This past weekend was spent at work, so this post is going to be a lot shorter than others. I wanted to say THANK YOU to those of you who have reached out to me about reading the blog. Anytime I hear a comment, it totally makes my day 100x better. I hope I can continue to help as we head into 2018!
Speaking of 2018, it’s time to get prepared for a ton of new health and wellness-related trends, as well as talk of New Year’s Resolutions. But, good news, you won’t hear me promoting any sort of diet in this space. Good things my friends. But I will write about (later) what health-positive thing I would like to start doing more of this year. But for now, let’s chat a little bit about trends.
If you are on any social media platform, you may have heard some of the predictions for next year. From things such as turmeric, to adaptogenic mushrooms and functional drinks (activated charcoal and collagen), to a plant-based diet featuring nut-milk products and pulses, to craft kombucha (yes!), probiotics, and jackfruit, trends take up a lot of the wellness space.
Another predicted “trending” theme in 2018 is an increased emphasis on self-care. And I LOVE this.
What is self-care?
Self-care is taking the time to care for you. This process involves reducing and managing stress, honoring your emotional needs, growing healthy relationships, taking care of your physical and psychological health, and finding a work-life balance. The thought is that if you are taking care of yourself, you will stress less and can care for other realms of your life more effectively and with more passion.
“Just like you do on a plane, you need to put on your own oxygen mask first before trying to help others.”
– Nancy Smyth, State University of New York
If you get freaked out by all the wellness people on Insta going on retreats, lounging around their perfectly white beds surrounded by green plants, drinking matcha, or doing yoga in all white (why?!), stick with me. Self-care shouldn’t stress you out, or be something that you need to just get off your check-list. If you’re panicked that you can’t get it in, try something new.
(As a side-note – I can assure you that I’ve never been on any retreat, my bed is a mismatched disaster of blankets from the last 27 years of my life, I kill every plant that comes to my door, I personally think matcha tastes like grass and I would never wear white yoga clothes, or really any cute yoga outfit since grad school made me broke AF.)
So for everyone else out there, let’s think about what self-care can mean.
Self-care means doing what feels intuitively good, in the moment; and being able to give yourself the flexibility and freedom to do things that feel good when you want to. And this may actually be so-called “boring” things!
Self-care can look different every single day. While a routine may be helpful for a little awhile, self-care doesn’t need to be a scheduled. It can also be scheduled. It is entirely up to you.
Self-care can be manifest itself in many different ways: from moving your body joyfully, to eating veggies every day (or cake!), developing a meditation or yoga practice, going to therapy, participating in life coaching, learning something new, or simply taking the time to form a routine that improves your well-being.
10 ways you can practice self-care:
- Go out to brunch with your favorite girlfriends, drink the mimosas and eat whatever sounds good at the time!
- Drink water throughout the day.
- Sleep 7-9 hours per night – read this!
- Bake your favorite dessert and dance around the kitchen to Christmas music wearing your pjs (fav).
- Grab a coffee or tea at a coffee shop before work!
- When building a meal, choose a protein food (dairy, eggs, meat, tofu), pair it with a carbohydrate source (whole wheat bread, rice, pasta) and make half your plate colorful fruits and veggies! Fueling your body properly will help you feel your best. (Feel free to insert non-colorful meals too!)
- Adopt a movement routine that feels good (walking, weight-lifting, biking, yoga, Pilates, swimming etc.)
- Go for a hike or walk outside with a loved one! Getting outside in nature has lots of benefits!
- Take a bath! Grab your favorite candle, something yummy to drink, and your favorite book.
- Go for a mid-day walk and listen to a podcast <– my personal favorite right now
Self-care is essentially a fancy word for doing things for yourself that make you a better person. I talk to a lot of people, women in particular, who often put themselves in the backseat when caring for others. They work so passionately hard for something or someone else that they forget about the most important person they have, their body, themselves.
How can you show yourself some love this time of year? Any other ways you practice self-care? Share your favorites!
Hope you have a great week!
xoxoxoxoox,
Rose
