What if we recharged ourselves as much as we recharge our phones? OMG what if!
Self-care, in my opinion, is something you learn the importance of as we get older. For some of us it’s probably more inate who we are and our awareness is there, and for some of us it's something we have to work on all the time.
I first really understood the value of self-care develop for me when I traveled for work. I spent four years traveling, opening new stores for lululemon across the globe. I had just left the store environment, managing a store Minneapolis, and honestly the travel seemed easier to me than the retail hours. I had three boys under the age of five at the time and some people thought that my desire to take on a job that involved consistent travel was nuts! I was a little worried at the beginning as well, it was just a big shift for our family.
But as I got into a groove of my role and became a master traveler, what I realized in surprising ways, is how much time I took for myself on those work trips. I would wake up early get my workout in whether that was a sweat at the hotel or a run in some unknown city. I would spend my day doing a job I loved, and at the end of the day I would order Thai food, take a hot bubble bath in my hotel room, cuddle up with my laptop in front of CNN and go to bed early. The next day was on repeat…
I would come home from those work trips present rested and ready to take on anything. I of course, love my life at home with all the things that make it so full, but that time away taught me what I actually needed to recharge and refuel myself.
As my travel become less and less I then had to be in the practice of creating and prioritizing a self care in the midst of all the craziness that we call life. I’m still very good at it I’ll be honest. For me it takes on the form of early-morning walks with my dog and husband, THE BARN, yoga (it’s the ying to my yang at Beau Co) 20 minute afternoon naps on the couch, time with my friends, baths (still happen), daily meditations - oh And I sleep eight hours a night! Like anything there are absolutely times where I slip and self-care becomes second, third or fourth in my life. I feel it in my body or my communication with my family, and I pivot and reset. That’s the beauty of personal awareness and the power of choice, you just have to have the awareness to see it.
I think somehow along the way people have coined self-care as a selfish act and it in fact it’s the opposite. Its actually just caring for yourself. We all care for others, without blinking an eye, so why not put ourselves first. It’s that good old analogy that resonates so well, “You must apply your own oxygen mask so you can then help others.”
As we wrap up these last few, beautiful summer weeks, and some of us start to think about transitioning to back to school, I challenge each of you to consider what self-care looks like for you. It may be one small shift in your day to take time for yourself, or it may be a total overhaul. But whatever it looks identify it, share it with the people in your life so they can support you, and make it a part of your daily routine. Yourself will thank you.
Cheers!