Mini-Self-Care…Let It Be Easy
Let it be easy…
Today I want to talk about a topic very close to my heart, mini-self-care. I know the concept of self-care has been done to death so I hope you can stick with me here. For busy humans, “self-care” can so often feel like another thing on the to-do list, and unfortunately exacerbate the feeling of having too much to do!
Or, on the other hand, it can feel like the need is so GREAT that we must do something BIG and involved that takes hours or even days of our precious time, which can be hard to say yes to, and especially hard to do regularly.
I used to think I had to go on a multi-day bush walk, or go get a weekly massage, or do an hour of yoga every day. All these self-care practices are great, but they can be hard to fit in with work and family life.
So, I’m introducing you to “mini-self-care”, self-care in a nutshell, micro self-care or whatever you would prefer to call it. This idea was first introduced to me by a psychologist, and I was so astounded and delighted by the concept that I nearly fell off my chair. I think we can be so conditioned to life being hard work and that looking after ourselves is also hard work.
So, what is it you ask? Mini-self-care is in the little “moments” of daily life. You know the old saying to “stop and smell the roses”, well it’s pretty much that. We take moments in life to slow down and enjoy the experience of something we do every day, multiple times per day.
Funnily enough roses feature quite heavily in some of my mini-self-care practices. I adore the luscious heady smell of rose and it feels like the scent travels straight to my heart. If you know me I may have already suggested getting some of the Gould’s Natural Medicine rose face oil (I’m sure there are other lovely rose scented face Moisturisers out there, feel free to let me know your fav), and when you are about to apply it to your face, pour a small amount in the palm of your hand, then rub your palms together to spread it around, and then take a moment to cup your hands over your face and inhale deeply for a breath or two and breathe that scent right into your being. You can use any delightfully scented face oil or cream of course. Rose isn’t for everyone, so long as you love the scent it’s fair game.
I also like to go out to the garden and pick a scented rose for my work desk when they are in season, and then I get the pleasure of the random wafts of scent that come my way throughout the day. A sprinkle of rose petals in your tea anyone? A rose petal bath is pretty darn delish too but were talking mini-selfcare today, so we’ll talk about that another time.
Other ideas for mini-self-care:
Get a lovely soft bamboo skin brush and slowly and gently brush your skin for a minute before hopping in the shower.
Herbal tea is great for mini-self-care, lemon balm and a sprinkle of rose petals, take a moment to inhale the scent between sips.
Stop for a moment and sit in the sun for a cuppa or on the way to or from work and feel the warmth of the sun or the breeze on your skin (in fair weather, although a very light misty rain can feel quite nice on the face if the opportunity arises too).
While you are eating, slow right down for a bite or two and really take in the textures and flavours of your food, this works great with berries, especially organic strawberries, especially chocolate coated ones!
That’s all I can think of for now, just a few ideas for you, but the sky is the limit really. The trick is to let it be easy and build these moments into your normal daily life, so it feels doable and is sustainable. Your nervous system will thank you with less symptoms of anxiety, stress and overwhelm and more feelings of calm and relaxed bliss.
