What is a Self-care day?
Before we can talk about how to elevate our self-care days, we have to first understand what a self-care day entails.
Catch up on our first blog post in the #LWAStaycation series.
To me, self-care at its core is a commitment to our input. So much throughout the week our efforts are focused on our output. What results am I turning in at work? How am I performing in my family responsibilities? Are there any errands I need to run? It’s all centered around expending our energy on activities that will give us an expected outcome.
On the other hand, self-care is engaging in activities that prioritize our input, or what we pour back into ourselves. And while I believe self-care should be a part of our daily routine, a self-care day is one where people can set aside time for themselves. It’s essentially filling ourselves up with fuel before setting off on another week-long road trip. You never want to wait until you’re running on empty before you fill up, so a self-care day is a good way to consistently pay attention to your needs.
And there are many ways you can practice self-care: reading, dancing, watching Netflix, cooking, personal maintenance, etc.
Now some of you may be thinking, “but I read and cook and wash my face during the week, why is that not considered self-care?” And my response is that it certainly can be, but at the end of the day, it all boils down to which direction your energy is being spent. I can read for the purpose of doing well on an exam (output) or I can read for the purpose of learning or entertainment (input). I can meal prep for the week to save time (output) or I can cook for the enjoyment of creating a new meal, smelling the aromas and eating something good (input). All in all, the act of self-care is being present in the process and putting less emphasis on the outcome.
So what does my typical self-care day look like? I always feed my soul and body by cooking, dancing, meditating, watching something fun, calling loved ones, or going through my skin and hair care routines. But every other week, I like to add an activity that feeds my mind, whether that’s reading up on a new topic, watching a documentary, signing up for a webinar, or taking a course from the University of YouTube.
I may not have the most Pinterest-perfect apartment for self-care days (yet), but I truly do enjoy the time I’m able to spend alone, talking to myself (yes, I just admitted to this) and taking inventory on how I feel, where I am with my goals, what my priorities are, and what I need.
A lot of people spend their Sunday’s preparing for the new week and that is important. But rather than just generate a list of things that need to get done, I challenge you to dig deeper, by reflecting on everything you’ve done and experienced that has brought you to this moment, expressing a bit of gratitude, then letting your personal values guide where you place your energy for the upcoming week.
Self-care is a commitment to our input.
Next week, I’ll share my #1 tip for turning your self-care days into full blown staycations. But for now, I want to hear from you.
What are some of the activities you participate in regularly? Are they more centered on your output or input? What are some of your favorite self-care activities?
I’ll be going through more examples of how we can shift our daily energy from output to input in our Instagram stories, so make sure you’re following us @luxurywellnessafrica.
