Whether you’re feeling physically drained or you’re feeling the blues, the best thing you can do is nurture yourself. For a moment, stop worrying about everyone and everything else and show yourself a little love. Taking care of ourselves is often the last thing on our list or simply gets overlooked because there’s not enough time. When I’m exhausted or feeling blue, I make myself a priority. When I’m at my best, I have so much more to give everyone else around me. Whether you have 10 minutes or an hour, do something for yourself. And in that moment, don’t worry about anyone else.
These simple acts of self-love have the power to turn your day around…
Sit in a quiet place and drink a cup of tea
Sometimes nurturing ourselves is as simple as finding quiet and just focusing on the act of being. Best enjoyed with delicious, hot tea.
Take a hot shower
I don’t know what it is about a hot shower but when I’m feeling drained it brings me back to life.
Meditate
Sit in a quiet space, close your eyes and simply focus on your breathing. You don’t need a meditation app or a goal or a special technique. Simply sit in quiet stillness and breathe.
Listen to music you love
Sometimes the input we have around us can be affecting our mood without us even realizing it. Turn off the tv. Set your device down. Turn on Spotify or Pandora or find your favorite CD.
Go for a long walk
Find a beautiful spot and focus on delighting your senses. Soaking in nature’s sights, scents and sounds is an excellent way to slow down the thinking brain.
Stretch
A ten minute warm-up followed by ten minutes of stretching and you’re likely to feel like a whole new person.
Create something
Write, draw, color, sculpt, carve, stencil. Creating is not only delightful and pleasing but can be so much more satisfying than our usual act of consuming.
Prepare and enjoy a vibrant, healthy meal
Our state of mind and body is directly correlated to what we put in it. Eat crap, feel like crap. Eat vibrant, nutritious fruits and vegetables…feel vibrant and energized.
Dip your toes in a lake or river
Sit on the water’s edge and simply admire the living, breathing planet that we inhabit.
Go swimming
Submerse yourself in a cool body of water and leave your worries on the surface.
Call a friend
Call someone you love and ask how they’re doing. Don’t call to rant or whine, call and tell them you were thinking about them.
Sit in the sun and read a book
Soak up some Vitamin D and read an old book you love or a new one that you haven’t made time for.
Write a gratitude list
Focusing on all that is good in your life, all the things you’re most grateful for, can be an excellent way to transition out of a negative head-space.
Journal
Dedicating ten or twenty minutes to a simple stream of consciousness dump can be a wonderful release. If I’m feeling anxious or can’t sleep, getting my thoughts out on paper is often quite effective in helping me relax. (Opt for pen and paper for a distraction-free journaling experience.)
Enjoy some stand-up comedy
Laughter is powerful and underrated medicine. I often turn to stand-up when I’m having a rough day. It’s not only a great distraction but also a great way to lower stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol while flooding your system with endorphins. Netflix is a great source for streaming stand-up comedy specials. If you don’t have Netflix, check out the YouTube channel “Netflix is a Joke” for some great comedy compilations.
The pace of our culture is becoming harder and harder to keep up with. There is always something vying for our attention and the constant pull on our minds will inevitably wear us down. At some point, we must turn down the noise of the chaos around us and simply let ourselves be.
Be gentle on yourself and know that you always deserve some nourishment.
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