Summer Self Care

Summer Self-Care Brandon

Monija, from Mindful Milestones Psychotherapy, has invited me to participate in Summer Self-Care Brandon. This initiative aims to promote and encourage self-care practices during the summer season. My hope is those practices continue through the whole year. Brandon businesses are getting together to promote the importance of taking care of ourselves and out mental health.

https://www.mindfulmilestonespsychotherapy.com/

 What is Self-Care?

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that self-care is selfish. Nor does it need to involve elaborate wellness retreats or expensive spa days. Although those are wonderful experiences too.

Begin to believe that self-care is a priority, not a luxury.

Self-care is simply making time to do the things that make your soul content and your heart feel joy…whatever those things are for you.

It looks different for everyone but doesn’t have to be difficult, costly or time consuming.

Self care is any activity we consciously choose to do that will nourish and replenish our mind, soul, body and spirit. It’s also a necessary component of self-love.

It is not only bubble baths and hot stone massages. Enjoying a delicious cuppa is obviously a huge self care choice for me, but here are a few other simple things I do for self-care:

-Spending quiet time outside whether listening to the birds or gardening

-Daily exercise such as walking, weight training, Pilates, yoga, stretching

-Chats on the phone, or in person with my mother, daughters, or friends

-Journaling in my “worry book”, reading, prayer time

-Mindfully washing and moisturizing my face every morning and evening

-Going to bed early on time, making my bed every morning

 For some unexplainable reason, as women, we often struggle to find balance and put ourselves first.

There’s a really good reason why we are told to put our own oxygen mask on first. If we aren’t well, we can not take care of others.

The older we get it seems the busier life becomes, therefore the harder it is to find calm in all the overwhelm. Self-care has never been more important, or needed, than it is right now in today’s ever changing and chaotic world.

Our key to success, intentional self-care, so we always have a full bucket and some left over to give of ourselves to others.

 What happens when we do not make time for self-care?

When we do not make time for ourselves we get stressed and exhausted. Stress weakens our immune system and wreaks havoc on our hormones, resulting in endless health issues and more often than we like, weight gain. Which of course leads to more stress, exhaustion and discouragement.

The vicious cycle repeats … just like that never ending pile of laundry, housecleaning.

Prioritizing self-care rituals into your daily routine can really improve your joy factor and increase wellness, while bringing a sense of control and peace to your soul. One of the easiest ways you can do this is to create a daily tea ritual.

 Daily Tea Rituals

Creating a daily tea ritual is a simple way to create small moments of self-care throughout the day. It’s a reminder to slow down and connect with your thoughts and feelings. It’s an inexpensive indulgence you give to yourself.

You can do it once, or several times a day, depending on your schedule. When you wake up, mid-morning or afternoon break, evening wind-down, before bed.

The most important part is that you create a “ritual” vs. a “habit”.

A habit is something we do on auto-pilot, like brushing our teeth or making the bed. Making a cup of tea is a very common habit, but the real magic happens when you turn it into a mindful ritual.

A ritual requires conscious focus and thought, mindfullness. It’s a symbolic action with deeper meaning of intention and connection.

A daily tea ritual is just taking some “me” time to drink your tea while doing something that brings you joy. It doesn’t have to take too long and even a 10-15 minute self-care break doing one of the following will be beneficial:

-sit in complete silence with your thoughts

-listen to your favourite music/podcast

-write in a gratitude journal

-plan your goals/week/meal plan

-knit/crochet, embroidery/crosssitch

-read a book/magazine

-sit in the fresh air

If you’re thinking…well that all sounds nice, but I’m busy during the day and don’t have a minute to myself. I want you to know that I see you, I hear you and I feel you. I thought the same.

During my busiest season of life, I lived a very stressed out, unhealthy and overwhelmed lifestyle and I absolutely believed that I didn’t have time for any breaks.

Then I intentionally chose to make a pot of tea and just sit. The beneficial practice of doing a simple tea meditation every time I made myself a cup of tea has made a beautiful positive impact in my life.

I began to truly understand the positive health benefits of calming my mind and taking the time for me, Self Care, to better manage my overwhelm.

Tea Meditation

When you make a cup of tea, you can easily change the preparation process from being a habit to a very mindful and peaceful ritual. The process of preparing a cup of tea should be slow and soothing.

You intentionally decide to give yourself this gift of self-care.

If you are not accustom to intentional, mindfulness, or meditation practises, it simply means making your tea with complete awareness about everything that’s going on during the entire process.

Anyone can make of cup of tea, but truly taking time to make that cup  or pot of tea being mindful with intention is a completely different experience resulting in a most enjoyable moment amidst daily chaos.

