Self-care for me today was reflecting on my new birthday year. At first, I got on line to get a few ideas from others about how they planned their birthday and new year, looking at their beautifully illustrated bullet journals or fancy decorated planners… But I got stuck. How was I going to do that? My page lay blank for days, even a whole month. Until, until… I checked within. And there came the answers for me. Deep-hearted love-filled wisdom was there all along, gently waiting for me. And I wasn’t to make any big great plan or resolution for my new year at all, nor list all my aspirations, goals & projects that I wanted to do or things I wanted to accomplish, no grand wishes or dreams either… This year I was going to just work (yes, it takes work for me) on slowing down so that I could pay attention to and listen to my heart. Which means even more fully focusing on my Self-care, yay! That’s it! And that’s all there is to it. Now I feel freedom & joy & peace, no stress or overwhelm. I’ve said goodbye to “obligations/ must do’s/ have to’s/ need to’s/ should do’s/ supposed to’s. And that leaves more room to welcome in “I want to, I love to, I like to, I GET TO…”. Now that’s what I call a real Self-care birthday gift to myself. What else could I ask for?
So if it’s your birthday, or maybe another special day, or maybe not even “your day” at all, it’s still a great time to ask yourself this question, once in a while… What’s the best self-care treat you can gift yourself today? How about even thinking of 2 things, arranging those into 2 categories: something physical and practical to help simplify your life, and another one more emotionally, mentally or spiritually satisfying. Birthday gifts don’t always have to be physical objects or things. Sometimes an experience or adventure or a quiet moment alone can be just as, or even more satisfying.