Welcome back to another opportunity to pause and focus on the one and only you. Before reading onward, take a moment and let yourself settle. Take a comfortable seated position wherever you choose, wiggle about a bit until you have a comfortable connection through your seat and then move your attention to your spine. Imagine that string attached to the crown of your head and gently pull it upward. Feel your spine elongate. Settle your shoulders (if you tend to carry tension in your shoulders and you are just realizing they are pulled up around your ears, roll them forward a few times and backwards a few times). Bring your attention to your breath now. Without trying to change it, just notice it. No judgement here. Just tune in and listen. After several rounds of regular breathing (one round = one full inhale and one full exhale), change it up and breathe in deeply through your nose and sigh it out through your mouth. Imagine any tension you are holding is sighing out with your breath. Repeat as many times as feels good! If you are ready to read on, there is a new self-care suggestion below. If you are already just full up, can't possibly process any more information today thanks, then pause. Stay seated and breathe deeply in through the nose, sighing out through the mouth. Remembering to breathe deeply is already an act of self care. Honoring where you are in your day and doing what you need now, in this moment is an act of self care too.
Sit and breathe awhile
Day Two Suggestion: Focus on Conscious Consumption
Wait, wait - before you toss your hands in the air thinking, "great, now she's going to tell me to live on salad and bird seed," let me reassure you: I am NOT talking about food. What I AM talking about is what you are consuming beyond what you are eating. What are you watching, listening to, surrounding yourself with? How conscious are you of how these things affect you? Without any self-judgement, think about an average day with an eye towards what you choose to experience and/or see and/or hear. Are you on social media for hours? Does the content you are engaging with make you feel good? Do you follow people that inspire you? Are you watching dark or heavy movies? Do you tend to watch the news before bed and then have a hard time falling asleep? How much time do you spend consuming content that brings you happiness, or makes you laugh?
Moving forward, remind yourself throughout the day to stop and really tune in to what you are taking in. Make a conscious effort to include positive content that makes you feel good! It might be a podcast that makes you laugh out loud, a book that inspires you, or a song that you can't help but sing along to with a grin on your face. Even a single ray of sunshine on a gloomy day can make a difference.