Coffee is my daily self-care.  When I walk in and smell coffee beans being roasted, I instantly feel relaxed.  My jaw loosens up, shoulders relax, and feel soothed as I drink my cold brew – black.  Pure bliss!  As for Darcy, she prefers the oh so magical flavors of hazelnut, vanilla, and yes, pumpkin spice.   She is the latte to my cold brew.  We are perfectly balanced.  

Self-care comes in different ways and sizes.  Sometimes we just a cup of coffee and other days we need a mental health day.  Sometimes we don’t even recognize we need self-care or know where to start.  Before we get started on self-care, I want to talk about what I hear most from people is I don’t have time or I feel guilty for taking time for me.  My initial response is always, “How effective is that for you? And how can you take care of others when you don’t take care of yourself first?”  Most people stop and look at me then a sigh of “You’re right.”  It is normal to feel guilty or selfish for taking care of yourself especially as parents or caregivers.  As for how much time is needed, self-care can take anywhere from 30 seconds to an hour and even a week or so.  It depends on the type of self-care you need. 

My personal favorite to gauge your self-care needs is to ask yourself what areas in your life need a little more support.  Olga Phoenix created this amazing self-care wheel.   She focuses on six areas in our lives: psychological, physical, professional, emotional, personal, & spiritual.  Each areas provides you with activities to grow & develop your self-care skills. 

I like to start off small then work up to adding more self-care.  I always suggest choosing at least three areas where I need improvement and do one thing in each area once a day.  If three seems overwhelming to you, that’s ok.  Start with one and slowly move up.  Self-care isn’t a race.  It is about you taking care of you when you need it. 
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Let’s get to it!  I challenge you to add one self-care activity into your daily routine!  After all, you deserve a little nourishment and kindness! Hugs! Rachelle