Hey my dear readers! Happy August!
I have been in a daze this past month, it has been emotionally stretching. That’s why for the first article of this month, I am keen to share on how I am learning self care. First of all, my little lady turned one! God is gooooood! For some this may seem normal, but for me, it wasn’t. It was a miracle.
I do not take 2017/2018 for granted. It was a year of tests and trials of my will power and strength. It was a year of putting faith in action. A year of trusting God and getting my hands out of his work in my life.
As you may know, I wear so many roles! I am a daughter, the eldest sibling, wife , mother and friend-oh and employee! All these roles are very demanding on their own, now imagine all of them clashing. So many times, I find myself being last on this list when it comes to attention and care. This is why this new month, I am focusing on self care. I feel it’s time that Joy comes first.
Self-care is not about being selfish, It’s about caring for your greatest resource, you! Mr. Q always says, “We need you Ma, You need to take care of yourself.” So what is self care?
I love the definition from this article ; Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional and physical health. It is a choice and it requires planning.
My Self Care plan is still in it’s initial stages and I am keeping it very simple. Check out the three things I am doing this month to show myself more love.
REST
This sounds easy. However, I am attempting to plug out and consciously allowing my body to rest. I will try take naps to rejuvenate my body. Thank God, I have leave days coming up so I will have a good two weeks to just be!
EXERCISE
I am still working on my snap-back body after having Taraji! I have not been intentional about exercise. In an attempt to love myself more, I plan to work on a simple regimen that I can sustain and that will give me results. I might try running (Not in Doha, 44 degrees is no joke). There is a diva dance class I found, I might just sign up!
QUALITY TIME & QUIET TIME
I miss my quiet time. This is my devotional time. I am looking for a devotional book to use to re-incorporate quiet time in my routine. A few years back, I did, Becoming the woman God wants you to be. I might just revisit this one. It is based on the Proverbs 31 woman. I am also looking to reignite my love for prayer. I know prayer is simply talking to God but I want to go deeper and be bold and since it’s not by power, by might but by God’s spirit, I know I can do this!
Quality time, is basically with those who bring me joy. Many times, we make time for everyone and everything else and forget those that matter. My plan, especially during my leave, is to reconnect with my friends and spend time with my family. I love family time. For us, it could be as simple as watching Nigerian movies or laughing at DJ Shiti’s antics on The Real Househelps of Kawangware.
Many people are now choosing to focus on mental health and even creating awareness on mental health. I think being cognizant of your mental health status is the highest form of self care. I encourage you to love yourself and do things for the one person who is always with you during the good times and the bad times, YOU baby! I ask that you fiercely love yourself. Take time each day to do ONE thing just for you. It could be anything, making that warm cup of tea at the end of your day, enjoying those roadside fries (chipo mwitu) on your way home, dancing in the elevator when you get into work, just do something for yourself that will bring you Joy, heck engage in some morning sex with your husband or wife before getting ready for work! Just do you, for you boo!!
Let me know in the comments below, how you plan to take care of yourself more this new month.
No matter what you do, be true and be you!
Kisses,
Joy