You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.-Mary Oliver
One of my words for 2016 is Health, which I’ve been exploring in the form of what it means to really, truly take care of myself.
Not that I’ve been treating myself like garbage till now – I’ve clearly been interested in various forms of compassion since childhood, from animal rights to eco-conscious fashion, to eating organic whole foods.
In spite of my dedication, I found myself a bit run down at the end of 2015. Even if it was mostly from participating in things I genuinely wanted to do, some of it was a result of FOMO in regards to gaining experience, generating income, networking, or simply hanging out with people who light me up.
All of the things we love to do, however, should not lead to a lack of energy and general sense of feeling overwhelmed on a regular basis. “Too many emails” or “not enough time” were invalid reasons to skip regimens that fuel my body and mind like meditation, quick self-massages, or going to bed earlier.
I’ve decided to ditch my “too busy” excuses and start cultivating a better relationship with self-care, because I realized it means so much more than eating healthy or practicing yoga. It is not a monthly treat or only applicable when on vacation. It is a daily, continual practice that is imperative to integrate into every day, maybe even every moment, if we want to operate properly and live our highest potential.
Self-care for me encompasses practices that make me feel good from the inside, fueled, loved, appreciated, at ease in the moment. It strips away the “what ifs” of the past and to-do lists of the future.
Aside from nourishing food and asana, this personally means things like allowing myself good sleep, seated meditation, dancing [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][even if it’s around my apartment], reading, little body oil massages before a warm shower, and downtime in the comforting embrace of my snuggly couch.
I’ve noticed these simple practices offer valuable lessons when I give them precedence over subbing every class or filling every free moment with work. Life can be a blast and full of fun things, but it is also too short to forego a much needed cat-nap for the sake of checking off every single box on a list.
Here are six wisdom nuggets I’ve learned from slowing down and making space in order to bring more attention to my overall, daily wellbeing:
1. Missing out is relevant, and it is not the end of the world. Are we missing out on an event because we want to go home and take a bath, or are we missing out on a rejuvenating bath to go out? It’s all about perspective, and life will go on regardless.
2. Slowing down does not translate to getting nothing accomplished. It will ultimately wind up energizing us and clearing our brains of clutter that might even block creativity and productivity. Take your time, breathe easy, sit still, stop stress-clenching the muscles in your neck – because is it worth it to rush?
3. Listening to our bodies means more than taking care of ourselves by eating well and exercising. We can pack our schedules so tight we wind up blocking messages from our body that clue us in on how to soften and supercharge. When we take those essential moments to listen, however brief, our bodies will tell us what it needs in order to move forward effectively.
4. Noticing things in the present moment keep our brains from imploding and curbs judgement. Accepting things as they are is easier said than done and varies depending on the situation, but the more often we can do it, the less we’ll continue worrying about past and future, or anything else out of our immediate control. Self-care keeps us in the present because it allows us time to consider how we feel in the moment itself, nowhere else to go, nothing else to do.
5. There is nothing like appreciating our bodies exactly as they are. This lesson for me arises when I take a breath before I eat and say “thank you” [how extraordinary that my stomach will digest food for me without me telling it to], or when I massage sore muscles after/check in with myself during a challenging yoga class [how cool that I am able to bend/twist/open/balance]. Our bodies are champions, and self-care practices are a reminder of positive qualities we often squash under judgmental perfectionism.
6. A smart device is not fundamental to getting through every hour of every day. We will live without it during a meal, massage, bath, conversation, class, bus ride. There is a time and a place to keep one close by, especially to those who are raising children or awaiting an important call, but it would behoove us all to give it a rest for however long we are able.
As Mary Oliver says, “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” Just because we put in extra hours of work or become a slave to our craft does not make us a better person or guarantee success.
We do not always have to have our shit together to be the best version of ourselves. We do, however, need to take care of ourselves in order to function on an every-day level.
What have you learned from your own self-care, and how can you learn to implement it more regularly?
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*Photo above by Renee Choi at Lucent Yoga, wearing Hyde organic yoga apparel.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
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