Self Care September: 10 Simple Tips To Help You Chill And Practice Self-Care Today

 

 

At GirlTrek, September is for Self Care.  Actually, every day you should be practicing self care but we dedicate the month of September to self care for Black women.

 

"For black women, our self-care is vital. We spend most our time caring for the needs of others — family, friends, coworkers and spouses — that we put our own needs on the back burner. Which can obviously be detrimental for us in the long run.

 

So sis, it’s time to take care of yourself. As Audre Lorde said: “Caring for myself…is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare.” And she is right. While many people equate self-care with lavish vacations, spa days and expensive gifts to treat ourselves, it’s important for you to know that self–care isn’t a one-time occasion that occurs every few months — it’s a daily practice.  The truth is, you owe it to yourself to take care of yourself. So why don’t you start today?" -Kimberly Wilson, Essence

 

To help you get started towards a daily practice of setting aside time to chill, here is a list of 10 gentle chill activities that are sure to help you decompress and make your soul happy.   Be sure to head over to our friends at Dear Black Women for their complete list: 

 

• Burn incense for some aromatherapy. 

• Write in a journal. Unload everything on your mind on the page, so you have a place to both release and return to for insights.

• Draw how you feel. You may be amazed at how you can express your feelings more effectively with images than with words.

• Write an affirmation letter to yourself. Resource: Tips here.

• Breathe. No, really. Take 1+ minutes to focus on your exhale and inhale. Resource: Breathing Exercises.

• Daily stretches. Let’s face it, a lot of us sit a lot. A good stretch helps with blood flow and will make your body feel a little better.

• Set an alarm to go to bed to get 8+ hours of sleep. Yes, you read right. Set the alarm for when you should start to go to bed.

• Treat yourself with a self-massage (or a paid massage if money allows). If a self-massage, you can focus on your neck, shoulders, legs, scalp, etc.

• Get into nature. Walk barefoot in grass. Try to see a sunset or sunrise. There is infinite wisdom in nature.

• Take care of a plant. Something about seeing a living thing grow with the right amount of water and sun can remind us to take care of ourselves as well. 

Time. Commitment. Procrastination. Simply not feeling like it or knowing what to do. There’s so many things that get in the way of caring for ourselves. Sometimes we spend too much time and energy caring for the people in our lives. Even when they spend no time pouring back into us. It’s exhausting. It’s hard. But self care it’s necessary.

What are you doing today, this week, this month, to ensure you are getting what YOU need from yourself? Try one of these this week or whenever you can.  Continue to say NO to all things and people that are stressing us out!

Have more questions? Email our Community Care Team at [e-mail]