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February's Slow Experiment: Slow Self Care





And just like that my first slow experiment is at an end and the second one is about to begin! It only made sense to me that after slow food comes slow self care so that is what I plan to tackle this month. Plus with February being a bit of gloomy one a little TLC is just what the doctor ordered.


Self care means a lot of different things to a lot of different people; For some it means having a detox of social media and processed foods, for others it means the exact opposite and having a cheese burger while taking some time out to scroll through Instagram is what they need. Determining what you need is the biggest first step towards embarking on a self care routine or challenge. As February approaches closer and closer I keep asking myself 'what do I need?' and 'what do I want to achieve?' Neither of these questions are easy to answer for me but what I've realized is that I practise very little self care these days so at this point, anything is better than nothing.


Here are some of the things I want to focus on this month:


~ HUGS ~


This month I want to start every day off by giving myself a great big ole' hug. I do realize that this may seem a little odd, or weird and that is exactly how I felt the first time I did it, but you know what? It also felt really great, and I discovered that I give damn good hugs. A hug from myself to myself every morning is such a simple way to remind myself that I am enough and that I am loved and I can't think of a better way to start my day.


~ POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS ~

After giving myself a hug, I want to think of some positive affirmations as I brush my teeth. So much of our experience is based on our perception and so much of our perception is based on the story we tell ourselves... I want to tell myself a good story - a story that will make me feel content, and grateful, and happy, and enough. Starting my day off by thinking of some positive affirmations will get me on the path of a good story for the day.


~ REMOVE MY MAKEUP ~

I don't know why but I have picked up a really bad habit of not bothering to remove my makeup before I go to bed. I have no idea when this started or why, but here we are, and my skin does not like me for it. Plus it just feels super gross to wake up with 20 hour old makeup on. I want to make sure I take a little downtime before I go to bed so I can properly wind down for the evening and removing my makeup, and using some nice facial products I got for Christmas is going to be a part of this.


~ USE MORE ESSENTIAL OILS ~

I personally do not believe that essential oils hold medicinal qualities (to each their own) but I do so love the smell of them! I currently have peppermint which feels amazing on the back of your neck and lower back, and orange blossom and lavender which I've used to make an evening pillow spray. I want to make sure I pamper myself a little more this month and using these oils will help me do just that.

~ HAVE A BATH OR TWO ~

For Christmas I got two Lush bath bombs (well I got one for Christmas, and cheekily bought one for myself right before Christmas and they turned out to be the same one!) but they are bloody gorgeous! I still haven't gotten around to using them yet and if this isn't the right month to do it, I don't know when is! A warm bath with one of these babes popped in, a good book and some candles sounds like a great way to spend a little me time.

~ YOGA~

I have been saying for almost a year now that I want to get back into yoga. I've never really liked any kind of exercise other than walking and hiking until I took some yoga classes at the gym I was going to at the time and I fell in love. It is gentle yet challenging, calming yet invigorating, and slow yet strengthening. Practising yoga a few times a week will ensure that my body is getting some much needed movement and love.

~ READ A SELF HELP BOOK ~

I'm almost done with re-reading the Harry Potter series (I'm actually so sad about this) and to lift my spirits after having to say good-bye to them once more (and in the name of self care) I thought I'd read a self help book. For Christmas this year I got the book Start With Why by Simon Sinek which I've been interested in for a while and figured it was a perfect fit for this challenge. I don't know much about the book but have been recommended it several times so I'm curious to see what it's all about! 




~ A FEW OTHER THINGS ~

As if this list isn't already long enough here are a few other things I want to try to do this month: listen to more sleep stories on the Calm App, meditate, try to be more present and have less distractions, and write more blog posts! Some things I am thinking of writing about are self care for those who don't know where to start, limiting beliefs & labels, and a slow self care update!


I want to love every part of myself this month - every roll, wrinkle, freckle, scar, stretch mark, 'flaw', quirk, and weird thing that makes me, me - and hopefully create another lasting habit for the year.


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