International Self-Care Day, July 24

Right now is a crazy time in the world. From the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty around it to all the political and social issues that are coming to the surface, it’s a stressful time. As a parent, I’m stressed out trying to figure out what will happen with school in a month. As a witch and an empath, the emotions can be overwhelming at times. That’s why I’ve decided to celebrate International Self-Care Day. This is a great reminder to check in with yourself and do that something (or several things) that your body, mind and spirit need.

I want to share some ways that I practice self-care that I hope will inspire you to take time for you and your well being. I feel like it’s important to take a time-out, get balanced, get centered and get right with your body and soul. These are all easy ideas that you can do any day. July 24th may be the international holiday for self-care, but witchy friends, you deserve to take care of yourself every day.

1- Create a sacred space (sanctuary) in your home where you feel comfortable and relaxed. Add candles or crystals, make it zen or make it witchy. Find time to visit this sacred space often and take a few minutes for you.

2- Meditate. It’s so easy and accessible. If you don’t have a meditation practice, I really encourage you to try one. You don’t have to sit cross-legged on the floor and hum for 30 minutes (but you can if you want). There are tons of guided meditation apps out there for different emotions or feelings, like creativity, energy, relaxation or sleep. And there are no rules on how long you have to meditate. I have one minute guided meditations on my phone that I use all the time. I personally like MyLife, Smiling Mind, and Buddhify apps. I also visit robinrice.com for my one minute meditations.

3- Breathe. It’s amazing what a few deep breaths can do for your body, for your energy level, for your stress. You can use a mindfulness meditation to help you do some breath work, or I like to randomly set little timers on my phone to remind me to breathe. When the timer goes off, I stop what I’m doing, sit quietly and just breathe in and out for 30 seconds, visualizing the breath coming in and flowing back out. After ten seconds I’m calmer and less stressed.

4- Drink a cup of hot tea. The ritual of sitting with my tea and slowly sipping is one that I really enjoy. There are so many types and flavors of tea to choose from. If I need to relax, I pick a green jasmine tea without caffeine. When I’m not feeling well or want to be uplifted, I choose lemon tea. In the mornings, my black tea (Earl Grey or Irish Breakfast) warms me up and helps me get my day started. You can add an intention to your tea by stirring clockwise to manifest something or counterclockwise to push away negative energy.

5- Get exercise. Yeah, you always hear this one, and it’s one I’m working on. I’m an earthy girl, so I sometimes find it hard to get the energy to get moving, but once I do, I feel so much better. Find activities that don’t feel like work to you. I enjoy bicycling. I will also do dance videos like Body Groove. And I set small goals for myself, like I will bike 3 miles and if I feel like doing more I will. I will dance to two songs, and if I feel like doing more I will. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t go out and run 5 miles today. Take small steps. Remember, it’s 3 miles more or two more songs that you danced to that maybe you wouldn’t have otherwise.

6- Start a gratitude practice. I took a class a few years ago where I was encouraged to write down three new things every day that I was grateful for. I couldn’t wrap my head around how that would be helpful, but oh my goddess…it turned into an amazing experience! After doing it for a month, I felt truly happy. I really started appreciating what I had in my life. I started appreciating the little things that I didn’t before. I’ve noticed when things get busy and I step away from my gratitude practice for a while that I’m not as positive and happy. I always come back around to it because it truly adds value to my life.

7- Don’t say mean things to yourself. How many times a day do we look in the mirror and think bad things about ourselves? Don’t do it anymore. I once had someone tell me not to say anything to myself that I wouldn’t say to my mother or to a friend. I wouldn’t tell my friend that I see her double chin. I wouldn’t tell my mom she would be prettier if she lost 10 pounds. So don’t say it to yourself! It took a long time for me to quit doing that and every now and then I slip, but I try so hard to be nice to myself now. I deserve it! And so do you!

8- Get out into nature (or bring nature indoors to you). We are witches and we work with nature. We should feel grounded and happy in nature. Take a nature walk or just go out in your yard and pick up some items from nature that you can use to decorate in your house (pinecones, flowers, pretty leaves, interesting rocks). I always feel calmer near water, so when I get stressed out, I try to visit the river that’s near my home. Within minutes, I feel better.

9- Hydrate and nourish yourself. I’m vegan but I get in the habit of eating conveniently, which usually means packaged and processed foods. It’s a hard habit to break, but I’ve been trying lately to spend more time in the produce section of the store more than anywhere else. I can feel the difference when I eat healthy and organic. And I’ve been buying some fancy spring waters to get myself more excited about drinking water. Has anyone seen Down to Earth on Netflix hosted by Zac Efron? The second episode is just about water, and I was amazed at all the stuff I learned, so I’m working hard to get more of that H2O in my body.

10- Try affirmations. Stick them around your house. Put them in your journal. Meditate on them. If you say something enough, you will believe it. Find words and phrases that make you feel good about yourself. “I am radiant today” or “I am magickal”. Raise the positive vibrations in your life by thinking positively.

I hope some of these ideas resonate with you. I’d love to hear things that you do for self-care.