The Many Facets of Self Care
February is a strange month- while it is the shortest month of the year, when it comes to emotional significance it is one of the most important! Many of us started off 2021 with big plans and resolutions for the new year. We create action plans to get healthier, happier, make life changes, break habits and the like. January keeps us on our toes, the first month of a new year is exciting and motivation is at its highest!
But then sneaks in February. February here in Denver is COLD, and arguably the most dreary months weather-wise out of the year. Oftentimes our motivation starts to wane and the six weeks it takes to make a habit can feel a bit heavier now than in the excitement of January. So if you happen to be feeling like this, it is the perfect time to put a bigger emphasis on self care!
Self care looks so different for everyone, and what works for you can grow and change with you as you go about your daily life! Sometimes it is face masks and bubble baths, sometimes it is reading a self-help book that gives you perspective, sometimes it is extra workouts in the morning, and sometimes it is buying yourself a little treat because you deserve it! (And you do!)
I did a huge purge of clothing, housewares, and bric-a-brac that has been cluttering up my home in late December and Early January so I could clear up some space both physically and mentally in my life. Now that the change has settled down, I’ve been loving curating my purchases and bringing items into my life that bring me joy. If you’ve been following along on Instagram you know that there have been plenty of plants making their way through my front door, but my latest purchase was a whole new yoga outfit from Adidas! (I love Adidas so much that they’ve brought me on as an ambassador!)
After breaking my ankle (which forced me to stop teaching), I had fallen away from my yoga practice. I realized recently how much I missed it, but it has been an interesting transition back into a daily practice because post-break it feels like I am starting from scratch! As someone who considers my competitive nature both one of my biggest assets and my biggest hindrances, I’ve had to rely on self-care to ease myself back in, give myself time, grace, and support. In my pre-break practice I pushed myself to master the next ‘trick’ or hold a position for longer than I had before, post-break I focus more on calm, breath, and the incredible ways that your body can bounce back after a trauma.
When I’m feeling a bit down about where I am in my journey, I pull out my new outfit. I grabbed the Elevate Yoga Flow 7/8 Tights, a Believe This Lace-Up Sports Bra, and the Essentials 3-Stripes Fleece Hoodie and because of how well they fit (the high-rise of the flow tights makes me look at my body and smile!) I feel more confident and capable even as I struggle to build my strength back up! It is incredible as to what an outfit can do for your psyche!
So I challenge you to get a bit introspective and take an inventory of what motivates you, what pushes you to be a better person, and what simply brings you joy! Whether those things are tangible or not doesn’t matter- but allow yourself to put yourself first both in the emotionally-charged month of February or whenever you need to feel a little bit more like *you.*
