Fall…
Ahhh, the cold snap in the air, leaves turning transplendent colors and littering the ground, the elk and deer out foraging… whoops! We live in Hawaii, so none of that for us here! But Fall is upon us, and even though we don’t necessarily get the traditional changes, you can feel something different in the air. The kids head back to school, routine comes back into our lives from the summer spontaneity and ease, and often we need more help with taking time out to take care of ourselves.
We encourage you to Fall in love with yourself this season. In the wellness biz, one thing we’ve learned is that we actually become more efficient, have more creative ideas, and handle problems more effectively when we take time to step outside of our daily tasks and nurture ourselves. We like to remind you of what we call “airplane wisdom.” If you don’t take care of you, you’re no good to yourself or anyone else. We want to invite you to really max out your feel-good potential, which can only benefit all areas of your life, from health and relationships to even your career!
Guest Blogger Nicole Holley‘s Top 7 Favorite Self-Love and Care Tips
1. Meditation: Don’t get too caught up in what this looks like. Find a comfortable chair or cushion to sit on. Take a minute to close your eyes, breathe deeply into your belly, relax and let any tension you’re holding in your body melt away. Sometimes, the impulse to sit longer comes in. We recommend giving into this impulse entirely!
2. Bath or foot soak: Personally, I love baths! There is nothing in this world that seems to help me release stagnant emotional energy than an Epsom salt and essential oil bath (except maybe the ocean, but more on that next). I like to use Epsom salt, baking soda, and a high-quality sea salt along with whatever essential oil I’m drawn to in the moment. If you don’t have a bathtub, a foot soak is the next best thing. Remember, this also is detoxifying for your body, so rest after and drink plenty of water.
3. Move your body: Don’t let exercise become a dreaded word in your vocabulary or a chore you perform out of fear. Turn it into something you lovingly do for yourself to support your neural pathways and immune function as well as create a body that is strong. I change my movement up daily. Some days I want to do something intense like a HIIT workout, Vinyasa class, or weight lifting. Other days swimming, hiking or just some restorative Yoga is what my body needs. And almost every day I would vote for a dance party. The Spoonful of Paradise team is all about dance parties: Skya is a twerkaholic, Traci likes to disco, and I’ve got robot moves that’ll have you swearing I’m made of metal!5. Say no sometimes: I have a “yes” mentality. Yes, I can walk your dog for you. Yes, I can cook 20 meals in 8 hours. Sure, I can read your new manuscript and help you edit it! Do you suffer from this yes disease as well? There are many times that being an immediate yes can be a great thing (like when there’s extra sweet potato fries or free dessert: hint hint, wink wink!), but taking time to check in with how something feels is so wonderful. Then when you say yes or no, you say it from your gut, from your inner you who knows what you truly can and cannot take on. It also makes you a truly thoughtful person. I used to say yes without checking in and become overwhelmed, feeling resentful and letting people down. Sometimes, when we say no from a wise place, we are saying “yes” to something more important, like health, sanity, joy and peace. These days I prefer to just be whelmed with the beauty in my life and go to the beach more… A LOT more!
6. Eat the best food you can get your hands on: Is love on your menu this week? Have you ever thought about the fact that most of you eat at least 21 meals a week? And that doesn’t begin to include snacks and dessert! Do you plan your meals ahead or wait till you’re starving marvin before you think about what you will eat?And, then there’s the fact that quality absolutely matters. To feel really good and optimize your life, just any ol’ thang won’t do! Do you actually get in your 21 meals with fresh, real unprocessed ingredients each week, or are you short-changing your body and your potential by grabbing something cheap and quick? Culturally, we are taught to be haphazard when it comes to what we eat, essentially deprioritizing one of the most life-shaping and sacred of human acts: turning the food we eat into our very own cells and tissues.