Just a reminder that in 2019, self care doesn’t have to be lavish. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t have to be hours of your time. I took a bubble bath last night, and WOW…it did me a world of good. What was different though, why I am bothering to write about it, is that I approached it in a mindful way.
We have so much stimuli coming at us. Our mind can’t process it all. Our minds filter out so much information. We do things to get them done, to check tasks off the list. I decided last night the most meditative thing I could do was be fully present in washing off the cares of the day. I try to begin and end my day with some kind of meditation.
There’s an exercise I do to get present. It’s especially useful when I’m feeling frantic, hurried or scattered.
Here it is:
I identify five things I can see.
- the hundreds of bubbles in the water of varying sizes
- the pink of my bar soap
- the red of my wash cloth
- a nearby candle, unlit
- my facial cleanser
I identify four things I can hear.
- plumbing sounds
- tiny pops of bubbles
- my hand moving through the water
- footsteps in another part of the house
I identify three things I can touch or feel.
- the warmth of the water
- the crunch of the bubbles in my hands as I play with them
- the coldness of my shoulders, which were not underwater
I identify two things I can smell.
- the smell of the bubble bath, bright with a hint of charcoal
- the eucalyptus smell of my cold cream
I identify one thing I can taste.
- the mint of freshly brushed teeth
This exercise helps me to get really present in what I am doing and sensitizes me to my environment. It encourages me to observe, not just do for doing’s sake. We can buy all the self care our wallets can stand, but we must also invest our time and thought. We must invest our Self in the self care.
For my favorite things and self care ideas, find them on Amazon!
Kristin West 