Love You!

“The Way of the Happy Woman is an ancient way of living in harmony

with oneself and one’s surrounding as a feminine being in the modern world.

This requires simplifying, slowing down,

aligning with the rhythms and cycles of nature,

and living from the inside out through the self-care practices of

seasonal yoga, meditation, lifestyle, and nutrition."

-Sara Avant Stover, author of The Way of the Happy Woman

I love that this cartoon from Karen Salmonson and the message from Stover about The Way of the Happy Woman found its way to my mailbox this morning! The two put together actually speak volumes . . . 

One of my lifelong challenges has been learning how to take good care of myself and put my self-care before taking care of everyone else. Now, I realize that it doesn't apply to, for example, little babies, or others who cannot care for themselves--but oftentimes, I've put others before me out of habit--when they could have totally taken care of whatever the THING was, for themselves.

I think sometimes, we put others before US because it's just a habit or because we NEED TO FEEL NEEDED, but sometimes, I suspect, it may be a bit more than that, for example:

• We believe we might know better what that person needs than they do? hmnnn . . .
• We think putting ourselves first might look selfish . . .
• We don't really know how to do self-care, so it's easier to focus on outside stuff . . . 
• We want to look good, and get extra credit for our busi-ness, so we focus on other people's business . . .
• (deep down) We don't feel worthy of our own self-care, (or that of others, BTW) . . .

Well, I am learning how to do self-care these days--which means, among other things:

• making daily morning meditation & ritual a priority
• taking vitamins again
• smiling randomly and allowing myself to feel peace and bliss
• writing in my journal each day
• speaking my truth, even when it's not pretty, or positive . . .
• setting boundaries around what I'm willing to do . . . like, for example, thinking that NO is my first response, and then reconsidering if YES might be a desirable option
• accepting and being grateful for my forty-ninr year-old body, even though it's not perfect
• asking for what I want and letting go of the outcome . . . just the asking itself is a powerful act for me!
• buying deliscious food, and cooking yummy meals . . . even when I'm by myself
• taking random naps, as needed
• drinking lots and lots of water throughout the day
• letting myself laugh or cry often for seemingly no reason

What do you do for your own self-care? What can you do for yourself today? Leave a message in the comments!

Lots of Love,

Dana