12 Mini Self Care Practices for Your Home Stretch
How many times since March have you heard or said, “This is a marathon, not a sprint”...? With news of a vaccine shipping in December, and a post-election transition finally underway, glimmerings of light are starting to shine through.
At the same time, we still have a potentially tough winter ahead of us. Self care is key, folks. And when things feel weighty or stuck, sometimes the best self care practice is short and simple and, well, whatever you’ll actually do!
Here are some mini “keep it simple” practices to add to your home stretch.
Put on some soothing music. I’ve been loving this Spotify piano playlist.
Have a mini dance party. Alternately, if you’re feeling consumed by boredom, fatigue or cabin fever, try a short, high energy jam session. Here's one I made.
Get your yoga on, however works for you. One of my “Covid silver linings” is all of the awesome online content folks have been generating. Sure it’s not the same as attending a 60-minute class in a roomful of warm bodies, but short yoga vids have become a fave way for me to start my day. And for a quick and easy break, try throwing down the mat and just rolling around in whatever way feels good to your body. (A friend calls this, “my yoga”.) Two peeps I've been liking are Yoga with Adriene and Yoga with Kassandra .
Try a prone yoga pose, or just lie on your belly. Most of us spend gobs of time in a seated position. (If the driving has decreased during Covid, well the desk and couch sitting...maybe not so much.) Our hip flexors tend to be short and tight as a result of this sustained flexion. Over time this weakens the glutes and can lead to back pain and short, tight hamstrings.
5-10 minutes of meditation IS meditation. If you’re a meditator but struggle to maintain a regular practice, try going short format. Guess what, it’s still meditation!
Try a reclining meditation. Meditation teachings commonly focus on seated or walking poses, but reclining meditation can be a powerful way to introduce a deeper degree of rest and ease into your meditation practice. This could be a simple savasana pose, or various types of body scans and somatic/mindfulness practices. Listen to some thoughts on the topic from mindfulness pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Light a candle. Take 1-3 extra minutes to grab a candle and lighter or matches before you sit down to practice yoga or meditation. Set an intention as you light it, if that feels supportive.
Align your schedule and routine so you can get outside. The days are shorter and colder. But if you know you need time outdoors (and in nature) to stay sane, taking the time to set yourself up well can be a huge act of self care. Shift some meetings around? Make sure you have the right gear? Yes and yes, and the rest will follow. (Shout out to my sister Jen Welham for the inspiration to include this.)
When you do get outside (you knew this was coming, right?) turn your phone off or leave it behind.
Take a short bath. If you have a tub that you rarely (or never) use, just ask yourself, “Whyyyyy???” Seriously, it’s not that complicated...just clean that puppy out, run some hot water, and submerge your body for a spell.
Twofer: Moisturize and self massage. Like drinking before you feel thirsty to prevent dehydration, moisturizing the skin before it feels dry is a solid winter self care routine. And next time you reach for the lotion, try taking 3-5 extra minutes to give yourself some gentle Swedish massage, paying extra attention to the joints in whatever areas you’re moisturizing.
Dude, put something new on your rear view mirror! Switch up your visual landscape so you see something that calms or inspires you instead of a Covid reminder.