10 Commandments of Self-Care (Part 1)
Self-Care has become a buzzword in various social communities and I must say that I’m glad that it’s getting attention. With all that’s going on in our day to day lives it’s important to love on ourselves and cater to ourselves. As a warm welcome to the Black Girl Anomaly blog I present to you 10 Commandments of Self Care.
1.Thou shalt love thy self naked
Make it your business to go home and strip butt naked (if you have the space and opportunity to), stand in front of a mirror and look at yourself. Your first inclination will be to cringe at your dark stretch marks, your love handles that hang a bit over more than you like, and those boobs that aren’t perky or are uneven (like mines). But once those thoughts come up smack them in the face like actors do in movies when a guy says something absurd to a woman. Smack them in the face with the truth that you ARE beautiful and your imperfections are direct evidence that you are human. Then spin around take notice of the things you absolutely love about yourself and diligently embrace them. Caress your curves. Trace your fingers around the outline of your figure. Do this as often as you can remember. This is law.
2.Thou shalt not compare thyself to other femmes
It’s in our nature to see the best in others and dismiss our own greatness. Doing that is energy and time consuming; comparing ourselves to other women based upon what they have, how many men comment on their pics on Insta, and let’s not forget how that snapchat filter takes their contour game and skin to the next level of slayage. But spending hours upon hours trying to figure out why you don’t look like someone, why your man isn’t doing what “the other chick’s” man is doing etc is taking away from the precious time that you will never get back from loving on yourself and being appreciative of what and who is in your life currently (side note: unfollow people that make you feel low and cause you to compare)
3.Thou shalt have a “Get You Right” Playlist
Every female should have a playlist that she can turn on at anytime and get in tune with her sensual nature. The “Get You Right” Playlist is just for yourself and it’s different from the “Get Your Freak On” playlist. It’s main purpose is to slow you down, cause you to feel empowered as a woman, as a carrier of life, and as a divine creature that’s acceptant of your sexuality. When accompanied by a nice glass of wine, a silk robe, and a few candles you can be the star of your own damn. You can check out my playlist here to receive some inspiration.
4.Thou shalt create a self-care regimen
There is something so rewarding about intentionally doing things that you enjoy to help your mind, body, and soul find balance. Creating a self-care regimen that fits your uniqueness helps you maintain balance by focusing in on your needs as a woman in society. The daily demands of being a student, wife, mother, daughter, professional (you name it) has a way of taking a toll on our bodies and occasionally we have to shut everything down and put ourselves first.
I’ll soon be writing about how to create a unique self-care regimen that fits to your personality and budget.
5.Thou shalt create a sacred space for thyself
Your sacred space is a place where you go to fully let free mentally, physically, and emotionally. Creating a sacred space for you to love on yourself and pull back from everything is so important especially for your mental health. Personally, my sacred space is all about ambiance and “unplugging” from society. I’m able to center my thoughts, meditate, and decompress from daily life and whatever it throws at me. Creating a sacred space is relatively easy and I will discuss it in a upcoming blog post.
With a new week approaching us I challenge you to implement one of the 5 commandments (tips) that I’ve listed. Stay tuned for part 2 of the 10 Commandments of Self-Care. Your comments and words of encouragement to me and others a greatly appreciated. =)
Love,
Ayanna: The Anomalous Black Girl