Any one can use these tea breaks as a lifeline throughout the day to temporarily escape all the stress and tension.

Here is what to do for a simple tea meditation.

Take a few deep, cleansing breaths and become completely aware of your surroundings.

Put the kettle on. Keep taking deep breaths while you start to relax your body, quiet your mind, and release any tension in your neck and shoulders.

Choose your favourite cup and pick the type of tea you want, based on how you feel in that moment.

Gather your sugar or cream if you need, perhaps a slice of lemon or all those delicious sides that are great accompaniments to any teatime. I am referring to the sweets and scones.

Feel your feet planted firmly on the floor and activate all your senses so you’re aware of every sensation while you breathe and continue to wait for the water to boil.

Once the water has boiled, as you pour the water, notice and admire the colour of your tea, breathe in all the aromas. Feel the warmth in your hands and the steam on your face as you raise the cup to your mouth.

Take your time. Drink your tea very slowly, enjoying the flavour and savoring every sip. Take it all in. Fully commit to being aware of all your thoughts and feelings during this entire experience.

Your tea meditation is now done in as little as 5 minutes and you get all the restorative benefits of meditating with mindfulness.

You have had a moment, for yourself, away from the rush, hustle and bustle, stress and overwhelm that your day held.

 Tea is Liquid Therapy that fulfills the 5 Pillars of Personal Health

To truly thrive, not just survive and be considered “well”, we need to take care of our five main pillars of personal health – physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual.

 PHYSICAL SELF-CARE is any way you love and care for your body. It includes your nutrition, exercise & movement, hydration, seeking help from a doctor when needed, and getting enough sleep.

Tea is good for you. It’s a plant. A beautiful and magical gift from Mother Nature that’s been used as a health tonic for over 5,000 years. The healthiest tea to drink is the one you like the most. Because then you’ll drink more of it, and less unhealthy options.

When you exercise, tea can rev you up and improve your workout.  It gives your mind and body a boost, but with a feeling of calm alertness. The caffeine in tea does not give you the jitters that the caffeine in coffee can.

Tea is also a fabulous way to stay hydrated. Drinking tea is a great daily choice because you get the additional health benefits that come from the tea! If you prefer something cold and refreshing, put your tea on ice.

Drinking tea can help satisfy sugar cravings and avoid unhealthy snacks that impact your waistline and blood sugar. Naturally sweetened Tea Blends can satisfy when you need a little shot of sugar in the afternoon.

When it’s time to sleep, choose herbal teas properly known as “tisanes”, that are naturally caffeine-free to help you unwind. From the Wellness Collection SLEEP is a perfect choice.

 EMOTIONAL SELF-CARE is getting in touch with your feelings and then moving forward in a way that honours those emotions. Identifying, accepting and expressing a wide range of feelings is vital to women’s mental health and well being.

Prepare a cup of DEFENSE to enjoy while you

-Meditate

-Practice Gratitude – journal or think about every little thing you’re thankful (like the delicious tea you’re sipping on)

-Deep breaths

-Take a long soak in the tub

-Satisfy the olfactory senses with candles or essential oils, flowers work too

-Watch a funny movie (or a tear-jerker)

 SOCIAL SELF-CARE involves having fun and connecting with the people you love. Cultivating strong personal relationships positively impacts happiness and longevity. For women, friendships are critical to our quality of life and become even more important as we age and face difficult challenges like divorce, sickness and the death of our loved ones.

Have a cup of Glow Tea Blend when you

-Tea with a friend (visit, call or Zoom…whatever works)

-Volunteer in your local community – when you give of your time or effort, you always get back more than you gave.

-participate in a club, group

 SPIRITUAL SELF-CARE includes the activities we engage in to find and nurture a sense of connection to a Higher power and give greater meaning to our life. It’s understanding our place in the universe and connecting to a larger purpose. Spirituality is exploring and expressing our beliefs and values and can mean many different things.

Sip a cup of Renew Tea blend while you

-Pray

-Attend Community church

-Spend time in nature (walks, hikes, bird watching)

-I enjoy listening to Christian music all day long.

 INTELLECTUAL SELF-CARE is about finding the balance between stimulating your mind, and giving it a well deserved break. It’s being responsible for your own personal growth and development through continuous learning, education and engagement in new things.

Enjoy a cup of Focus tea blend while you

-Listen to a podcast or read a book

-Learn a new skill, take a class or watch a video

 I hope this information has helped you slow down and think about ways you can incorporate tea into your daily self-care.

Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.