The Great Self-Care Experiment 2018: Check-In


 Self-Care Experiment Check-In


Back in January I posted about what I was calling “The Great Self-Care Experiment of 2018.” I figured now would be a good time to follow up on how it’s going.

For starters, I am not being as rigid about it as when I first started. At the beginning, I wrote down everything I intended to do as a way of making myself accountable. All that did was give me more anxiety and I would feel bad when I wasn’t able to accomplish everything on the list. I realize now I was being a little unreasonable. I have an active, fussy, easily bored toddler… OF COURSE I wasn’t getting everything done. I was making my own self-care feel like a chore, and I have a hard time getting all those done too!

Some aspects of my self-care I sneak in when I’m doing other things. For example, when I’m cleaning, I am BLASTING my music.  I color my hair at home, and I can’t see without my glasses. So I would normally just end up bored while the color is processing. Now, I take a bath and listen to music while I wait.

On a daily basis, I make time to doing something for myself. I recently have become OBSESSED with art and adult coloring. So every night after The Princess goes to bed, I take some time to color in a coloring page or on the PenUp app on my phone.

My latest project: I'll show you the finished product in a later post!

Beforhe-e, I was forcing myself,  to do sp/ecific things every day. Now, I’m just making a point to “check in” with my mind and body every day, and especially when I’m stressing out. I pay attention to what my body is telling me, (I’m hungry”, “I’m tired”, “I’m not feeling well”) and take care of it. If my anxiety is through the roof, I take time to do whatever activity I feel like doing at the time. It’s easier to finish whatever tasks I need to finish and to take care of others when I take care of my physical and mental health first.
So next time you're feeling out of sorts, practice mindfulness. Take a step back, and check in with your body and mind. And why not grab a coloring book and join me on my new creative journey! I'll be posting soon about starting out, what I've been using, and anything new I learn along the way!
'Til next time!



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