cou[rage] for the r[love]ution

Self Care Tip #12: Celebrate yourself

selfcare101:

Stress can be incredibly consuming. Anxiety can seep into your daily thoughts without your permission. Going to sleep after a long and stressful day can lead to a restless night full of racing thoughts. It takes practice and control to learn how to mitigate the nasty effects of anxiety and stress, but it is well worth the time spent learning.

School is starting again and those of you going back to class may find that the the relaxing first few days will soon turn into panic, stress, and sleepless nights in the library. Before you let yourself start worrying about the things you have not done and all the things you still have left to do, be sure to take a few moments to remember the things you have accomplished. Whether or not the accomplishment was large, consider that getting an A on a difficult exam may be just as worthy of self-praise as remembering to do all of your dishes before going to bed. It is all relative to the goals you have set for yourself - and goals don’t have to be huge. Every day presents new challenges and new opportunities to learn and grow. Enjoy them. And celebrate them. You deserve it!

New post up on my self-care blog. Don’t forget to submit ideas!

selfcare101:

Welcome to all my new followers! I hope you find some great self-care tips in this blog. Since it is run by one person, and I am not an inexhaustible database on self-care for all, feel free to submit posts or send me suggestions via my ask box. Or follow the blog on Twitter! Self care is for sharing. 

Happy Tuesday!

If you haven’t already, you should go follow my self care blog. And then you should think about what self care YOU like and send it to me!

Self Care Tip #11: Stretch and breathe

selfcare101:

Ahh, stretching and breathing. Two of my favourite things to do. Although they may seem like actions that require no conscious thought, you would be surprised at how few people take the time to feed their body oxygen and stretch their muscles. 

While this post was requested by a friend (sup, emciel?), it comes at a time when I’ve been on a big yoga kick. Hot yoga, flow yoga, I can’t get enough of stretching and breathing and feeling my body move. And as someone who has spent years dealing with back injury and pain through doctors and physical therapy, yoga has proven to be an excellent way to heal my back and get me moving. 

Before I go any further, I want to encourage you to be aware of more than just your body and breath when doing yoga. In North America, yoga studios tend to cater to middle-to-upper-class white folks. Since yoga is an ancient practice that originated in India, I urge all of you who may participate in yoga to educate yourself and be aware of the cultural appropriation aspect. Cultural appropriation is one of the many tools used to assert white supremacy around the globe, and thinking critically about your participation in this system can prove to be a vital aspect of resisting the powers that be.

Back to stretching and breathing: in, out, in, out. For something that comes naturally, most people tend to breathe poorly. Experiment a little! Try breathing deeply so that the bottom of your lungs fill first, and then let the air slowly fill to the top. Breathe out until you feel all the air come out and start over. When you are mindful of your breath and allow your body to soak up oxygen, we are also allowing ourselves a moment to get centred. I find this extremely helpful in mitigating my stress and anxiety, and often stop throughout my day to take a few moments to breathe deeply. You’d be amazed at how often proper breathing can come in handy. Try some mindful breathing practices and you might be surprised at how much it changes.

Stretching is a fabulous thing to pair with breathing. Stretching can help with little aches and pains and even alleviate stress. A word of caution, however - it is easy to overstretch and hurt yourself, so talk to a physical therapist, take a community yoga class, or ask a trainer for some tips on stretching properly. 

New post!

Weekend Self Care Tips

selfcare101:

• Sleep in a few hours past your normal wake-up time
• Make your morning coffee a mocha by adding hot chocolate mix (mmm). For an added bonus, substitute fresh whipped cream for milk!
• Plan an adventure!
• Make plans to see a friend you have not seen in a while
• Take time for yourself - if you don’t feel like going out, stay in and relax

Just a reminder to follow this self-care blog! selfcare101.tumblr.com

New Blog

Hey y’all,

I just started a new blog on self-care. Check it out and submit your favourite ways to self-care!

http://selfcare101.tumblr.com