September is national Self-Care month. Paying attention to your own needs and finding creative ways to meet them will help sustain your magical practice. In what ways can you give yourself at least as much care as you give to others?
* This post was previously published on the MADGoddess blog. I'm dusting it off with updates. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter for daily reminders of these self-care tips.
Share your best self-care tips on social media using #SimpleSelfCare and #SimpleWitchery
September 1 ~ In what ways do you claim time and space for your self care, especially now if you are sheltering in with other family members? Even 5 minutes to ground, center and connect to spirit will make a difference.
September 2 ~ You might be preparing more meals at home these days. In what simple way can you incorporate healthy eating habits into your day and your meals?
September 3 ~ Toot your own horn, bang your own drum, throw yourself a parade. Celebrate your awesome self! Share your favorite song to pump you up! Everybody needs a pep talk, maybe now more than ever. Don't wait for somebody else to pump you up.
September 4 ~ Water is Life. 75% of us are chronically dehydrated. Symptoms of dehydration can include dizziness, fatigue, and mental fog. If you feel hungry between meals, try drinking a glass of water, chances are you're thirsty. Remember that caffeinated drinks are dehydrating - the more coffee, tea, or soda you drink, the more water you need. Show yourself some love by staying hydrated. How do you take your water—with lemon, cucumber, mint . . . or straight up? Share a picture of your favorite way to enhance water on Instagram or Twitter.
September 5 ~ Parks and green spaces restricted due to Covid-19? Bring the beauty of the outdoors in. Bring home some house plants and try your green thumb. Fill a dish or a jar with pretty stones or sea shells, listen to recorded nature sounds, or run a table top fountain. Share pictures of how you incorporate nature elements into your indoor space on Instagram and Twitter. September 6 ~ Engage in trusted, online communities, join a social club, art group, book club, collectors club—the possibilities are endless. Covid-19 might be keeping us all closer to home, but there's a social media group for every interest. Share your favorite online (public) social group. September 7 ~ Feed your mind. Work a crossword puzzle, solve a Suduko, subscribe to a word for the day, memorize a poem, learn something new today.
September 8 ~ The Holy No. How often to you find yourself talked into something you really didn’t want to do? Don’t offer lame excuses, just say thank you but no thank you. Explanations not necessary. Say it like you mean it.
September 9 ~ Feed your spirit. Visit an art museum, a botanical garden, a planetarium or other place of beauty and inspiration . . . online. Many public museums and cultural venues are offering virtual tours. Here's a few to get you started.
September 10 ~ Cut yourself some slack, everybody makes mistakes. How often do you forgive your loved ones their minor faux pas without even being asked? Practice forgiving yourself in the same measure.
September 11 ~ Your self worth does not depend on how much you do for others. Further, everything is not easier if you do it yourself. Let others do for you once in a while (hint, you have to ask).
September 12 ~ Give yourself time out when you need it. Take a short break to do absolutely nothing. You might find it difficult at first, with everything that needs to be done running through your mind. Send it to voice mail, listen later.
September 13 ~ Move your body. Regular physical movement is maybe the most important factor in overall health. Even for those immobilized by injury or disease, physical therapy is considered vital. So move your can, or what you can, whenever you can. It doesn't have to be exercise. Take the stairs, take a walk on your lunch break or after dinner, play some tunes and clean a room . . . just move.
September 14 ~ Believe in your ability. Be your own cheerleader. Give yourself a pep talk. A little encouragement goes a long way. Create an edifying mantra and tape it to your bathroom mirror. Repeat it every time you look in the mirror.
September 15 ~ Get the sleep your body, mind and psyche need. You might think that’s 8-hours a night, but you’d be wrong. Turns out there is no research to support that number; it’s become part of the American culture because of . . . you guessed it, marketing. For most adults, anywhere from 6 up to 9 hours of sleep supports good health, while the average falls at 6.5 to 7 hours.
If you are raising children (or have), you are well aware of how too little sleep affects their behaviors; they can be cranky, whiny, argumentative, inattentive, unable to concentrate and just plain difficult. Lack of sleep has the same effects on adults, though perhaps less noticeable to observers because we have developed impulse control. Whether you mask the effects of poor sleep or not, you still feel it, and it's telling you . . . get more sleep!
September 16 ~ Do the things you enjoy, alone or with others. Make a list for handy reference, from the simplest pleasure to well planned activities. Make a point of doing something on your list every day.
