Posted by
I’ve been investigating the concept of “self-care.” But sometimes the tips I find don’t really work for me, even though they work for other people. For example, some people find buying a new nail polish and then taking the time to paint their nails is relaxing and boosts their mood.So I thought that the Offbeat Homies would be a great way to come up with some novel ideas for self care.
-justanothersciencenerd
I’ll start! Every morning I do a nice “self-care” thing for myself that may not seem like a big deal, but it really makes me happy.
After waking up and checking my phone to make sure there’s been no Empire urgencies (Empire-gencies?), I do all my morning chores — brush teeth, put on pants, walk dogs, discard poop, and feed all the beasts. Then I make myself my favorite coffee, and four pieces of toast with salt. Then I sit down to eat quietly and watch one of my favorite TV shows (whatever the DVR recorded the night before usually). I could get straight to work, but I take that time to center myself, indulge in yummies, and relax before diving in.
Then, of course, there’s always wine at the end of the day.
But during REALLY bad times… PUZZLES.
Your turn: How do YOU engage in self-care?
I am a depressive with anxiety disorder. So much of my daily routine to toward self care to create balance so that I don’t come a part at the seams, I sometimes forget how much fun things can be. The one thing that never changes is the joy my music brings me. As a graduation gift to my self I upgraded the hard drive in my Zune so that I could add more from my collection to take with me. My friends think its nuts that if I start getting upset I calm down just by turning up the industrial Goth music. I spend at least once a day with a favorite play list that I tune in to no matter what I am doing. I also like to once in a while take down the old movies from my child hood and watch them. My friends think they’re awful B and C flicks from the 80’s but I love them any way.
Video games!!! I especially like open-world single-player games like the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. I can pause them whenever I want, I can abandon a frustrating questline and come back to it later, and I can design unique characters with unique stories.
Super-long, super-hot showers.
I find knitting and crafting to be a really good outlet, seeing something physically progress helps me feel accomplished. When things are especially bad [like right now] I break out the adult coloring books.
I am very crap at self-caring but I always make time to read for at least half an hour per day just for myself. Not for school or work or any duty but for me.
Good coffee, self and salon pedicures, long bubble baths with candlelight, gardening, collecting Holly Hobbie books and porcelain, scrapbooking, walks in Nature, home décor magazines, carving out alone time, listening to music (Rachel Sermanni, James Taylor, Katie Baggs, Kat McLevey) and thrifting. All very simple things that keep my tank full.