Introducing Self-Care Saturdays!
In the event that you haven’t read my first blog post, I’ll get you up to speed. I’m a Black single mother of two teenage boys, 16-year practicing employment attorney, non-profit board member, serial entrepreneur, mindset coach, CEO and Founder of a newly launched urban wellness and lifestyle brand, best friend, sister, and community servant and I am #tiredAF!!
If this sounds anything like your life, you probably have a tough time carving out time for yourself. For many years I didn’t take time for myself until I had no other choice. After nearly two decades of moving 1000 miles per hour, I eventually hit a BIG ASS brick wall. Despite accomplishing all the goals I set for myself - here I was irritable, unhappy, unfulfilled, angry, resentful, exhausted, and completely burnt out.
I turned inward to find some answers and along the way I discovered mindfulness, mediation, yoga, gratitude, and self-care.
Self-care is about mental health and wellness. Self-care is not selfish. Self-care is not an indulgence. Self-care is a discipline that requires a deep and personal understanding of your priorities and an acknowledgment of your self-worth.
Self-care is not selfish. Self-care is not indulgence.
Self-Care Saturday is my reminder to make wellness and self-care part of my daily routine because I am worth putting time and energy into myself.
Self-care is not something you do once in a while when the world feels chaotic and overwhelming for you. It’s what you do every day, every week - at least every Saturday. A few activies from my self-care routine include:
· Morning devotion and prayer
· Guided and silent meditation
· Breathe work
· Self-reflection and journaling
· Speaking affirmations to myself in the mirror
· Taking bubble baths with candles and wine
· Spending time in nature
· Listening to music
· Reading
· Clean eating
· Aromatherapy (candles, diffusers, and room sprays)
· Yoga and stretching
· Staying hydrated with plenty of water
· Getting a minimum of 8 hours of sleep
The ultimate goal is to learn to care for yourself in a way that does not require you to indulge in order to restore balance to your life. It’s about making the commitment to yourself to stay emotionally healthy and balanced as a regular practice.
When you truly learn to care for yourself, you are in a much better position to give of yourself to those around you. When I regularly practice self-care, I am a much happier mother, lawyer, boss, and friend because my service to others doesn’t come at the expense of my own well-being and mental health.
Conversely, when I fail to prioritize and care for myself, it eventually becomes a … problem. It starts as a slow burn and eventually erupts like a volcanoe. Reflect back to the prom scene from the movie Carrie after the pig blood is poured over her head. The fire, the screams, the tears … yeah … it’s something along those lines. Note: Carrie’s last name in the movie is White ;-)
Implemening a self-care routine gave me the time, space, and confidence to launch Flawed Masterpiece at the beginning of this year, which will have an impact and leave a legacy far beyond anything I could do in my individual capacity.
As Spring blooms, it’s the perfect time to start using these tips to practice self-care. If you need a little help getting started with your own Self-Care Saturday, I invite you to join me on Saturday, March 27, 2021, for a guided day of self-care and reflection from the comfort of your very own home. RSVP here.
