Recently I heard someone say that when he heard someone mention that "they are super busy!" that this told him that they managed their time poorly. I was a little offended by this remark, as someone who always has many plates spinning, and who struggles with focus. But maybe there was a little bit of truth to his point. Keeping a level of busyness going takes a lot of energy that can't always be maintained, and often to the detriment of personal wellbeing.
Today I'm going to share a little bit about self-care. This is a concept that I struggle with. I know in my head that taking time for oneself is a healthy exercise, good for mental benefit and overall contentment. However, it's hard to break the habit of overloading one's time.
This season, I made it my goal to apply myself to completing whatever preparations for Christmas by yesterday, so that I could do all those little acts of self-care that I'd put off until today. Here's what my Christmas Eve Wellbeing Day looks like:
Allow myself to sleep in, staying snuggled under my comforter and getting whatever rest my body dictated. It can be difficult to get to restful sleep when your thoughts before drowsing are about all the tasks you need to do as soon as you wake up. Future improved time management means getting better quality sleep by not crowding the mind with work when it should be resting.
Take time for personal care. Being a curly means that at least once a month, I need to give my hair extra hydration, which takes time. My usual routine doesn't even allow for 3 min of diffusing, much less the 1 hr that a moisture mask process takes. It was luxurious to wrap family presents in between giving my hair a full Olaplex treatment (no. 0 through no.8 - the works), followed by a relaxed non-rushed diffusing. Maybe for you it isn't taking care of your hair, or your skin. Whatever it is that makes your body and soul feel at peace, take at least an hour to enjoy it.
Make yourself a treat and engage in a project that is just for you. My treat today was a soup mug-sized latte with a few (maybe more than a few) splashes of Bailey's Almande Cream (yummy Irish Cream for those of us non-dairy folks), topped with Cocowhip from So Delicious and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy canes. Also, I'm going to make a second ( & maybe a third) Starry Light by Laura Nelkin. If you've been to the studio this month, you've already seen the first one. They are fairly quick to make, if you can find some US 17 DPNs. I recommend DPNs over 2-circs or magic loop on this particular project. The DPNs are a little more stable for working with wires, IMO.
If you need any last minute gifts, we still have a good selection in the boutique, online and in the studio. We can't ship in time for Christmas at this point but we offer free local pick up.
Take care of yourself and have the merriest of Christmases,
Karin