The A to Z Challenge is almost over! Thanks for sticking with me through this crazy month!
Y is for You.
I’ve written before about the importance of self care for writers and I’d like to reiterate it today. Writing can be incredibly fun but it is also often incredibly difficult. A great many writers struggle with mental health issues, making self care even more important. The majority of writers I’ve had the pleasure of meeting have also been women, a group of the population who is utterly notorious for neglecting self care.
So today i want you to think about self care. When was the last time you had a hot bath? Got a massage? Read a book purely for pleasure? Actually took time to just sit by yourself in a quiet room, enjoying your own company?
If self care isn’t already part of your regular schedule you need to start making changes. Even fifteen minutes a day spent writing in a journal, meditating or doing yoga can make a huge difference in your mental state. A weekly bath can take away many of the aches and pains you’re suffering from–and smell great if you get the right kind of bubbles.
The truth is I’m not always the greatest at scheduling self care but I have grown much better at it over the years. I’ve built a solid yoga routine I do almost every day, started taking bellydancing lessons and gone out of my way to read for pleasure. There’s a long way for me to go–I’d like to eventually have a more consistent meditation practice and I constantly struggle to maintain a journal writing routine–but I know the journey is worth it.
How do you take care of yourself? Do you actively schedule time for self care? Let me know about it in the comments below!