Day 266 - A Year to Clear - Check In WEEK 38 - Resting

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Lesson 266: Check In WEEK 38 - Resting

 

The week was to focus on rest and taking some time out to recognise the need for self-care and self-love. I actually avoided doing blog posts just because I was so tired and didn’t have brain power to do them. I’ve been back dating them on my blog haha! I have been focusing on creative activities and making sure I was getting some extra sleep that I needed. I have spent this whole Sunday just taking it easy – was doing chores, had a nap, looked for a private creative space, watching Brooklyn 99 whilst catching up on all my blog posts. I like full days I have to myself to do whatever I need to. I used to feel bad for not making use of my day, because it seemed like it was a waste, but then again, our bodies and minds just sometimes need a day of doing nothing or filling it with relaxing activities. I think it’s important to make time for rest now. I have been so hectic lately that this has been a good reminder.

Day 265 - A Year to Clear - Appreciation and Self-Love

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Lesson 265: Appreciation and Self-Love

In today’s lesson was just this quote. I think it hits the nail on the head. I think we definitely need to appreciate self and to always place yourself first, in order to be the best for others. I think you can only be the best help for others, if you’re at the best yourself. Self-love is being selfish in a good way. I think when we practise self-love, it allows us to project our best self to the world, which raises the vibration.

I think appreciation of others is something that can also help one’s self. You can start to see interests that others have that may be a consideration to practise in your own life. Maybe you appreciate a friend’s enthusiasm when they talk about playing their favourite sport and that sparks something within you to want to start playing a sport of your own. I think we can all learn from each other’s example and this is how appreciation of others can impact us in positive ways.

I think rest is definitely a part of self-love. Rest allows us to be energised so we can continue each day being our best self. We need to honour our self and our body. This is something we sometimes need to be reminded of from time to time.

Day 225 - A Year to Clear - Self Less vs. Self More

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Lesson 225: Self Less vs. Self More

“To those for whom compassion conveys an ideal of selflessness — the altruistic quality that we all aspire to (and brings up all of our inadequacies when we haven’t lived up to the level of perfection that it implies) — allow me to clarify: the focus [here] is on the concept of “self-more-ness”: as in self-love, self-worth, self-acceptance. It means...giving yourself massive amounts of slack; allowing yourself to disappoint and be disappointed; having it be okay to mess up and fail; setting clear boundaries. —Your Spacious Self”
— Stephanie Bennett Vogt

New week equals a new theme of “Nourishing Mind and Spirit”. To me it’s all about continuing the trail of self-care. All the thoughts and actions we take have an effect back towards our inner self. We need self-care in order to feel nourished within. The more we focus on self, the more we allow ourselves to place our needs first, we have more compassion towards self and start to implement loving routine for our self.

I personally feel the more we place our needs to the forefront and be able to manage our inner work, the more we will be able to help others. In my opinion, the more we are able to self-care, it allows us to be at our best to assist others. I feel like you aren’t good to anyone else unless you have worked through your challenges. Working through your challenges is part of your own self-care. This is in my opinion what allows your mind and spirit to be clear.

Day 117 - A Year to Clear - Honour Your Hands

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Photo by Eddie Kopp on Unsplash

Photo by Eddie Kopp on Unsplash

Lesson 117: Honor Your Hands

Today is about honouring a part of our bodies… that being our hands. Take time washing your hands and taking notice. Use a nice smelling soap and then dry your hands, being slow in the process. Do you feel that you’ve under rated your hands? Do you notice them with more admiration or beauty? How was your breathing during the process?

I thought today’s lesson a bit odd. I didn’t really think washing hands would do me much good. When I actually inputted mindfulness, it changed the way I viewed my hands. They look dainty like a lady but rough at the same time as they start to age. I thought my hand were beautiful and they have a story to tell. I thought that maybe I should take more care on them. They deserve attention. The soap I was using was rose scented and I always love that smell. It’s just a calming and soothing scent. My hands felt cared for as I became more aware to notice my hands. I hand towelled them dry and ensured that no water was left on my hands. I took the time to actually make them dry and not put in a half ass effort. What I did notice was that my breathing was relaxed. This definitely taught me that with the more time and effort I put into things, the more relaxed I feel.

As I sat here typing this, I decided to put on some hand cream. Not only did it feel smooth, it was good to give some extra attention into massaging my hands. I can’t even describe how good that felt.

I’m amazed at the simple act of caring for my hands can go a long way. There’s no reason why this can’t be applied to all aspects of life.