Written by Author E.F. Sands
Photo curtesy of "Bedtime stories"Episode Two. Onlyfans@authorefsands
My last blog "Muliple Love Affairs" touched on the necessity and upward trend of multiple revenue streams in time of financial uncertainty. With all of this new passionate, intentional work, how can we carve out time for self care?
Doing what we love has it's own natural way of minimizing stress, however we can still get burnout if we are not taking inventory of the self care needed to navigate a busy lifestyle. What is self care exactly? Because it can be different things to different people. Self care for me is a relaxing bubble bath with aroma therapy, or taking a long walk in nature with my dog. No matter what calms your spirit, it's important to carve out time to decompress and relax. Here are three suggestions to point your daily intentions to"Me Time"
Meditation:
It's my birthday today and as I sip my morning coffee and wait on hold with customer service I remember to breath deep and meditate on all of the blessings of my life. According to Mental Health Partners of Colorado meditation is one of the number one ways to relax your mind and body. They suggest finding a quiet comfortable place and breathing deep for several minutes. Sounds simple enough but most of us are far more focused on other things to even take the time to breath. Try RPM (Rise, Pee, Meditate) as a reminder. "To build a practice, meditate first thing in the morning.As soon as you wake, pee, then sit up straight, pull on the covers, close your eyes and meditate." -Audrey Sutton, 5 Steps to build Your Meditation Practice.
Sex:
"Lets talk about sex baby, let's talk about you and me"-Salt-n-Pepa. I don't think we talk enough about sexual intimacy and its impact on our mental health and ability to relax. Studies show that sex does have benefits "Sex boosts serotonin, which helps improve your mood and fight off depression. Additionally, one of the hormones released during orgasm is serotonin, leaving you feeling soothed from stress and anxiety. A lack of sex can be harmful, causing your self-worth and confidence to plummet." according to Dr. Dana McNeil and "4 ways a healthy sex life can support mental health."
Who wants their confidence to plummet? Even solo pleasure can carry some of the same health benefits as sex with a partner but defiantly buts the "Me" in Me Time. Oh la la!
Exercise:
There are oh so many benefits to exercise but did you know that it can help with stress? With the plethora of gym's and exercise options to choose from you could stress out just choosing what option works best for you. On the upside you don't even have to leave your house, or have money to pay for expensive video's or equipment. All you need is a wall and you can participate in the new "wall exercise" trend, or "bed exercise" I'm guessing all you will need is a bed to get started. The biggest trend of all is making fitness work for you while incorporating fitness into you life.