31 days of Self-Care.

I have decided to join up with THE NESTING PLACE's 31 day writing challenge! I am going to be writing on 31 days of self-care. I might be a day behind but I think my passion and excitement about this will make up for loss time.

Each day I am going to write about how to experience different forms of self-care. I am really passionate about this topic because it sometimes goes overlooked especially in the Christian community. Often we are told to sacrifice, deny ourselves and above all, DON'T BE SELFISH!

This is my 31 day celebration of how self-care has enhanced the quality of my life BIG TIME. I think for me personally this is inspiring for me to be aware of doing something every day that adds to my overall health and well-being. I have recently begun a full-time job as a therapist to adolescent and their families. It is a lot of work! As I hear painful, heart wrenching stories, as I write endless progress notes, and as I try to meet my own productivity I am reminded how important it is for me as a therapist to take care of myself. I owe that much to my clients. If I am not healthy, well nourished, well slept and richly full inside I have nothing to give except my own human exhaustion (which is not a charm). I believe that my personal relationships with my friends and family will have more meaning if I take the time to BE with myself and nourish the areas in my life that are lacking.

Today's first self-care exercise is yoga! I am a huge fan of yoga. Yoga has helped me learn how to slow down, breathe and connect with where my body is at. Sometimes my body feels energized, other times my body feels beaten down. Either way, yoga definitely shows me what my body is truly feeling. When I become stressed my whole body becomes inflamed. Yoga has taught me how valuable stretching is to release tension in my muscles. Yoga has developed in me a love for my body. Yoga is not about losing weight or becoming a body builder, it is about finding my deep Strength.

Today I read She breathes deeply and prayed while I practiced Yoga. This was especially meaningful to me because not only am I connected with my body, I am connecting with Jesus. I am able to actually visualize grounding myself in this Love as I do mountain pose. It seems like a great way to start your day or end your day. So check it out!

I'll meet up with you tomorrow!