I think the words \u201cself love\u201d and \u201cself care\u201d sound a bit\u2026limp. Less than inspiring. Boring even. Like\u2026oh great, another \u201cthing\u201d I need to do. AMIRIGHT? But here\u2019s my hack. Add the word \u201csacred\u201d as a prefix and suddenly, I\u2019m more interested. Sacred Self-Care sounds like something I can get down with. It doesn\u2019t feel mundane or laborious or weak-sauce. It sounds DIVINE. And IMPORTANT. And SPECIAL. And LUSH.<\/p>\n
And it IS.<\/span><\/p>\n If I loaned you my favourite sweater would you spill coffee on it and wear it threadbare and carelessly launder it with your dishtowels and socks? No. You\u2019d look after that shit (you better! Ha.) You\u2019d attend to it with care. You\u2019d probably handwash it with some special hippie soap made with essential oils and place it out to dry it in the sunshine. (You\u2019re my kind of people.) Then you\u2019d fold it nicely and put it in a bag to protect it before returning it to me. Probably with some chocolate to say thanks. Right? <\/span>(I reaaaally like you.)<\/p>\n And yet, we treat our very own bodies and minds – our most sacred possessions – with very little loving care. We leave ourselves last. Filling up our own cup as an afterthought, not a priority.<\/span><\/p>\n PEOPLE. This is all kinds of messed up. In fact, it\u2019s straight up backwards. Filling up our own cup last is like building a house from the roof down. There\u2019s no foundation. No stability. <\/span>And yet this is how we\u2019ve learned to do it. So is it any surprise that we have a culture of women and men who are weary with adrenal depletion, exhaustion, overwhelm and burn out?<\/p>\n Look, if you subscribe to the fact that you are part of a cosmic divinity – whether it\u2019s that you\u2019re made of stardust or that you\u2019re connected to the cosmos or that some God or Goddess had a hand in your creation – who are you NOT to take care of your divine self? Who are you to wear down your divinity with no maintenance, no conscious care and no love?<\/span><\/p>\n As Danielle LaPorte so perfectly put it, \u201cself-care is a divine responsibility.\u201d WORD.<\/span><\/p>\n When we reframe \u201cself-care\u201d as a sacred act we give ourselves permission. Permission to recognise how important it actually is. Permission to prioritise our own wellbeing as divine beings. Permission to ditch the guilt and actually enjoy – even be proud of – taking care of ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t about regular trips to the dentist and keeping your nails trimmed. This is about giving ourselves the opportunity for rest. This is about massages and soup and warm cups of tea. This is about meditating every morning, or journaling your feelings. This is about sitting in circle with sisters and speaking your truth. This is about slowing down. Reading an actual book. Painting something. Asking for help. This is about moving your body and feeding it well. This is about listening to your body when it needs more sleep or less socialising. Or honouring your mind when it needs less screen time and more down time.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve sometimes battled with feeling selfish and guilty when I get a massage instead of spending the afternoon with my kids, or when I do yoga instead of attacking my inbox. This is normal, because our culture has trained us NOT to look after ourselves. I have found it to be effective to short-circuit that response with this reality check: when you fill up your cup, you have more to give. Sacred-self care gives you the resources to show up as your best self in your life (versus a frazzled, exhausted, impatient shadow of yourself). And when you\u2019re moving through life as your best self, that means you can truly be of service to those you care about.<\/span><\/p>\n Break the cycle of exhaustion by giving yourself permission right now to look after your divine self. What fills up your cup will be different from person to person. So make a list of 5 things you know light you up, fill you up, top you up and restore you. If you need help, here\u2019s a peak at my list: meditation, yoga, early bedtimes, massage, acupuncture, baths with epsom salts and essential oils, beach walks, oracle cards, chanting, ritual, afternoons with friends, soup, lemon and ginger tea, reading actual books made of paper, writing, making art, being alone.<\/span><\/p>\n So go on with your divine self and get some Sacred-Self Care happening in your life. YOU DESERVE IT. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The words \u201cself love\u201d and \u201cself care\u201d sound a bit\u2026limp. Less than inspiring. Boring even. Like\u2026oh great, another \u201cthing\u201d I need to do. AMIRIGHT? But here\u2019s my hack. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[63,288,64,65],"yoast_head":"\nOUR DOUBLE STANDARD FOR CARE <\/span><\/h2>\n
DON\u2019T DOG YOUR DIVINITY<\/span><\/h2>\n
SACRED-SELF CARE DOESN\u2019T SUCK<\/span><\/h2>\n
SACRED-SELF CARE ISN\u2019T SELFISH<\/span><\/h2>\n
PERMISSION SLIPS AND ACTION PLAN<\/span><\/h2>\n