Heart
All posts under the category "Heart"
Sometimes we want to invest in our own self-care or encourage a loved one to, but we don’t know where to start. What would make the best gift for a seasoned self-care lover or self-care newb? Don’t worry, I got you covered. Here are my fave suggestions for self-care themed gifts.
I looked back in my calendar to this time last year. March 17, 2020 was the day I closed up shop at the clinic and started what we thought was going to be a few weeks in quarantine. I remember emailing my patients, assuring them I would see them again in person in a short while and encouraging them to book virtual appointments should they need any support as we navigate this new way of living. I remember turning to Instagram a lot at that time. I was quarantining alone. Feeling connected through Instagram took a bit of the pressure off. I was making big decisions. Decisions I never thought I would have to make.
We all have kind of an odd relationship with motivation. We spend our lives chasing it. And yet, we won’t accept that it’s something that will never be ours to own permanently. And that instead, it’s something that comes and goes and highly depends on many, many external and internal factors. This post is the note you need to read when you are lacking motivation or focus and you are sitting there paralyzed by it because you’re trying to force it. When you know deep down in the depths of your soul that you need to take a break and let yourself off the hook. This post…is permission.
Every time I sit down and talk about how important self-love and self-care is for Valentine’s Day, the message becomes stronger. Every year it becomes more clear to me. Every year, I feel it deeper in my core. This year, I want to share my top five lessons of self-love with you. I also want to share a few gifts you can get for yourself for Valentine’s Day. Because gifts of love shouldn’t only have to come from a significant other. They can come from you for you as well.
2020 was… interesting, to say the least. We were all going through the same thing at the same time, and yet we all have our own unique experiences of it. Although I am ready to say goodbye to 2020, I also realize that just because it is a new year, everything isn’t going to suddenly change. We are still being called to step up and face some harsh realities about our way of living. I think that is the biggest lesson I got out of 2020. Some things need to change. And it’s ok that they do. It’s ok to shift. It’s ok to re-evaluate our priorities. In fact, it is vital to do so. So instead of ridding myself of 2020 and never looking back, I want to focus on all the good that came out of last year.
I am beyond excited to share with you all that I am starting my own business!! An apothecary business! I have been dreaming about this moment for awhile, and I am over the moon that it is here. And to be honest, I can’t believe I am writing this. This post, this moment, this milestone… all of it has been a long time coming.
Sometimes (a lot of times), I wake up and immediately start scrolling on my phone. Or I feel a rush of panic and anxiety. Or I start going through my to-do list for the day. Or I wake up from my alarm feeling disoriented and off. Sometimes, I just wake up and I am instantly overwhelmed for no reason at all. So what do we do when we feel this way? What do we do when the morning routine and all the self-care doesn’t have the impact we want? What do we do when we are overwhelmed by all of it?
I started blogging back in 2016. I had always loved the idea of a blog. When I think back about my “why” for this blog, it wasn’t just for me to create and express. This blog was created to connect. And to help people not feel alone. I always felt a little alienated and a little misunderstood growing up. I felt a bit different. Because I was introverted (surrounded by a lot of extroverts), a little shy, a little insecure, but with a whole world of love and creativity and desires within me. I wanted to live that wild, free-spirited life.
Self-care is time for you to spend with yourself. Time for you to nourish your mind, body and soul. Time for you to reconnect with who you are and to your purpose. It’s a lot of things. And it has been something I always come back to. But what happens when you don’t live alone? What happens when you don’t actually have the space to create for yourself because it physically doesn’t exist? Whether you’ve moved in with a partner or a roommate, or you have children, or you live at home with family, or like me you have moved back in with your parents - it can be really difficult when you live with others to have time for self-care in the way you want to.
I haven’t done this in awhile…write just because I felt like I wanted to share something. I’m currently curled up in my bed with a turmeric latte (so delicious by the way!), some Bob Marley in the background, and the loveliest, most amazing candle from Shy Wolf Candles. It feels SO good to be here right now. This is how I used to blog. All cozy and ready to pour my heart out. Anyways, I thought I would share a bit of a life update because I realized I haven’t really written too much about that on here and I want to do that more.
I love journaling. It’s one of those things that can really help me sort out my thoughts, reduce my anxiety and put me in a better headspace. It’s not for everyone, so the first thing I’ll say here is try to figure out what works for you. However, if you are feeling really called to journaling but don’t know where to start, then this post is for you. Here are some general tips to get you started.
I’ve been feeling a little uninspired lately. I immediately assumed that it was the move that triggered my little rut. I mean… there have been a lot of changes this year. Throw in moving my whole life to another city…of course I would be feeling a little less than inspired. I love expressing myself through words and it is such a release for me. I wanted to talk all about the changes I was experiencing and reflect on everything. But not only was I exhausted, I also just didn’t feel inspired to create anything.
I’ve been wanting a hummingbird tattoo for years. I had a period of time a few years ago when I saw hummingbirds all the time. Catching them in action is breathtaking. Especially up close. The way they flutter in place. These teeny tiny little things. Capable of producing so much energy. Capable of stopping you in your tracks just to marvel in the moment.
“I could never live alone.” This is something I used to say all the time. Living alone seemed too scary. I didn’t think I could ever handle living alone. It seemed like a no brainer to me and wasn’t something I wanted to even entertain. Cut to 2014. I was living alone.
