You may or may not know I’m now into my 14th day of a 30 Day #SelfLoveAffair Challenge I set myself.
If you don’t know about it, check out my last 2 blogs – the first explaining my motivation for “cultivating a love affair with myself” & the second is a few ways that you can also take part in this #SelfLoveRevolution (and if you’re really game, check out my 12 or so short videos re my #SelfLoveJourney that I’ve posted on YouTube – for better or for worse!!)
In searching the hashtag #SelfLoveRevolution, I came across the amazing and inspiring Kate Love, who was well ahead of me in starting her own #SelfLoveRevolution. She has a great “Fall In Love Project”, and also has a Fall In Love With Yourself February.
Kate has just started a regular #SelfCareSundays blog, which aims to get others to post blogs on a Sunday then link them to her page (and vice versa).
I had great plans for my first #SelfCareSundays blog, but having driven to Melbourne and back, gone to an appointment, babysat, and then done necessary house/Mum stuff over the weekend I’m left exhausted and my Monday has been spent in bed.
So my first #SelfCareSundays post is just going to be list of photos and short descriptions of ways that I care for my body, mind and spirit, while living with ME / CFS and electrosensitivity migraines daily.
7 Things That Help Me Care For My Spoonie Self
1. Music
I use music at all times of day and night to boost my mood. I love all types of music. Sometimes I want a slow, soppy love song, sometimes an uplifting bouncy tune, and other times I even like something in another language – especially Italian or German 🙂
2. Inspiring Quotes
I put lots of things around my living space that inspire me. One of those things is inspiring quotes. Some are short, some are long. This one by Anita Moorjani is long, but when I read it as I stand at my fridge, it helps me slow down 🙂
3. Listening To Audio Books on Audible
One of my great loves is audiobooks, and being able to listen to them when I KNOW I need to rest and my mind is telling me to get up, or my mind is just going into negative territory, is one of the best self-care tools I’ve found. I just put it on on my smartphone, lock the screen (so the EMR doesn’t cause me pain), then listen, get inspired, feel peaceful (or whatever the book does for me). Body gets rested when otherwise I would probably end up getting up even though my body needs rest.
4. Inspiring Pictures / Photos That Make Me Smile & Feel Motivated
I’ve always planned to do a proper dreamboard, but so far this is all I have. For now, it’s enough. I want to go back to Disneyland and take my girl there (plus visit my sis and family who have moved to the US), and I want to go back to Paris one day.
5. A Bath
One of my main self-care practices EVERY day is having a bath in the late afternoon/early evening. No matter how tired or in pain I am, it always helps. It also helps my mental state too. Sometimes I listen to podcasts or audiobooks or music while in there, other times I just enjoy the silence and meditate. Either way it’s incredibly healing for body, mind and soul!
6. My Inspiration / Motivation Rocks
I have these little buddies beside my bed and it’s amazing how they have helped boost me in my many times of “I’m-so-sick-of-this” misery and tears. Even just looking at them as I go to bed helps centre me. They’re not for everyone, but for me, they’re helpful 🙂
7. Continuing my #365Gratefuls Project
I started the #365Gratefuls #Spoonie Project back on 1 January 2014, and I completed the 365 days on 31 December 2014. Didn’t miss a day. It was one of the most fulfilling practices I’ve ever developed a habit of, so I have continued it. Today is Day 419 (if I calculate right. I often muck up the days if you look at my Instagram feed!). Seeing what I have to be grateful for helps me care for my heart and soul. All the little things add up and really do make a difference
So there it is. My first #SelfCareSundays post. It’s a day late, but I’m posting it anyway. I plan to post as many Sundays as I can an I encourage you to join Kate and I. Below is a link to do just that!
Take Care & Keep Smiling
Louise 🙂
Kate Love says
These are great self care tools, Louise!
I use music in very specific ways as well. I listen to a mellow, electronic cello piece my partner created a lot when writing. Here’s a link if your a fan of such styles: http://aphoniarecordings.bandcamp.com/track/be
Have you heard Glorious by MaMuse yet? I often play this song quietly on repeat for extended periods. Here’s a link: https://soundcloud.com/mamuse-1/glorious
Sometimes Glorious will be playing softly on repeat for, literally, hours.
Wait. One more for ya!
When life is Hard with a capital H and I’m needing to refocus on Gratitude I’ll often put Thank U on repeat and, if possible, go for a walk or work in my flower beds. Here’s a link: http://youtu.be/i-jSWME37As
An extra step of Self Care I took last week was to write that post on Friday and schedule it to go live on Sunday. I’m in class all day on Saturdays this quarter and Saturday night my partner and I went up to Seattle to see Alton Brown Live. It was a great show, we had a blast, AND we didn’t get home and to sleep until almost 3am!
I knew Saturday would be such a long day and that I’d need rest on Sunday and gave myself permission to automate Sunday as much as possible.
I’m working ever more consciously to allow myself graces like that.
Thank you for joining in, Louise.
Louise Bibby says
Thanks so much for all those great music suggestions Kate. I’ll be looking them up for sure. I have a very varied taste in music, so I’m open to anything. I got a free Premium 6 month Spotify account with my latest phone contract, so am having a great time rediscovering old classics and discovering new ones.
One I find particularly lovely at the moment is “Coldplay’s” – “Fix You”. Part of it is about the words, but mainly it’s the melody.
I’ve also rediscovered my 80s love of Air Supply and Chicago songs, so they are often playing in the background (yep total 80s chick … love ballads galore!). I found a gorgeous “newish” Air Supply song on their 30th Anniversary live album called “Shadow of the Sun”. If you look it up on Spotify you get the intro, which is particularly moving and re self love and finding yourself. (Seems I can’t link to Spotify here, but maybe just do a search. I believe the free version is pretty good. You just get the occasional ad).
Another song I find seems to calm me when I’m feeling really “over it all” is Bon Jovi’s “Welcome To Wherever You Are”. Here’s a YouTube version of it with lyrics. The lyrics are what have kept me going through some very tough times over the years –
(Oh, in searching for the song on YouTube, I found this video on why Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora wrote the song and what it meant to them, so here’s the link to that too –
I could go on forever with music suggestions. My 25 Uplifting Songs post was done some time ago, so I’m hoping to upgrade it soon. Always have about 100 things I’d like to do at once, but you know how it is … :-). Pacing!
The idea of scheduling the Sunday post is a good one. I thought of doing that but didn’t get organised enough. Now it’s Sat night here in Australia and I’m exhausted, so I daresay I won’t get to schedule tomorrow’s post this week. I DO plan on it being a simpler post. Maybe just a good quote or lyrics to a song. I love your #SelfCareSundays project, so I really want to continue to take part in it.
Thanks for your contribution to my blog and for being so inspiring.
Keep Smiling – Louise