September 17 ~ Just listen. We live in the age of opinion. Everybody has always had opions, but not everybody always shared them. The 24/7 “so called news” networks have made an art of forming opinions on everything, and we’re following suit, maybe even feeling obligated to weigh in lest we appear apathetic. Whether giving or getting, it’s exhausting! You don’t have to have an opinion on everything—give it rest.
September 18 ~ Feed Your Spirit. Take a moment morning and evening for grounding and centering and meditation. Each evening, recall at least one thing your are grateful for. Before bed, imagine yourself disconnecting from activities and events of the day. Visualize a thread or cord connecting you to each, feel your relaxation deepen as you see the connections going dark, knowing you can turn them back on when you wake.
September 19 ~ A Breath of Fresh Air. Give your house or apartment of breath of fresh air on a breezy day. Open all the windows and doors and let the wind blow through your space. My mother used to do this every Saturday, even during the sub-zero winters in northern Wisconsin. Science now indicates this is the best way to rid your home of winter cold and flu viruses.
September 20 ~ Give yourself a day off. Life can be pretty hectic. With everything that has to be done, you can end up working, at you job, at home, taking care of family and meeting other obligations, all the time. For working adults, days off often mean catching up at home. Your mind and body need to rest. Schedule regular time, once a day, once a week, or one weekend a month, for nothing but leisure.
September 21 ~Something’s Gotta Give. If taking that day off leaves you thinking you’ll just have twice as much to do the next day, you're maxing out your limits. Take inventory of everything you’re doing. What can you simplify? Are there ways to be more efficient? Is there anything you can let go of? Does everything you do really have to be perfect?
September 22 ~ Okay, just stop—stop doing it all! How much are you doing for others that they could be doing for themselves? Are you a pleaser, a fixer . . . a door mat? Let’s face it, very few people are going to turn down an offer to lighten their load. And very few will return the favor. Generosity, kindness and a willingness to help others are all admirable qualities, but if you’re feeling stretched too thin, hoping and waiting for others to step in and help you, or just step up and help themselves, you’re probably doing too much for others and not enough for yourself.
September 23 ~ Ask for help. Sometimes there are just too many responsibilities one person can handle. Single parent, going to school, working full or part-time? Long commute taking up several hours of your day? Side hustle? It’s okay to ask for help when you need it.
September 24~ Energetic Cord Cutting. We have energetic ties to all the people in our lives. The energy flows to and from, like the broadband connection we use for downloading and uploading through internet. Our connection to family and loved ones carries a heavy load back and forth. When the energy is good, it’s good for us. When the energy becomes negative, distressing, hurtful, it’s not so good for us. But we can control the bandwidth—we can open it wide, narrow it down, or cut it off, completely, even if only temporarily.
September 24 ~ Go soak yourself! True self care is about so much more than warm baths, wine and candles, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still indulge. Give your bath a detoxing boost by with Epsom’s salt, lavender and (or) mint essential oil, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide—for amounts and details read Ritual Bath for Purification. This combo is believed to help draw out toxins (skip the wine and drink and glass of water with lemon), and balance pH levels. When you’re done, wrap yourself in a robe and lie down (bed, sofa, recliner); feel what it means to be totally relaxed.
September 26 ~ Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish. Speaking of bandwidth—pull the plug on social media that’s causing you to stress out. Clean up your feed, cut your online time in half, or disconnect completely for regular periods of time. Your stress levels will go down.
September 27 ~ Indulge. Give yourself a treat, take yourself on a special date (or arrange one with a friend or loved one). Buy that book you’ve been dying to read (and you’re 200 back on the library reserve list), the certain art supply you’ve been drooling over, or that new kitchen gadget. Eat dessert, take the trip, buy the shoes. Every now and then, break your rules.
September 28 ~ Volunteer. So many charities, service agencies, and community events require the help of volunteers. Do a good deed by lending your expertise, skill or helping hands. You’ll make social and/or professional connections while improving your community.
September 29 ~ Grow. Make a commitment to personal development. Take up a hobby, learn a new language, take dancing lessons, polish your public presentation skills (Toastmaster is a great way to master public speaking and it’s free!). If your live near a university, check out their community ed programs. Learn something new for a better you.
September 30 ~ Celebrate Your Accomplishments! You’v completed a month of self care, that’s cause for celebration. When you fail to celebrate accomplishments, you train your brain to diminish your efforts. Make a habit of celebrating — milestones, accomplishments, and small victories—especially the small victories.