So September is self-care awareness month and I'm all the way here for it. Are you?
Just like many other things in this digital age, #selfcare has become trendy, a hashtag of course and now a monthly observance, but why? Oftentimes we don't realize that in our busy lives, self-care kind of just gets away from us. I can recall a time when my life pretty much revolved around work so much that I rarely cared about how I looked, dressed and even smelled (and I don't mean that in a dirty way, don't come for me). I mean like, the days when you had a perfume for each mood, day of the week, look, outing, the list goes on. I got to the point where I didn't even care to put lotion in unseen places. It was ridiculous! But when you're having to wake up 4 o'clock every morning to beat traffic, to get to work by 6:30 and working countless hours daily; you can easily lose yourself. Some days longer than others and some days you weren't even able to go home. I got lost in the midst of "putting the mission first" that I fell afloat.
Doing the bare minimum to get by, to be okay, to feel... meh. Eventually I got fed up, and all of these factors amongst many more played a role in why I separated from the military. I needed to get back to me. It was during these times that I realized how important self-care was. I was legit miserable. Sad thing is, I had to get to my lowest point to realize that self-care was what was missing all along. Who knows? If I had took better care of me, I probably could've gave the Navy a few more years.
This month is important because it serves as a reminder to take care of ourselves. This is so important and in my opinion especially important for black women. Her Image dedicated the September Issue to all things self-care and healing as it relates to black women because we are major advocates of self-care and self-love.
Oftentimes, self-care is neglected in our daily routines. We settle for #SelfCareSunday or Saturday or just our daily shower time. As black women we tend to put others before ourselves a lot, because we were conditioned to be nurturing to all and just vessels to pour into others while rejecting our very needs and desires. Now don't get me wrong, doing for others can be fulfilling but its essential to ensure that you are taken care of as well so that you may pour the best of you into others as well as yourself.
Now don't get me wrong, shower time is great. Getting your nails done bi-weekly is cool and a monthly massage is well deserved but self-care is more than what's tangible. It has no guidelines, rules or boundaries. It's different for all of us. However, the things you do for self-care should encompass a few categories: physical being, mental stability and emotional capacity. We have to pay attention to all of these things. When was the last time you genuinely wrote down how you felt, reviewed it, analyzed those emotions then applied what you learn about yourself? Oh, you don't have time to do all that huh? But just like we say a person that is interested in us will make time, we have to get interested in ourselves and make time for us.
I will be the first to admit I've gotten lost in the midst of doing for others. That alone was the # 1 reason I decided to pack my car and drive 20 hours to Texas and start fresh. Focus on myself, my goals, my business and my livelihood. Many may think doing things like this is selfish. But nothing about self-care is selfish and you should never feel guilty about it. I used to. NOT ANYMORE!
I challenge you to hold my hand and join me as a I dedicate the next 21 days to making self-care a habit. Because you know what they say, it takes 21 days to build a habit! For the next 21 days I'll be posting daily blogs here sharing my experience so that you all can get a closer look at the versatility of self-care and how I plan to implement it into my daily hectic schedule. So let's be intentional and practice loving on ourselves, paying attention to our feelings, our bodies and our thoughts. Being mindful of what we put into our bodies and especially who. It can be as small as making the mirror your bi#$h like Issa or as much as establishing 1-2 hours everyday to unplugging and plugging within. Share your journey and show us how you self-care by using these hashtags on your social media for the chance to get featured: #HerSelfCare #SelfCareforHER
Are you in? Comment "Let's Do It" if you're up for the challenge then share with your social and tag @Herimage17. Feel free to join us in our accountability group or group me for some daily inspiration and accountability. We look forward to what you manifest by October 1st.
- Dee