September is National Self Care Awareness Month
Hello, friends, and welcome to September.
Are you feeling the fall spirit yet? The temperatures may not be changing quick enough in the south, but rest assured we are all thinking the same thing. FALL IS HERE! Now…we wait.
It may be a long wait for the first leaf to turn and the first cool front to grace us with its presence, but nonetheless pumpkins and pumpkin spice everything are fast approaching. I had the pleasure of perusing Hobby Lobby last weekend while the hubs went to Home Depot (me: to find decor for our new bathroom shelf and entry way console; hubs: to replace his mom’s garbage disposal). I kept a distance from everyone of course, but I made sure to walk slowly down each and every aisle to look at the fall stuff. I absolutely HAD to keep away from the Christmas stuff. I am weak, I tell you. WEAK.
So here we are in the last quarter of the year and life is changing. I always feel like fall brings change and poetically it is bringing change for me once again. That being said I have spent more time at my desk in the past week than I have in a couple of years and this made me think, “What is September all about?” I took a quick gander at Google and discovered that September is actually National Self Care Awareness Month (aka National Self Awareness Month).
I find amusement in these proclaimed national days, weeks, months because there is a time for everything. But, you know what? Self awareness and self-care awareness is actually a really important thing! Too often we find ourselves caught up in the busyness and obligations and we forget to take care of ourselves.
If your gas tank is on empty, what do you need to do? Stop and refill it.
Well, the same goes for your mental, emotional, and physical self.
If your energy is low, what do you need to do? Stop and rest.
If your love tank is low or empty, what do you need to do? Stop and refill it.
If your vitamin levels are low, what do you need to do? Focus on replenishing it.
Sound redundant? Perhaps. But, the point is valid.
I can imagine that many of us feel that 2020 has been rather harsh on all fronts. Yet, while we can all count our ample blessings each day it is easy to feel worn out by the happenings that 2020 has provided us:
-illnesses including but not limited to Covid-19
-fear of said illnesses, fear of death, fear of the unknown, fear of job loss, fear of no income, fear of losing friends and family
-stress related to and above and beyond everything listed above this
-forest fires
-earthquakes
-hurricanes
-tornadoes
-murder hornets
-riots, racism, bigotry, damage, murder, plunder
-aggressive anger and divisive tactics in society and media
-aggressive attacks on innocent people
-economic hardships
-separation from loved ones, societal distancing
I need not go on…
So while we can count our blessings, it is clearly easy to fall prey to the negatives of 2020 and feel like we’re just existing this year. We’re just waiting for the next month to bring the next month and then eventually for 2021 to arrive with a brighter hope of a better year next year. We’re existing. We’re restricted from visiting family and friends. We’re restricted from dining out and socializing. We’re restricted from traveling the ways we’re used to and would like to. It’s 2020, after all.
ENTER IN why I feel that this National Self (Care) Awareness month is actually REALLY IMPORTANT.
After the stressful spring and summer we’ve had this year, I think it is more important than ever for you to refuel and recharge.
Self awareness involves thinking about your self, your actions, your thoughts, how you behave, how you think, how you feel, how you react to things.
Three key questions can help increase our self-awareness:
Who am I?
What do I want?
How do I want to be in my life?
Self care awareness involves thinking about how you can refuel your drained energy, refill your joy and contentment, refuel your ambitions and desires, find rest in quiet moments to still your thoughts, create an outlet for your mind and emotions like journaling, painting, singing, dancing, writing, walking, exercising, getting a massage, or just relaxing. There are a lot of self-care calendar ideas on the web, but here’s one you can start with.
I realize that it may not be possible to enjoy each idea every day, but this is a great month to challenge yourself to try these things and find the motivation to tackle the rest of the year with joy and positivity. We’re in the best part of the year after all! ;) Don’t you want to enjoy it and feel excited about the fun holidays to come? The holidays may be very different than they ever have been before, but we can certainly make the best of them!
Do you have any goals for September related to self care? I know I am going to make the effort to treat myself a little bit this month. I realized recently how often I am putting myself on the back burner with the thought, “What does it matter? I’m not going anywhere.” Well, to my detriment I am discovering that it DOES matter. We deserve it.
XOXO
