Recently I had a day where I woke up really late due to poor sleep and had to dash off to work immediately after I woke up without taking time to care for myself. The thing that sucked about this was that morning was an off morning. I knew it the second I opened my eyes. That day was not going to go well, I could already tell that I was in a deteriorating mental and emotional state.
And this isn’t some woo woo spidey senses thing, that there is something off in the multiverse, like I could see the future. It was my intuition paired with my self care practices that enable me to manage my mental health. Those alarm bells were going off.
I knew that there wasn’t anything wrong, I wasn’t upset about anything, nothing was bothering me, nothing had happened. There literally was not anything wrong. So what gives?!
That day was a day that I woke up knowing how to manage my depression. And the thing is, I didn’t realize that until a few days later. I looked back at the day realizing that I had no time for self care on a day that I needed it most, yet I was able to build it into a busy day that beat the hell out of me.
So what did I do when I had no time at all for self care? It use to be that I fell apart, the day went to shit, I couldn’t work at all, I berated myself, anxiety would creep in, and depression would grip me and send me down into a very deep, very dark hole that I wasn’t able to crawl out of. But this day was different, and the best part for me was that I didn’t even need to think about doing these things, it was just automatic. And the kicker is that I don’t normally do these things, like, ever.
This goes without saying, but step zero is take your meds (if you’re on them). There are there to support you.
PHYSICAL
1. put lotion on after washing your hands (every damn time)
I have really dry skin and should have been doing this anyway, even though I don’t. But for some reason on this day I was craving a scent that I turn to when I’m feeling stressed. I reached for the black chamomile lotion from Bath & Body Works and BONUS: its a beautifully inspiring bottle to look at if you like stars, the night sky, the moon, and constellations.
Without thinking I put it right next to the soap so I’d see it every time I washed my hands that day. This was a little act of kindness that my intuition showed my physical body on a really stressful day.
MENTAL & EMOTIONAL
2. estimate how long each task will take (and use a timer)
Looking at my task list for work this day was really overwhelming. My mind was telling me that I needed self care ASAP! I wasn’t ready to face the work, I felt vulnerable, and unprotected (some days criticism gets you before it even gets TO you). So I took a look at my list and began to prioritize like I normally do, with the addition of estimating how long it would take each task to get done or how much time I would be able to devote to it that day.
Honestly I did this at first thinking that I would time everything out so I could take an extended break for the much needed self care zen hour that I missed that morning. But after l looking at my list I knew that it just wasn’t going to happen that day. There was no way, at all, that I was going to be able to build in time to take care of myself.
Putting a time limit on each task calmed my frazzled overwhelmed mind. This was the first moment of the day where I felt like things might turn out okay at the end of the day. Knowing that I only had so much time AND using a timer to keep myself accountable gave me a better work ethic that day and took away my guilt of needing to finish a task before I could work on another that was equally as important and had the same deadline. The awesome part about taking care of my mental and emotional health this way by reducing stress and creating a plan was that I found at the end of the day I actually got everything done. EVERYTHING! And that made me feel totally accomplished and lifted my mental and emotional state as the day went on. It really is true that you will take as much time to get something done as the time you allow for it, no matter how long or short that amount of time is.
SOUL & SPIRITUAL
3. afternoon tea break around 2:00 PM (use a phone reminder)
At this point of my day, I knew that if I didn’t take a break, that I was going to break. Here is where I consciously made the decision to stop and smell the roses, or tea in this case. I picked a tea that got me excited and that I knew without a doubt that I would enjoy, no matter what. Do you ever have those days where your favorite tea or coffee just isn’t cutting it? I was not about to take that chance this day.
The ritual of selecting, smelling the sachet, warming the water, and making the tea is what made this a spiritual act for me. And the art of tea drinking, cozying into a chair, looking outside, and feeling the warmth of the mug while it was cupped in my hands is what made it a soulful experience for me. Viewing preparing tea for myself as a ritual made me feel connected to the acts that make my soul bright and happy. Being spiritual doesn’t have to be a religious experience, it can be as simple as doing something that makes your heart light and makes you feel connected to something outside of yourself, like making a cup of tea. The soul connection for me in this tea ritual was feeling the warmth of the tea reach down into my bones to warm and heal my weary bones and soul this day.
How does this connect us to our Spirituality?
Taking care of my physical body was subconscious, taking care of my mental & emotional state seemed to be “accidentally on purpose,” and taking care of my soul was on purpose. It took my realizing that something was wrong, that woke my inner self up and said “hey we need some extra help today,” that put me on the path to (eventually) consciously finding little micro moments in the day where I was able to practice self care and really take care of myself on what could have been a day lost.
What did I learn?
My intuition has got my back, she knows whats going on buried inside my mind & body. I know that she’s going to be there for me because she’s my true self, my inner self, my spirit, and my soul. She is what connects me to my spirituality & spiritual body because she knows what I need mentally, emotionally, physically, and soulfully.
This wouldn’t have happened for me even a year ago. My mental health was so out of balance, that my inner self was huddled in a corner not knowing what to do, just letting that negative harmful voice of depression rage on like a violent angry person. Realizing this has made me extremely grateful and humbled. I finally have my life back in balance and my true self back on board ready to take care of me on the bad days that creep up every once in awhile. And its not just us with anxiety, depression or other mental illnesses, we all have bad days and could use a little mind body and soul TLC.
What are you doing to connect to your Spirituality?
