Hey there, it’s been a while.
It’s been a busy season for me. I’m a full time grad student and working full time; both things I absolutely love. I actually really enjoy busy seasons. They are when I feel I thrive the most, but it can also be one when I forget to take time for myself. Taking time for myself is not something that comes naturally or easily for me. In fact, sometimes sitting still and resting brings about feelings of guilt. I feel like I should be doing something, anything to be productive.
A hard lesson I’ve learned is sometimes doing nothing is being productive.
Let me clarify what “doing nothing” means to me. It doesn’t necessarily mean sitting on the couch watching The Great British Baking Show (even though that totally counts and I definitely do it every week).
It means doing something that does not have a deadline attached to it. Doing nothing is something you are not obligated to do, but will help you feel rejuvenated and relaxed. In other words, “doing nothing” basically, means self-care.
Maybe your self-care is watching a few episodes on Netflix, going on a long walk or run, baking something fun or cooking a healthy meal, or doing all three. For me, yoga is one of the biggest ways I administer self-care. It helps me stay active and relax all at once. It has been a lifesaver for me during my busy seasons.
But, you don’t have to be in a busy season to practice self-care. In fact, practicing self-care should be a conscious priority every day.
Another form of self-care has been this blog, even though I haven’t posted something on here in a while; I love creating new recipes and laying all of my various thoughts out on paper (or Microsoft word, technically). When I was thinking about taking self-care more seriously, my blog was the first thing that came to mind. I have missed planning out blog posts and spending an afternoon in the kitchen cooking something new.
Self-care can be more difficult than it seems at first.
Don’t know where to start with self-care? Here are some tips:
- Pro-actively block out time for your self-care – Work on prioritizing things you love a few times a week as much you prioritize other parts of you life.
- Your self-care might not look like everyone else’s – Make your self-care about YOU. Do what you love during this time.
- If you don’t feel rejuvenated after your self-care time, maybe you haven’t found the right activity – Don’t be afraid to try different things! If something felt more draining than relaxing, try something else.
- Don’t feel guilty about taking time for yourself – Sometimes we forget that we are supposed to take care of ourselves. It is not a bad thing to take time for something you enjoy.
Whatever season of life you are currently in, I encourage you to try to practice self-care. Take some time for yourself and do something you love!
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