Hey Beautiful. Guess what? it’s International Self-Care Day!
Could there be a more POTENT time for us to reconnect with ourselves?! This political, COVID-ridden world is intense and we all need a respite to replenish and refresh. Am I right?!
For me, self-care is a practice I remember participating in daily – but especially at times when I need it most. I let my body-mind-spirit tell me when it’s time to STOP, take a break, and take inventory. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows – sometimes it’s downright uncomfortable. But…
Self-care is integral to daily life, not just when you feel on the brink of a breakdown.
If you can practice self-care each day, even just for a few minutes, chances are you can avoid breakdowns by giving yourself the essential TLC that you truly deserve.
So on this day, International Self-Care Day (love it!), I invite you to make a commitment with me… to dedicate at least 30-minutes today to simply checking in, listening to, and nurturing your body-mind-spirit with understanding, patience, compassion, forgiveness, and above all, LOVE.
Today, I want to let you in on the three revolutionary acts of self-care that I love to melt into. Use them, schedule them into your days, and customize them to suit your needs and desires!
Have A Date With Yourself
Yeah, you read that right. One of my most favorite, most personally healing (and freaking delicious) acts of self-care comes in the shape of having a romantic date with the person I know better than anyone – ME!
The best part about this practice is that you don’t need to style yourself up in fancy clothes or spend hours on your makeup (but you totally can if you’re feeling glamorous!)
You just want to settle into whatever YOU feel most comfortable in and whatever will make you feel like you’re really spending quality time with YOU. Whether it be sweats and a tee, the pj’s you’ve been rolling around in all day, or maybe you’re in a Comando-mood (I know you’re thinking it)… You do you, it’s your freaking date, after all!
I’ve taken myself out on numerous dates and it always brings me closer to “home.” It helps me get clearer on my goals, dreams, and desires. But it also allows me the time and space to check in with myself and really give myself the love I deserve.
It’s so lovely and empowering!
One of my favorite dates (pre-covid) was getting dressed up in my favorite skirt (love me some vintage Gunne Sax), taking myself to a movie (with tea), and eating a slice of pizza while loving on the moonlight. It was so simple but an evening I’ll never forget!
For a stay-at-home date, I recommend setting up your space with your most-loved music or film in the background, some candles or soft lighting, and the good silverware laid out on the table while you prep a beautiful dinner for yourself.
Here’s a must-do go-to-date-night-with-myself recipe for summer…
Mint Chocolate Mousse
This recipe reduces Vata and Pitta and slightly increases Kapha
Preparation Time: 10 minutes, plus 10 minute soak time for dates
Yields 2 Cups
¼ cup Medjool dates, pitted & soaked in 1 cup water for 10 to 20 minutes
6 tablespoons room temperature mint tea
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ ripe avocados, peeled and roughly chopped
6 tablespoons raw cacao or carob powder
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch saffron or cinnamon
1 tablespoon cup raw cacao nibs
1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves, optional
- Combine the soaked dates, maple syrup, ¼ cup of the tea and vanilla in a food processor or blender until smooth.
- Add the avocado, cacao, cardamom, and saffron and process until rich and creamy. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the work bowl or blender.
- Add the remaining tea and process briefly. Top with raw cacao nibs and fresh mint.
Run A Ritual Bath
“What the heck is a ritual bath!?” I hear you say.
If you think you’ve enjoyed a bath with just hot water and your much-loved loofah, you’ve not even experienced half of it.
Baths are the closest thing you can get to a spa treatment (practically for free!) in your own home, so first things first, it’s time to start honoring bath’s calming and healing qualities and treat them like the luxury they are!
Ritual baths are a magical practice that essentially allows you to bathe with intention, absorbing the medicinal and mystic qualities of spiritual ingredients that benefit your mind, body, and soul.
People often prepare ritual baths around the time of the full moon or new moon using specific crystals and flowers to raise the vibrations of an already powerful spiritual occurrence. Equally, they can be run and prepared just as a self-care mini-retreat in your the comfort of your own home. Mama Medicine creates some beautiful baths for you to gather inspiration from.
Also, they’re surprisingly super easy for you to bubble up yourself! There’s no one way to do this, but I’m going to share with you my standard bathing brew for you to mix and customize as you wish…
Self-Care Ritual Bath
What you’ll need:
> Hot Tea to sip on while your bath is running (see below for my Hot Mermaid Tea recipe)
> Rose petals, for self-love
> Lavender sprigs, to ease anxiety
> Rose quartz crystal, for healing
> Amethyst crystal, for spiritual expansion
> Epsom salts, for relaxation
> 2 to 4 drops essential oil, optional (I love Vetiver for grounding with grapefruit for joy and clearing)
- Run your bath and once ready, add your ingredients. Leave for 5 minutes to allow the bath to absorb the goodness.
- Eliminate all unnatural light and light candles instead.
- Step into your bath and submerge yourself in the water, soaking your entire body (head included!) then come up, and relax.
- Close your eyes and meditate into your ritual bath with the intention of disconnecting from the outside world.
- Repeat the affirmation “I Am Held, I Am Safe” in your head until you feel fully relaxed.
- Enjoy the ritual bath for as long as you’d like while sipping on Hot Mermaid Tea (or any hot tea that you love)…
Hot Mermaid Tea
This recipe reduces Vata and Pitta and balances Kapha
Preparation Time: 1 minute
Yield: Serves One
When you reconstitute seaweed in water, you create a cool, naturally-rich protein source. It’s slippery, hydrating, and filled with trace minerals. This drink evokes the ocean’s healing, soothing nature – so perfect when you’re soaking in a bath!
2 cups hot or warm water
1 strip kombu or wild, raw nori
Put the water and seaweed in a glass or mug. You can drink immediately or let it steep for several minutes before drinking.
There’s no need to strain the seaweed out, but you can if you like. If you leave the seaweed, keep adding fresh water to it as you drink. It will continue to give its life-affirming properties for several steeps.
Side note: While in the home stretch of writing my newest cookbook, The 28-Day Restorative Ayurveda Cookbook and Meal Plan (so excited! It comes out in November 2020), I realized that one of the ingredients people have the hardest time finding is seaweed. Click this link to find kombu (my favorite seaweed for Mermaid Tea) easily online.
Take The Time To Meditate
Y’all didn’t think I’d get through my top acts of self-care without including a meditation, did you?
As the first tier of health in Ayurvedic medicine is self-awareness, meditation is the first step to actually living self-care.
Yes, meditation teaches you the discipline to stay focused on the practice and detachment from the outside world, but there are a multitude of healing qualities too.
I personally started practicing meditation because it was the closest connection my soul had to nature and simply just being in the moment. It supported me on realizing what truly mattered and allowed me to soak up my own blissful existence in the world.
It was never easy to build up my own practice because, like many, my mind always wandered and focused on my external world. But, that’s why it’s called a practice – it’s not meant to be perfect, it’s just meant to be done.
To help you with your own practice, I’ve included a meditation for you to relax into. Be sure to set up a comfortable space and try to do it outdoors for maximum vibrations!
Now, Your Turn
So, having read about my most-loved self-care practices, what are you going to be doing to ensure that you are regularly checking in yourself?
Let me know in the comments and share your own practices!
