Lately I’ve been seeing that self care is beginning to be looked at in a different light. Women are feeling frustrated because it has become “one more thing” on their to-do lists. They’re starting to feel guilt or even shamed for not taking time for self care. When something like self care becomes all the rage and everyone is obsessing over it, it can feel overwhelming, like it’s something you must do because everyone else is doing it. But here’s the thing, it's called self care for a reason. It is literally only for you.
If you are looking at this month’s challenge and thinking, Yes, this is something I can do, something I want to do because it makes me feel good, then please go for it!! But if you are not into it, whether it be the timing with the holidays, your kids have a crazy schedule right now, or work is keeping you busier than you want to be, then don’t do it. Sometimes, self care is about knowing your boundaries, and when “one more thing” is too much. Even if the one more thing is for you, self care begins to lose its luster when you’re cramming it in.
The second half of this challenge is about knowing your limits and starting to do things on your time that make you feel good. In this week’s newsletter we’ve included free printables for each month of the 2023 calendar year. Continue with the self care challenge all year long. Get into a rhythm of doing things that lower your stress and make you feel more at ease. If that means challenging yourself to do one extra thing each day just for you, go for it. On the contrary, maybe you’re taking one thing off your plate each day that is causing you bewilderment. Don’t forget to write down what you’ve done each day and reflect at the end of the week on how you feel. You never know what patterns you might uncover on the path to self care!
