This is the last post in my Self-Care Series! It’s been an interesting time. When I started this series I was in a much better headspace. Work and life have been exhausting and my time management has been pretty poor. I haven’t been making a whole lot of time to do the things that fill me up and ground me. But I guess self care is like cleaning the kitchen – it has to be done regularly in order to be effective.
The only goal I had going into 2021 was to be gentle with myself. I even called it The Year of Being Gentle. And four months into this year, I still have to be mindful every single day to be gentle with myself.
To conclude my self-care series, I will be focusing on my Spiritual Wellness. According to SAMSHA’S definition spiritual wellness is “Expanding our sense of purpose and meaning in life”.
I saved this aspect of my wellness for the last post because I was the most excited to write it. I knew that if I waited to focus on my spiritual wellness until the very end then I would surely finish the series. And here I am, finishing what I started several months ago.
To focus on my spiritual wellness, I did a Reiki session. Reiki is a form of energy therapy and can help individuals work through anxiety, depression, and other emotional states.
The first time I heard anyone talk about their experience with Reiki, I got really emotional listening their story, which was strange for me because I’m not usually an outwardly emotional person. But for some reason, when I heard about Reiki, I felt something inside of me shift and I knew I had to learn more about this practice. I put it off for a couple of months, but I had another friend do a session and she raved about it so much, I knew it was time to schedule my own Reiki experience.
My session was really beneficial. I talked about how I had moved alone during a pandemic and I was struggling to feel settled and grounded and find a balance in my life between work, socializing, and everything else.
The Reiki master had me relax and do lots of deep breathing until I finally got in touch with my subconscious and attempted to connect with my higher self and some of the angels/spirits that guide and protect me.
I got really frustrated at one point because I was having a hard time picturing a lot of what she told me to, but afterwards, she assured me that was normal.
I realized that a lot of my frustration comes from stressors in my life that prohibit me from constantly feeling at peace. Another reason why I feel frustrated with myself is because I’m just not satisfied with where I am in my life, for some reason.
“Why can’t you just be content where you are!?!“ my subconscious demanded to know, but I had no answers.
Two of the biggest lessons I took from my session was to trust the process and to let go of all negative talk.
Easier said than done, I know, but I kept coming back to those two phrases my subconscious was repeating.
Another important thing that I took from my session was that making time to exercise is extremely vital for me. I’ve always been an active person, but the past couple of months, I haven’t been able to force myself to get into the gym. My body is tired and I haven’t been making it a priority. But I still need to somehow stay active and healthy, so I’ve decided to start practicing more yoga. I’ve done yoga off and on for a years now, but I’ve never really dedicated myself to a practice and stuck with it.
Since my Reiki session, I’ve been trying out local studios in my area. The first one I went to was a Yoga and Barre studio. It was a cool space and I got a good flow and stretch in.
The second studio that I found is hot yoga! This was the most I’ve sweat in so long. I was drenched in sweat, my mat was slippery, and several times throughout the class my muscles were BURNING! Not only was it a great workout, it was also a really nice flow and stretch.
To keep working on my spiritual wellness, I’m going to make hot yoga a regular part of my day.
Now, almost a week after my session, I’m working to consistently shift my perspective and be grateful for this season of my life. I believe this period of my life is strengthening my work ethic and teaching me to enjoy my own company.
If you’ve followed along with my Self-Care Series I hope it’s inspired you to provide some self care for yourself. Loving yourself is one of those things that you constantly have to keep in check. It’s so easy for it to take a backseat and then one day you wake up and wonder how long you’ve been neglecting yourself.
Take care of yourself, love yourself, and remember to trust the process. You are not alone.
Living With Intentions 