Setting Up for Self-Care
MAKE THE TIME
You are WORTH IT! Is your self-care time part of your daily routine? If it’s not, then consider this your call to action! Choose to make time for a healthier YOU and choose to do it NOW. Identify your time – and write it down.
SCHEDULE YOUR TIME
It is important to schedule your self-care time, daily, weekly, and monthly, including your vacation time. This way, you set aside time that is just for you!
FIND YOUR SPACE
What does self-care look like to you? Cycling? Running? Yoga? Are you a lake or beach person? Do you like quiet or busy? By yourself or with a friend? Ask yourself these questions, select YOUR space, plan, and again, write it down.
When you identify that space, take a video or a quick photo as your visual reminder — this is where you make time for yourself. For me, that space is the beach!
BE MINDFUL OF DISTRACTIONS
Be aware of things that try to sabotage your plan. Chat rooms, instant messaging, email, and unhealthy relationships are examples of the many things that can become distractions to your self-care, and should be avoided.
WHERE I THINK ABOUT MY SELF-CARE
I’m Samantha Siedlecki, the President & Founder of Paradise Shells & Fine Jewelry by Samantha. Being born with Cerebral Palsy has allowed me to place a little more emphasis on how vital self-care is – not only within the disability circle, but as a tool in all of our toolboxes. It should be used to assist everyone in living a healthy and fulfilled life. My happy place is the beach in Jupiter, FL. There is nothing like feeling the gentle wind blowing in my hair, or the waves touching my toes. I schedule two or three visits each year.
Hearing the sound of the crashing waves on a simply fantastic 80-degree day in Jupiter brings me an unparalleled sense of tranquility. I feel the ocean telling me, ‘Having CP is OK, YOU are strong!’
SUMMING IT ALL UP
Having a front-row seat in the disability community can be difficult at times. But, finding a self-care space helps us separate the human from the condition. It’s a gray area that divides the “human” and the “condition,” but putting self-care to good use makes this line a bit less gray. Influencer and amazing human, Reb Alexander (@reb_alexander), reminds us that this gray area will always be there. We must navigate the line with open minds and input ideas into our heads to help us remain on a purposeful path. Individuals like Reb speak on topics like self-advocacy and reminds each of us just how much topics like this matter for our overall mental health. This impacts not only our daily lives but also our long-term fulfillment and view of the world. One of my favorite sayings by the incredible model and spokesperson, Jaclyn Stapp (@jaclynstapp), is ‘Inspire and be Inspired.’
I hope the work and messages in our blogs here at Paradise Shells & Fine Jewelry by Samantha inspire individuals everywhere to live prosperous lives no matter where the circle of life may take you. If you agree, please let me know (@paradiseshellsjewelry).
Reflecting on a few moments of self-care at the beach…