Photography: Santanna Hayes
Happy Anniversary to Little Wife Big Life!! This week commemorates the third year…and this article marks the 103rd post. I’m so excited about the future, connecting with more readers, and gaining more experience as a blogger.
Thank YOU so much for supporting this journey!!
To celebrate, I decided to focus the next three posts on self-care!
As wives, mothers, and women– we often find ourselves caring for everyone and everything else BUT ourselves. I found this revelation to become even more important in the midst of a global pandemic. During quarantine, we as women were forced to quickly make changes and adapt to the unexpected turn of events in our lives and daily routines. We had to learn how to navigate being full-time professionals while becoming full-time teachers. We adjusted to conducting meetings at home while preparing meals for our children. We consoled our spouses and loved ones while serving our civic organizations and community. We gave even more of ourselves than we normally do under regular circumstances.
In the midst of this, I committed to becoming more intentional about caring for myself. When boarding a plane, they always instruct us to put our mask on first before attempting to help others. That’s for a reason. If we aren’t safe and secure, how can we provide adequate care to anyone else? It sounds cliche but it’s time to pour more into our cups so that we have something to pour out to others. Imagine trying to fill someone’s cup with an empty pitcher. You can’t! So, stop requiring our bodies– mind and spirit– to try to do so.
Here are ten things I did during this period to take better care and fully restore ME.
- Got dolled up- Get your hair done, do your make-up, and pull out a pretty outfit just because. This is also perfect for a personal pampering session or a date night with your loved one. It’s often said that when you dress up, you feel better so make sure you feel good as often as you can.
- Photoshoot- I absolutely LOVE taking pictures. I had to do a video shoot for a special project so I decided to make the most of the experience and do updated photos for myself. It felt so good to fully embrace me.
- Read and binge TV shows for pleasure- In my normal routine, I rarely had time to read for pleasure or watch TV. uring quarantine, I took the time to finish books and binge shows and movies that I’ve always wanted to read or watch. This completely relaxed my mind, provided me with opportunities that didn’t require me to think about the issues and challenges before me, and gave me frequent opportunities to laugh.
- Learn something new- During the hustle and bustle of life, I often see things that inspire me to want to try it. For once, I had more than enough time to do just that. I googled and searched videos on youtube for hobbies, activities, skills, and content that I always wanted to learn or that this time period prompted me to have to know. It was great to stimulate my mind with this new knowledge while enhancing personal talents and skills.
- Work towards personal goals- I am always working to become a better version of myself. I tackled, completed, and achieved big and small goals from my working goal list and vision binder during my 30 Goal Challenge. Each time you accomplish a personal goal serves as a motivator for the next one that comes to mind.
- Relaxation activities- Coloring is extremely therapeutic. I used the adult coloring books from my studio and colored the images and focused my concentration only on completing that task. This was refreshing and gave an instant sense of gratification to see the completed masterpiece.
- Exercise- Morning walks and evening cardio gave me the opportunity to burn a sweat, take in the fresh air, clear my head, and work towards becoming a healthier me.
- Connect with others- My friends and I made a commitment to talk regularly. Whether that is daily, weekly, or bi-weekly. We protect this scheduled time to stay engaged and nurture our relationship while checking on each other and providing emotional support.
- Quiet time- I turned off all stimulation– computers, TV, phone, musical devices, tablets, etc. and just enjoyed peace and quiet. Sometimes this took place on the porch and other times in a favorite part of the house. It’s an amazing feeling to actually hear yourself think.
- Rest- I literally took time to just sleep, sleep, and sleep some more. Then, other days, I took time to just rest. Whether that was on the couch or in the bed, I allowed my body time to just be, without requiring it to move, work, or function.
These ten things are instrumental in my new self-care routine. However, I also realize that the uncertainty of the pandemic causes stress that requires managing as well. Check out my upcoming lists of 20 Stress Relieving Tips as well as 10 Relaxation Tips to assist you with staying happy, healthy, and whole during this unforeseen time.
Until then,
Xoxo