We’ve all been there. You wake up expecting the day to go one way, and instead it goes very very wrong. Nothing seems to align the way you had hoped. Plans get changed last minute, throwing you into either the turmoil of anxiety or causing you to play catch-up for the rest of the day. Maybe it just feels like the whole universe is working against you. Or perhaps you wake up feeling sad or angry and can’t seem to shake it off no matter what you do.
We are not quite in post-quarantine life yet. We are just barely even at the point of transition. And yet, it feels like there’s something looming around the corner. I felt a bit of a shift near the end of last week, and honestly, instead of feeling relieved that quarantine may be over soon, I’ve felt more anxious and even a bit sad.
We tend to get wrapped up in the appeal of the word. Self-care can seem like it's actually skincare, or a spa day or setting aside hours to spend on pampering yourself. And although I love all of that, it doesn’t actually get to the root of what self-care really is. Having gone through many, many years of school, while also trying to manage a long-distance relationship, friendships and living a healthy lifestyle, I’ve learned a few things about self-care.
Before podcasts became a thing, I didn’t really understand what they were for. I had the purple podcast app on my iphone that I never deleted, but also never used. And then suddenly the whole industry just burst wide open. The first podcast I started listening to was Off the Vine by Kaitlyn Bristowe. I have always enjoyed her humour on Instagram and randomly one day just popped her podcast on and was immediately hooked. After bingeing every episode, I was itching for more podcasts to fall in love with. Over the past couple years, I have expanded my podcast library considerably. However, there are a few key ones that continue to be in my repertoire.
Living alone, even if you stay highly connected to friends and family, can really make you feel quite alone. That PLUS quarantine…well… it can amplify a lot of things. Whether you have always lived alone, or you’re new to living alone, and whether or not you prefer living alone…this one’s for you. All of you.
I have noticed that my days generally take on their own “schedule”. Nothing is set in stone because I’ve always been the type of person that needs some fluidity in the way I get things done. When quarantine first started, I was very much about following my intuition. This often included a lot of time journaling and connecting to myself and my needs. As time goes on, I’ve found myself craving a little bit of structure. Instead of going fully one way or the other, I’ve started to automatically create a routine that works off of my intuition and still contains a bit of structure.
This past week has felt like a struggle. My emotions have been all over the place. My energy has been lower than usual and my motivation to do anything goes along with that. My joy for the little things has been fleeting. It’s been a difficult week to say the least. I try really hard to stay optimistic about everything and I truly do enjoy being a homebody with fewer obligations and lots more time for self-care. But I would be lying if I said this whole thing was easy. I have my moments, and sometimes those moments can feel really overwhelming.
I didn’t really want to write about the corona virus. To be honest, I didn’t take it very seriously a couple weeks ago, and then it blew up and now we are all staying home trying to flatten the curve. It is such a change in our realities that it’s hard to even grasp. There’s so much I could say about it, but I don’t think it is necessary. There are enough people commenting and sharing their opinions about what’s going on out there and I don’t want to add to that stress. What matters most right now is you and your self-care.
I’ve gone through a multitude of emotions myself in the last few days. From being judgmental and dismissive to feeling sheer panic and fear, and then to calmness and acceptance and then back to a bit of panic and anxiety. It’s probably the shortest amount of time I’ve experienced all these things in. And I’ve been feeling so compelled to share my heart with you on this.
I started thinking about this more and realized that a lot of people struggle with this too. For some people it means that they just don’t stop working. They continue to go and go and go until they crash. For other people it results in immense negative self talk. For others it becomes constant procrastination. Or a whole lot of stressing. All these things can really take a toll on you because not only are you not fully resting, but you also end up being extremely hard on yourself.
What I’ve created to help you out is a free wellness tracking sheet! It’s a place where you can track all the things you are doing for yourself so that you hold yourself accountable and you can also see how certain things may be affecting you positively or negatively. This information is invaluable when it comes to preventative medicine and holistic health.
I really wanted to write a new years post this year. I’ve found it harder this year than usual though. It seems that all I can think about are expectations. With it being 2020, it suddenly feels like the stakes are higher, the pressure is stronger and the expectations are even more intense. I rang in the new year with my family while we played games and enjoyed a home cooked meal. It was simple and it was lovely. And somewhere in that time it became a new year. A moment passed where it was no longer 2019 and it was suddenly 2020. Just a simple moment.
I don’t think I was good at listening to my own cues when I was younger. I rarely ever vocalized how I was feeling and never really understood the value of actually caring for myself. The result of this was many blow ups, countless phases of intense anxiety, a lot of crying and essentially a whole lot of confusion.
There’s a lot of talk out there about hustling and creating your own life. Becoming an entrepreneur. Designing your life the way you want it. It’s almost like everyone out there is chasing a dream and making it happen. 2019 is the year of change. Oh but wait, the next decade is around the corner…and you haven’t reached your goals yet. So, now what?
I think we are taught that we need to pick a career, stick with it, probably lose our passion for it and then at some point retire and move on. That never has sat well with me. I want to be fulfilled by what I do. I want to be excited to go to work. Every job has its downsides of course, but overall I want to filled up, not be drained, and constantly waiting for the next weekend.