Tag: self care

Feel the Music

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This Feel the Music showed up on my Facebook memories, and my first thought was, “Has it really been 5 years since she brought the stereo home?” I haven’t used it much since receiving this little JBL Flip 5 Bluetooth speaker for Christmas last year. This little guys gives off astounding sound, comes in various colors, will handle 12 hours of play, and it’s waterproof.

JBL Flip 5 beside a houseplant.

In the post Warrior, I mentioned trying my hand at house plants over the Winter and am pleased with the results. This week has been cloudy, so I’ve barely seen the sun, but just like plants, I’m happier with light. Scrolling through Spotify I came across Music for Plants, with a description of, “Mellow vibes for green leaves, green thumbs and green ears.”

This was Wednesday, and I wanted to calm my mind before joining an online workshop. To prepare for midday workshops, especially meditative ones, it’s helpful to keep coffee at a minimum that day, and take time beforehand to get centered. You’ll be more present during the workshop, and able to pay closer attention to what’s being taught, which makes the time spent worthwhile.

On the dating scene, one of my qualifying questions for men is, “Do you have any plants?” If they have happy plants, and enjoy taking care of them, they should know how to care for a human. It’s okay if they choose not to have plants, but it’s a red flag if they kill them. 😂

Northern Lights Nature Calling

All or Nothing

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That’s the type person I’ve always been. Sitting here covering a blank page with thoughts, this page began as a title sitting in drafts waiting for some love.

When I was taking care of the yard this summer, I’d water all of the flowers whether they needed it or not. My daughter would look at a new plant and exclaim, “Thrive or die!” 😂 While some needed water directly, others would catch the overflow from the rain head and receive a little anyway, but with me holding the hose, there wasn’t a time where a flower received absolutely nothing.

I’ve been thinking about taking some time off from work and received the greenlight from my Team to do so next week. Friends are already asking, “What are you going to do with your week off, or what do you have planned?” My response has been, “Absolutely nothing”. I have some things in mind, but it’s mainly little things I’ve pushed aside while working.

I want to sit on my bench in front of the fire pit with a steaming cup of coffee and tend a fire. I want to drop notes in the mail to friends and have ordered some cards with each person in mind. I might give the bathroom a thorough cleaning because it’s been wiped down each week, but it needs some love. The only thing on my calendar for next week is a date with a man who I’ve put off meeting over work.

I want to find that fine line between all or nothing and sit there for a while. To quiet the mind and let my heart lead the way because the past few month’s personal lovefest has resembled nothing. That’s the thing about love my darlings. It doesn’t need to be all or nothing.

All that Peace

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It’s easy to give away pieces of ourselves to everyone around us, but we need to keep some of that peace for ourselves. We love our people, but I’ve heard we need to treat ourselves like someone we love.

This meme by SC Lourie is sitting on my desktop wanting to be shared. I don’t know about you, but I need this reminder and printed it out to view regularly.

SC Lourie/Butterflies and Pebbles

It’s a give and take, and I do better at giving than receiving. I love people and it brings me joy to give away my smiles, my laughter, and pretty soon some hugs, but it’s also a responsibility to give that all back to me. Otherwise, I won’t have anything to give and that would be a sad day Inbarbsworld.

To have all that peace, I do peaceful things, like going for walks. Just a stroll around the neighborhood, and taking some deep breaths does wonders. My coffee intake has gone from sipping the magical brew throughout the day to drinking a couple of cups. I light candles to enhance the atmosphere of the day. The one I have burning right now is a frosted pine scent and smells like Christmas.

To keep all that peace it’s best to not let anyone take it. People aren’t allowed to walk into my life and take my peace (family included). Be kind to yourself my darling, and take a moment for yourself to gather up all that peace.

Self Care Sunday

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I texted my daughter, “When you walk out of Whole Foods with a French baguette, hearts of Romaine, and Stumptown Chocolate cold brew?” She replied, “Sounds like self-care to me!”

Sunday feels like an appropriate day for self care as it was planned to be. My work doesn’t offer much time off on Sunday, so I’ve been watching for windows of time on Monday or Wednesday. Have to admit though, Self Care Monday doesn’t sound the same! 

Writing is a form of self care because if I see an hour of sacred space opening up, I’m gonna write. I wait for it and start typing. For me, it’s not about finding the time to write, it’s about finding the sacred space. We will make time for what’s important, and writing is like breathing to me. It hasn’t always been that way, but it became that way after clicking publish 100’s of times.

A good gauge for selfcare is my neighbor. The more often I can walk over and spend time with him, the better. If I don’t see him all week, it’s time to look at my week. Sitting with him on his front porch, he took one look at his dog and said, “I’m taking an hour this week just for me.” He gives a lotta love to dogs and they are spoiled, but he knows he needs some time without them.

I was happy to hear him say that.

He knows taking time for himself, even for an hour, will make him a better person to be around. Maybe we can’t take a full day and call it Selfcare Sunday, but we can carve out some time for ourselves when it’s important, and I believe it’s vital.

There are seven days in the week to choose from, so pick one. Name it and claim it as your very own self care Sunday.

Redefining Self Care

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Self-care began as a weekend treat, but now it’s a part of my everyday life. My neighbor saw me sitting outside and asked, “What are you doing Barbara?”

Me: “Staring at a page with a question in the middle of it! It says, ‘I want to say thank you to myself because…'” He just nodded his head and said, “Okay Barbara!” 🙂

It didn’t phase him one bit. He thought it was normal for me to be doing that. I still haven’t filled in the page. How often have I said, ‘thank you’ to me?

thankyou

I can recall a handful of times.

This month I can feel a shift.

I show up for myself everyday, no matter what happened the previous day. To just continually show up and remain present. “Be still and know that I am God”, is one of my favorite verses. A season of stillness is where I am and so thankful to be aware and acknowledge it.

And be good with it.

I can begin filling in the page with, “Thank you Barbara for being still and standing calmly in place.” Just by showing up every day, no matter the circumstances, is redefining self care.

The Happiness Meter

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What makes you happy? Do things, or people make you happy? Daily lesson…Happiness comes from within.

happy

It’s difficult to not allow outside influences steal my joy. Sitting in the present moment, and feeling a little off about something not yet within sight. Calming the mind and spirit, and breathing deep to allow time for clarity. Once it’s within view, whether it’s a comment someone made, or an action that was puzzling, releasing it out of the present moment will take away it’s power.

By diffusing the power in any situation, you will not be prompted to react. Breathe through the disturbance and if a response is needed, logically do so. It is always more effective to ‘respond’ verses react. Another diffusion of power.

If there is anything in your life that you could lose…don’t depend on it to bring you happiness. That’s pretty simple. I wish someone would have pounded that through my head when I was in my 20’s. When things are going well, it’s easy to be happy. It’s when things are not going according to plan that our happiness is tested.

happiness

If you don’t get anything else out of my Blog, please get this. You are not responsible for other people’s happiness! You cannot make someone happy. If I see someone struggling with their happiness meter, I can show them love. Help redirect their thoughts to find the path they lost. If happiness is at a low-level, it’s usually because I’ve stepped off the path God has for me, but He always redirects.

Check in each day with the happiness meter.