Happy Sunday everyone! It’s time for this week’s self care check in where I share my daily self care ideas and activities. This week called for a lot more self care than I imagined. The horrific events in the US, specifically at the Capitol, this week really left me speechless. To say it was a rough few days is an understatement and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t take a toll on my mental health.
Self care works in different ways for everyone. What my self care routine looks like may be totally different for you! The purpose of these weekly check ins - besides an accountability method for me - is to share various self care ideas that are guilt free. I also like to share how some day to day activities can be used as ways to self care.
Like I shared in last week’s self care check in, I spent much of my time being a people pleaser and didn’t really understand the concept of self care and why it’s essential. Ever since I realized and accepted that putting myself first isn’t a bad thing, self care has been a priority and I look for new and improved self care ideas all the time. This year, I’m taking self care to the next level by incorporating at least one self care activity each and every day. I’m journaling them all and sharing a weekly recap of my self care journey here on the blog to share guilt free self care ideas that can be added into your day to day routine.
Self care is recognizing and being mindful of you and your well being. It means taking actions to maintain a healthy life in regards to our emotional health, mental health, and physical health. Practicing self care can help us navigate through anxiety and stress and helps us put our best foot forward in life. You can read more about my self care journey here!
Most of my self care activities are nothing extravagant. Instead they're simple things I do at home and things I incorporate into my daily routine. Some of these self care activities may take five minutes, others longer. Some might actually be an activity while others are goals and habits such as not logging into social media for a certain portion of the day. I have a list of ways to practice self care here if you're looking for some inspiration! Also related is this post I shared a while back - 4 ways to live a happier life.
Monday was a true Monday, especially with this being the first full week back at work after two consecutive long weekends. I was intentional in blocking off time to make my self care activities a priority, them being a short meditation (baby steps - I tried going full into a longer chunks of meditation in the past and it did not work for me), a mid afternoon nap - nothing crazy, 15 minutes of resting my brain, and taking a walk. Fresh air does wonders for the mind, body and soul!
Bouncing back from holiday weekends to a full week of work is not easy but like Monday, intentionally blocking off time for some me time helps. I spent a few minutes in the afternoon to meditate and spent time in the evening relaxing with listening to music and a podcast. I’m still familiarizing myself in the world of KPop and listening to a podcast new to me - Crime Junkie! Both music and podcasts help me get myself out of my thoughts.
Instead of taking all my time off of social media, I shifted the platforms I chose to give my time to. Social media can be toxic if you let it be but it also can be therapeutic. I chose to spend some therapeutic time on Pinterest - looking up recipes and adding to my vision board. Moreover, I took some time to start a list of books to read this year.
All my self care was spent in the evening with a Disney marathon. I wanted some feel good vibes to get my mind off of current events and watched The Little Mermaid and Lion King!
Friday’s self care consisted of baking! I love experimenting with recipes new to me, especially practicing vegan and healthier recipes. I made some Berrylicious Muffin Tops from a recipe in Ramya’s Healthy Made Delicious EBook. It has 25 healthy recipes and is affordable, you can check it out here!
I also began what started as a weekend of decluttering and organizing multiple parts of my home. Talk about putting away Christmas decor, organizing all my holiday decor, and clearing out my book collection. Oh, and I began a Harry Potter marathon - talk about major relaxation!
Saturday’s self care events were a continuation of Friday evening’s. I finished organizing and decluttering the specific items I had set to complete. I also continued my Harry Potter Marathon and finished Chamber of Secrets!
Although I haven’t done much self care this morning and afternoon, I plan on spending time to continue the Harry Potter marathon I began a couple days ago. Prisoner of Azkaban, here I come!
That's this week's self care check in! What are some self care activities you've done recently? Let me know in the comments!
Here are my past self care check ins:
