Therapist Tries Fall Self-Care

 

This season of life is very busy for me (I'm sure you can relate)! It has been difficult to prioritize my own self-care. It is very ironic in a way because I am a person who tells other people how to do their own self-care!

A few posts ago I wrote about 25+ Fall Self-Care Items, so I thought it would be fitting for me to try my own self-care for the fall. In brainstorming for this post I realized I did not want this to be a "product review" or something like that. I want to share more about what I learned from this experience. 

In this post I want to share 4 things I learned from taking the time to care for my own health: 

1. The simplest things can make a huge difference

• All I had to do was light a candle and my mood completely changed. Or even putting on scented lotion made me feel a lot better. It's so crazy that even just doing one thing can make you feel completely different. Of course, this does not always happen. But doing self-care activities that even just take seconds can make your day better. I think this is encouraging to people who may struggle with motivation- just try one self-care practice a day and it may help more than you realize!

2. Self-care can be exciting

• When starting these self-care practices I became very excited! I brought out all my fall scented candles and decorations. It's finally cold enough to have hot tea, so I was able to have a nice drink while working from home. I even decided to buy different types of groceries to get in the autumn spirit (pumpkin and apple flavored items of course). I decided to buy some new fall items like food, lotions, and soaps, but I bet you have items at home that can get you in the seasonal mood as well. The important thing in this case is to practice self-care: it's ok if the fall season is not integrated into your practice 😉

3. Self-care can take as much time as you want

• Self-care can be a few seconds, a few minutes, or a few hours! It's up to what you need in your situation. You can try some essential oils, eat an autumn meal, or spend the evening making a fall craft. There are no set-rules when it comes to self-care. Do what works for you! If the activity is stressful, then it probably is not the right activity for you in that moment. 

4. It indirectly helps other people

• I never realized how much my own health can positively benefit other people. It sounds a bit strange, but if you think about it, it makes sense! If I am taking care of myself and feeling healthy, then I am going to treat others with kindness, love, and respect more easily than I would if I am struggling. We are going to have our good days and bad days, but self-care really can help you be the best person you with the resources and skills you have in that moment. 

I encourage everyone to practice self-care (it doesn't have to be fall-themed)! Like I mentioned before, do the self-care that your body needs. You may be comparing our practice to someone else's-don't do this. You are different than anybody else so your practice may look different than other people's self-care- and that's great! I know you are going to do great things!