12 Ways That I Love Me
One of my favourite sayings is, “Love comes in many forms.” This is because it can be an act of service such as making someone a lovely cup of strong tea, spending time with a friend to pack up and move their house or that little, unexpected gift you give to celebrate a milestone such as a graduation, new baby or just “because”. We also need to fill up our own love tanks too and this can be done with little drips of self care and doesn’t have to be grand or unmanageable. Here I share some of my favourites.
1. Meditate
I have never perfected the art of sitting and meditating, however a practice that I often implement is walking meditation. If you haven’t tried it, walking alone whether around your suburb, in nature or somewhere remote, this practice brings my mind and body into sync and trains my mind in awareness.
2. Skin’s the thing
Just my morning and evening routines make me feel special. Even better is that the products make an observable difference to my skin. When I need a little extra, I’m a huge fan of the Pomegranate Power Pack to take it to the next level.
3. Move it baby
I mentioned walking meditation, which of course is exercise, but is also a form of maintaining your mental health. As much as I try to find any excuse not to attend the gym, I love how the Body Balance and Flexi Fit classes at my local Fernwood gym make me feel. I love the mindfulness, the increased flexibility, balance and strength and the endorphin rush just stepping onto the gym floor gives me. There is no shortage of exercise routines for home workouts ATM. YouTube, Insta, Facebook, local gyms, almost every platform has workouts FOR FREE if you don’t want ‘sign up’ to anything. Try the Nike one which is free during the pandemic.
4. Try something new
My best friend and her sisters have recently invited me to learn to play golf. I haven’t picked up a club since I was in Phys Ed class back in the eighties when I was 17ish. Talk about being out of my comfort zone. We’ve done a few trips to the driving range, and I’ve had one lesson. The instructor said I had all of the golf finesse of Bob the Builder (How rude!) BUT I said, “Yes, but can we fix it?” LOL!!
5. Chill
Allow yourself time to ‘just be’ and stay in your PJs (I need NO excuse to do this and have quite the collection of Peter Alexander PJs). Allow yourself to fully relax. Before we know it, the world’s borders will open again, and we will be go, go, go!
6. Set small goals
This avoids the overwhelm. Whatever these goals may look like to you is fine! As small as cleaning out the fridge and pantry to repainting a wall. Set and smash goals, no matter the size, to keep feeling accomplished. I recently did a happy dance when I got rid of all of my redundant CDs.
7. Remain connected
There is no shortage of ways to stay connected right now! BUT, do it in person. I really don’t feel connected to my friends and family on social media platforms. I feel connected when I am with them laughing, drinking a great beverage and planning our next adventure.
8. Top to toe
Freshly painted and manicured toenails make me feel good, but fingernails do my head in. I hate long fingernails and keep them very short and all the same length. Toenails are another matter, my polish of choice is red, red or red. I also take great care of my feet as they have to hold me up all day.
9. Garden
I’m an avid gardener and like nothing better than being in the dirt pulling out weeds. This makes me SO happy. I love Australian natives, herbs and the birds and insects in the garden too.
10. Read
Whether hard copy or on Audible, I LOVE reading. I love audiobooks because you can do other things at the same time (like garden). I am currently working my way through the 100 Epic Reads of a Lifetime and am about half way through. My current read is the 2021 multi award winning book “The Labyrinth” by Australian author Amanda Lohrey.
11. Dance
I have a play list called “Dance List” and it has all the songs on it that are guaranteed to get me on my feet and the endorphins racing through my body. It is the best decompressor after a busy day (month…year…life). If you are not blasting music and dancing around the house already, try it! Enough said!
12. Organise
So, the book I read before “The Labyrinth” was “Swedish Death Cleaning” by Linnea Gustafsson. This read came hot on the heels of having to move my much-loved in-laws into residential care. I decided that my own children shouldn’t have to make decisions about the fate of my things when I’m gone, so I’ve started to be very ruthless about stuff. I have kept a lot, gifted some things, recycled a lot and thrown out a fair bit of stuff in the last few months. Very satisfying.
Take moments to enjoy these times. Cheers x
