Note 051
I was watching a video recently where a young woman was talking about losing herself after a breakup.
She was trying to figure out how to motivate herself to get back to her.
And as I listened to her, I started thinking about something.
There is so much content out here about self-care.
Mental health.
Glow-ups.
Healing.
Self-love.
Soft life.
Morning routines.
Night routines.
Bubble baths.
Candles.
Skin care.
Ten-step everything.
And don’t get me wrong…
I enjoy some of that stuff too.
But I had a little light-bulb moment.
Maybe motivational and inspirational reminders need to be constant.
Because self-care isn’t a one-and-done thing.
You don’t do one nice thing for yourself and suddenly you’ve completed self-care.
Self-care is a lifestyle.
It’s something you practice.
Over and over.
And honestly, that applies to spiritual self-care too.
If prayer is important to you, you don’t pray one time and say, “Okay, I’m good for the rest of the year.”
You pray.
You read your Bible.
You journal.
You reflect.
You come back to it.
You need those reminders repeatedly because life keeps happening.
And sometimes?
You don’t need a complicated self-care routine.
You just need to do something.
Go Take a Walk
This one actually takes me back to a conversation my husband and I had while we were walking.
We were talking about how sometimes when you’re feeling sad, angry, confused, overwhelmed, or just emotionally heavy, one of the simplest things you can do is:
Go outside and walk.
And I know.
That sounds almost too simple.
But there’s something about getting out of the house and moving your body that can give you some space from whatever is happening inside your head.
And this is coming from somebody who walks a lot.
Sometimes I’m thinking through something.
Sometimes I’m trying to make a decision.
Sometimes I’m replaying a conversation.
Sometimes I’m trying to figure out why something bothered me.
And sometimes…
I’m just walking.
But by the time I get home, I often have a little more clarity than I did when I left.
That’s one of the things I love about walking.
You’re moving physically while giving yourself room to process mentally.
You don’t have to solve your entire life on the walk.
Just let your thoughts come.
Let some of them go.
Think.
Pray.
Be quiet.
Listen to music if you want.
Or listen to absolutely nothing.
Give yourself some space.
And if you can safely take a longer walk, give yourself the time.
You may come home feeling a little lighter.
Clean Something
Here’s another one that doesn’t get nearly as much attention in the self-care conversation.
Clean your house.
I’m serious.
Sometimes when your mind feels chaotic, having chaos everywhere around you doesn’t exactly help.
Now, I’m not saying a messy house means someone is struggling emotionally.
Life happens.
People have kids.
People work.
People get tired.
Sometimes the laundry pile wins.
I get it.
But there are times when I’ve personally noticed that when my surroundings feel out of control, I feel better when I start putting things back in order.
Wash the clothes.
Change the sheets.
Disinfect the bathroom.
Dust.
Vacuum.
Clean the kitchen.
Clean out a drawer.
Organize the closet.
Clean your car.
You don’t have to deep-clean your entire house in one day.
Pick something.
Create a little order around you.
Sometimes doing something physical and tangible can help you feel like you’re making progress somewhere.
And there’s something satisfying about looking around afterward and thinking:
Okay. At least this is handled.
Eat Something You Actually Enjoy
And let’s talk about food.
Because sometimes self-care isn’t a green smoothie.
Sometimes it’s a meal that makes you feel comforted.
Eat.
Drink some water.
Make yourself something you enjoy.
Order the meal.
Make the sandwich.
Eat the burger.
Have the cake.
I’m not talking about using food as the only way you cope with difficult emotions.
I’m talking about remembering that taking care of yourself includes the basic things we sometimes neglect when we’re emotionally overwhelmed.
Have you eaten?
Have you had water?
Have you been sitting in the same spot for six hours?
Have you showered?
Have you slept?
Sometimes the most basic needs get pushed to the side while we’re busy trying to figure out our feelings.
Take care of the person having the feelings.
That’s you.
Put on Some Music
This one is free.
And you probably already have everything you need.
Put on music.
Turn it up.
Dance if you feel like dancing.
Sing if you feel like singing.
Play something peaceful.
Play something nostalgic.
Play something that makes you feel good.
You don’t have to sit in silence with every emotion.
Sometimes you need to let yourself feel something different.
And sometimes a song can shift the entire atmosphere in a room.
And Yes… Sometimes Pray
For those of us who are spiritual, this matters too.
Pray.
Read your Bible.
Journal.
Sit quietly.
Talk to God.
You don’t have to make it complicated.
Sometimes the prayer is five minutes.
Sometimes it’s an hour.
Sometimes it’s simply:
“Lord, I don’t know what to do right now.”
And that’s enough to start.
Because spiritual self-care, just like physical and emotional self-care, isn’t something you check off a list once.
It’s something you return to.
Self-Care Doesn’t Always Look Pretty
I think this is the part I really want to emphasize.
We have made self-care look so pretty online.
And yes, I love a good candle.
I love a good cup of coffee.
I love getting dressed.
I love skincare.
I love those things.
But sometimes self-care looks like:
Walking around the neighborhood for an hour.
Washing six loads of laundry.
Cleaning out your car.
Eating a meal.
Drinking water.
Going to bed early.
Putting your phone down.
Turning the music up.
Sitting outside.
Calling a friend.
Praying.
Crying.
Taking a shower.
Changing your sheets.
Getting dressed even though you’re not going anywhere.
Opening the curtains.
Taking a break.
And sometimes…
doing absolutely nothing for a little while.
That’s self-care too.
You Don’t Always Need Motivation
This is something else I’ve been thinking about.
Sometimes we keep waiting to feel motivated before we do something.
But maybe motivation isn’t always going to show up first.
Maybe sometimes you have to do the small thing first.
Take the walk.
Wash the dishes.
Open the blinds.
Drink the water.
Take the shower.
Put on clean clothes.
Make the bed.
Say the prayer.
Then see how you feel.
You don’t have to completely turn your life around by lunchtime.
You just need to give yourself an opportunity to feel a little different than you felt when you woke up.
And sometimes one small action leads to another.
The Overthinker’s Reminder
If you’re going through something right now and you don’t feel like yourself, I’m not going to tell you to simply “cheer up.”
I know it doesn’t work like that.
You may need time.
You may need to cry.
You may need to talk to someone.
You may need professional support.
You may need to grieve something.
But while you’re working through it, don’t forget about the simple things you can do today.
Go outside.
Take a walk.
Clean something.
Eat.
Drink some water.
Put on some music.
Take a shower.
Change your sheets.
Call somebody you trust.
Pray.
Rest.
Do something that reminds you that you’re still here.
Because self-care isn’t about creating a perfect life where you never feel sad, angry, anxious, disappointed, or overwhelmed.
It’s about learning how to care for yourself through all of it.
A Note for Today
You don’t have to wait until you feel like yourself again to start taking care of yourself.
Start where you are.
Take the walk.
Clean the room.
Make the meal.
Put on the music.
Open the Bible.
Say the prayer.
Get some sleep.
Step outside.
Do one small thing that feels like you.
And then do another tomorrow.
Because self-care isn’t a one-time event.
It’s a way of showing up for yourself—especially on the days when you don’t feel like it.
Until the next note,
Your Resident Overthinker 🤎