last month i wrote about self-care over at makings of motherhood.  i wrote about how i’m working to find little ways to take care of myself throughout the day.  yes, there’s the necessary exercise, healthy eating, rest.  but i’m intently curious to explore random acts of kindness that i can bestow upon myself.  five minutes of reading alone on the couch, an extra five minutes in the hot shower, lingering over a warm cup of tea, putting pen to paper.  little ways that i can bring myself joy.  i’ve touched upon this idea before, here and here.  i believe it’s crucial for everyone, man or woman, wherever we are in our life journey, to take time for ourselves.  your idea of treating yourself might look very different from mine, but it’s important that we all gift ourselves a little something on a regular basis.  i’m not suggesting this is easy.  far from it!  while some of us are very good at this sort of thing, others of us need a little support and reminding.  in my post at makings of motherhood, i provided a link for a downloadable PDF file where you might keep track of your self-care over a week’s time.  it really is quite enlightening to track yourself for one week.  i found that holding myself accountable with this sheet really pushed me to do something each day.  i chose to do very simple things that fit into the course of my day with my two kids are home…making a special cup of green tea latte, writing in my journal, stepping outside to take some photographs.  if you can implement bigger {say, a massage} go for it!  the idea is simply the practice of treating yourself  with love on a regular basis.  because you deserve it.  we all do.

and i definitely believe that, in gifting ourselves, we will have fuller hearts to offer those around us.

this month, i am treating myself daily by exploring self-portraits in photography.  i’ve signed up for a wonderful online class with vivienne.  the class, entitled be your own beloved, fits so well with what i’m working on in my personal life right now.  trying to find ways to love on myself so that i can be really present for myself as well as the people in my life.  last friday and saturday were particularly hectic days for me and, without this class and its prompts, i know i would have just pushed through each of those days.  and sometimes that’s okay, that’s all we can do.  but i was so happy to have committed myself to this month-long class because i played with my camera on those two days when i might otherwise have assumed i was too tired, too busy, too pressed for time.  the photo you see above?  i had an idea in mind for that day’s prompt {playfulness} but it was a crazy day.  i ended up working on my self-portraits in the parking lot at my son’s soccer practice that evening!  and, while i felt a little sheepish, it was so much fun and really gave me a burst of energy late in the day.  now, i’m not suggesting you need to go take self-portraits in a parking lot; that just happened to do the trick for me.  but i imagine you’ve got some ideas of what might feel good to you.  do you?  go do one today, and then try again tomorrow, and the next day.  keep at it.  gift yourself a little love.  take care of you.  it.all.adds.up.

and, in case you’re interested, you can download this to help remind yourself.  after i filled out a week’s worth, i cut it out and glued it into my journal.  it’s kind of fun to see it tucked inside the pages.  it reminds me to keep at this self-care thing.  it reminds me to be good to me.

now, go on.  go be good to you.

sending a little love your way, m