My Introduction to Self Care

Click photo to enlarge. Credit: click here

In my 20's I liked to think of words that described me as a person and posted them in the "About Me" sections of websites (blogs/social media) I liked to visit. It made me feel accomplished, lol. Words like: Student, Sociologist, Dancer, Pisces, you get the idea. However, once I got into my 30's I started to unconsciously come up with a different list, one that really bothered me, a list of things that I was not: Unmarried, Unattached, Childless, you get the idea. I felt like I was not only moving at a slower pace and wasting my time dating the wrong guys for me but it felt weird when I realized everyone close to me were moving on to the next stages of life. Truth be told, they were things I had been dying to experience for years. In short, I felt like I was grasping at straws trying to feel like I was achieving something and all I got a hold of were feelings of being left behind and it can be kind of painful at times.

So many of my Friday nights are not spent going out on dates. I could not get a date to save my life and I do not go clubbing because 1) I don't drink and 2) I'm in my 30's and do not want to hang out with young kids, our lives are so different. No, my Friday nights are spent in my king sized bed with my Smartphone in one hand and the remote control in the other hand selecting "continue" when Netflix asks if I am still watching. Uh, yeah I'm still watching, duh. You should know me by now Netflix, lol. Okay, so you know how I said many of my Friday nights are spent like this? I was lying. It is not just Friday's that I do this, it is every single night. To be honest with you the only real good thing I have going for myself is working out and going to church. Those are the choices I make consistently. Yes, I have a job (it is on my gratitude list) and I have my other responsibilities but those are things I have to do. Does that make sense?

Anyway.

One night, like every night, I was on Instagram and was looking at the hashtag #positivity and #quotes hoping something inspiring would come into my life because I needed a pick me up. I came across a pretty aerial point of view picture of a girl holding a cup of tea. For the life of me I cannot remember what quote was on the picture but I just loved the colors, the decor, and the pretty font, lol. The caption read something along the lines of how this lady was trying to make time for more "self dates" and I was floored. There is a thing called "self dates?" Like, I can take myself out? Wait! Do I have to leave the house or can I just stay home? What is this? 

Credit: click here

So I searched the hashtag #selfdates and ended up coming across a new hashtag #selfcare. It was like a whole new world! I stumbled upon new ways of spending time with myself that was not only fun but allowed me to unplug and it was beneficial to my health. Sign me up!

You may be wondering, or you may already know, what the heck is self-care? As I have done more research I realized self-care is something that I was already doing off and on because they were ideas I would get from my mom or saw her doing. Who knew, Ma?! You really are a know it all! Teasing, I love you a la Fresh Prince style! So if you do not know what self-care is. I recommend you check out her post on "What is Self-Care? (Self Care 101) by clicking [HERE] if you want to learn more. I love the explanation that Alisha Leytem gives on her website,

In a nutshell, self-care is participating in anything that is nourishing, supportive, inspiring and personally fulfilling.  

The catch here- there’s always a catch!- is that this isn’t something that just comes naturally.  It’s a learned behavior.  You have to intentionally practice self-care in order for it to happen. 

One of my favorite self-care/self-dates I enjoy are my sunrise walks along the ocean with a cup of warm honey lemon water. I began doing that as a new years resolution in 2015 and it has been a great way to start my day. What better medicine than being by the sea? Also, warm honey lemon water is extremely healthy for you but that will be another blog post. I go to the sea when I feel happy, troubled, bored, etc. I should turn to it more often instead of food. Sadly, food wins due to proximity, lol. I like the quiet streets, people are still asleep or busy getting ready for work; there is a magic to all that stillness. The sunrise is so gorgeous as it comes up over Monterey and crashing waves is one of my favorite sounds. I also get to log in some miles on my Nike+ app (I am competitive with myself to log in miles every month) and my playlists are calm and relaxing. I will be sure to put together and share playlists that represent my different self-care moods. What songs would go great as a soundtrack to these photos of the ocean? I love how people interrupt that differently, let me know in the comment section below.

When I created this blog I wanted to share my self-care techniques. Oh, that sounds so fancy, lol. One thing is for sure, everybody is different therefore different things appeal to different people. The way I self-care might not interest you at all. My goal is to try to share different kind of self-care techniques that will hopefully be beneficial to all of us. Heck, maybe once a month I will give something a try that may not be my cup of tea and share how it went for me. There is nothing wrong with trying new things out and it may turn out to be hilarious, lol.

Click photo to enlarge.

At the end of the day, I pray that something speaks to you. I pray that I may share something funny, inspiring, gritty, sad, pretty, or ugly to remind you that you are not alone. So stay tuned for quotes, charts/worksheets, photographs, videos, on this subject. I am actually really looking forward to sharing this with you. Please comment on what works best for you or what you would like to see.

Here is a little something-something to get you started. Figure out how balanced or unbalanced you are. Maybe schedule some time to go through the wheel and pick one to work on this week. You can thank me later.