Three Things Thursday: Self Care

Thank you so much for the kind comments on yesterday's post! It helps so much to know that I'm not the only one struggling with such negative feelings about myself. In light of yesterday's post, for Three Things Thursday, I decided to write three things of self care that can really turn my mood around when I'm feeling overwhelmed.

I find it important to say that I feel overwhelmed instead of stressed; while the two words can go hand-in-hand, I don't necessarily feel stressed. I just feel like my to-do list is a mile long and it's impossible to know where to start. And not only that, I have other people counting on me as well--which leads to feeling guilty.

When I took the time to write out my negative emotions, the list was much longer than I would have expected. My therapist wants me to bring it with me to my next session, and I'm actually a little embarrassed by it, haha! But I really do feel like I had a moment on Tuesday that seems like it will turn things around for me.

Okay, so here are three self-care items I can do that can (hopefully) reverse the negative emotions I'm feeling in the moment...

1) Go for a run.

Now, you all know my love/hate relationship with running. I hate doing it most of the time, but I love the way it makes me feel. And when I'm in decent shape, I actually do enjoy the running part. As far as self-care goes, though, it can turn my mood around in the time it takes to run just 2-3 miles. Even if I've eaten poorly that day or I've been lazy and unproductive, a short run gives me a boost of energy and self-worth. Rather than feeling self-hatred, I feel self-confident.

2) Self hygiene with the whole shebang.

Freshly showered with my Cuddl Dud leggings

Take a hot shower, wash and condition my hair with the "good" shampoo, use a lovely-smelling body wash, and take care to shave my legs with silky shaving gel. Once I feel so clean that I smell like Bath & Body works, I brush and floss my teeth until they feel like I just got home from a dental cleaning, and then put on some smelly-good lotion before putting on my most comfortable pajamas--my super soft Cuddl Duds. Bonus if I take the time to trim and/or paint my nails and tweeze my eyebrows.

3) Turn off all phone notifications.

I do this with comments, too--I honestly plan to reply, and then by the time I remember, it's awkward!

I know this is probably a hard one for a lot of people, but I actually kind of dislike having a smart phone. Of course, there are a ton of advantages to it and I don't think I could get along with it (hello, Google Maps!), but notifications give me anxiety. It adds more to my to-do list (responding to texts, phone calls, comments, emails--and I don't mean just from my blog!).

I'm a SUPER slow texter on my phone, so it sometimes takes me a while to get back to someone (I like to wait until I can text from my computer). Also, people seem to want a response right away, and sometimes I just want to enjoy the moment I'm in without any interruptions or distractions. If you are friends with me, you know that I am TERRIBLE at texting back right away--it's just the way I am. Before smart phones, we could wait a couple of hours or so to talk to someone, but now that people are used to getting responses right away, it puts a lot of pressure on me to reply instantly.

However, I don't want this to sound like I don't want to keep in touch with people! I do enjoy getting texts/emails/etc, but I also like to take my time replying. And likewise, I don't expect a response from others right away, either. (If there is something that is clearly a timely message that requires a response right away, I will take the time to answer it.)

Anyway, I do think that turning of notifications for all apps once in a while is a great for of self-care. It allows times for just me, knowing that I can always respond in a little while. So, if you're waiting for a text or email or whatnot from me, please know that it's not personal. It's just a vice (or not!) of mine.

After Wednesday's pity party, I've been doing everything I can to turn my mood around, and it's definitely helping. I'm not "there" yet, but just doing one small thing (like going for a run) made a big impact on my mood. And that small thing has the potential to turn my whole day around!

When my to-do list is so long and I worry about pleasing everybody else, it's easy to set self-care on the back burner. But it's super important! And I'm going to make it a point to work on it more often. Even if it means watching a cheesy Lifetime movie in my pajamas with my phone notifications turned off :)