week. My list was more about the small things that give me pleasure or make me feel cared for.

Here's my list so far:

Always having clean clothes to wear
Drinking fresh ground coffee in the morning
Making sure there's a enough milk for my coffee
Eating fruit in season
Getting ample sleep
Putting on a little makeup
Taking care of my skin
Eating breakfast
Changing my sheets every five days
Giving myself permission to buy a few things at the corner grocery store out of convenience even though it is much more expensive
Getting a pedicure with a friend
Learning a new recipe
Drinking water with lemon

It's been a month now since I decided to up my self care and I have to say that things are going well! I definitely feel centered and relaxed. My skin looks brighter, my sleep cycle is back on track and I'm not feeling the need to drink coffee all day long to keep up with my schedule. The changes I have made in my day-today life are so simple, they already feel like a habit. Always a good sign!