Having an utter shitshow of an anxiety fueled mental breakdown sucks.
It makes me feel less connected to my life.
It makes me feel less connected to my partners.
It makes me feel less connected to my children.
It makes me feel less connected to my friends.
It makes me feel less understood.
It makes me feel less deserving.
It makes me feel just LESS.
The best part? I KNOW HOW TO SHIFT THIS THINKING! Yet, bad days happen and I feel less again.
There is an importance of maintaining a strong connection with ourselves amidst the challenges of life. It’s called self-care.
Sometimes, we find ourselves caught up in the chaos of anxiety, experiencing mental breakdowns that make us feel disconnected from everything we hold dear. It can be overwhelming, leaving us feeling less connected to our partners, children, friends, and even ourselves. But here’s the thing: we have the power to shift our thinking.
Even on our worst days, we can wake up the next morning with renewed clarity. We realize that a disconnected day does not equate to a disconnected life. We are not less. We have the ability to initiate a soul shift, to reestablish those connections that matter most.
One way to do this is by seeking guidance and support. For example, attending coaching sessions that offer insights and tools for improving communication in our relationships. Implementing ideas suggested by trusted sources is worth a shot when disconnection has crept in.
It’s also essential to take a closer look at ourselves. We might realize that we haven’t been practicing what we preach. Have we neglected our self-care routines? Have we let negativity fester instead of actively seeking positivity? Have we forgotten HOW to dedicate time to ourselves?
So we need to remember that maintaining a connection with ourselves is vital. When we neglect self-care, we risk burning out, making it impossible to be present for ourselves, much less being present for others. Self-care doesn’t have to be extravagant; it can be as simple as taking a bubble bath or enjoying a book while listening to the soothing sound of rain. It can be doing what we call a “journ & burn” session, journaling & burning session. (I got that from my life coach.) It’s where you take a piece of paper, you may write it in your journal, but if I do that I like to keep it separate, so I will write it in my journal and write the main points on a piece of paper. So as a witch I have learned little techniques, so I fold that paper away from me, we’re trying to release this so fold it away from you, and burn it.
It’s symbolic of releasing those energies, It’s a little mini ritual you do with yourself. So self care can be a little more than taking a bubble bath or it can even be less. It can just be taking 5 minutes, sitting on the porch, drinking a cup of coffee, and ignoring the world.
Everyone’s self-care list is unique, and it’s crucial to identify activities that bring you back to yourself. Sitting on the couch watching your favorite show, your favorite coffee, your favorite drink, thrift-storing. Whatever it is that brings you that calm. Perhaps it’s getting your nails done, writing in a journal, creating graphics that bring you a sense of zen. I can really get into graphics and kind of lose myself in it. Or spending time with a person who cultivates positivity in your life, That person that brings you joy, that person that is in your corner that is loyal to you. That even if they do not understand your path in life they understand that it is your choice and you have your own goals, and they are there for you. It could also involve practices like tarot card readings or or oracle readings or studying your birth chart to gain insights into your emotions and how to navigate them. Whatever works for you.
So my self-care list, just because some of the things I do as self-care people don’t see as self care, but it’s really a personal choice, but it’s things you don’t think of.
- Bubble baths
- Long showers with LOUD music. To some people that isn’t calming, but to me, it is.
- Quiet time reading a book, listening to the rain, even if I have to put on headphones and find something on spotify.
- Meditating, finding a guided meditation. Finding a guided meditation for whatever I have decided or analyzed is my problem 🙂
- Getting my nails done and/or a pedicure
- Journaling/Writing
- Creating graphics (I really do get zen here!)
- Picking my “person” that helps me cultivate positivity. I really enjoy spending time with my children together or alone. My oldest lives away from me so we really don’t get to spend much time together, but sometimes we’ll just chat on facebook and that is our connection and it gives me that happy place. Or I’ll hang out with my teenager and do a small ritual or just watch ghost hunting on tv or cook something stupid and outrageous. That is our moment, that’s my cultivating positivity & reconnecting there.
- Here’s a little hint: 3-5x a month that person that helps you cultivate positivity and actively chooses to spend time with you, is yourself. We should be comfortable with ourselves. We should be comfortable to spend time alone and make ourselves happy. Our happiness is our choice. Other people can help us be happy. We can be happy because of the things they do, but BEING happy, that is our choice.. So again 3-5x a month that person you are choosing to help you cultivate positivity is yourself
- Doing a tarot spread for myself or creating new spreads.
- I started a podcast last summer as a way to get these things out to the world. I listen to other podcasts as well, now that I’m not working on that so much.
- Writing in my blog 😉 Sharing my knowledge is another thing that I feel is self care for myself, that I also hope helps you.
So what’s your list? If you don’t have a list, what is your top self care choice?
I challenge you if you don’t have a list, to write one. Just flip open a page in your journal and just start writing things. Make a column of THINGS that bring you joy, a column of people that bring you joy, and a column of activities that bring you joy. And when you are having those bad days and you know you need that self care, but you are too far into that funk to pick a self care: open that notebook, open that journal, open that piece of paper, open that notepad on your phone, wherever you put it and choose a self care that will bring you UP.
Unleash Your Inner Witch 