Self-Care Looks Different in Every Season
September at The Floating Lotus Day Spa & Yoga Studio in Little Rock has been all about self-care. This month we:
- Created and played The Floating Lotus Self-Care Bingo Challenge.
- Shared self-care thoughts from our team.
- Encouraged our clients to be more intentional about taking care of themselves.
What I didn’t expect was just how much I was going to need that self-care reminder myself.
This month has been incredibly difficult for my family as my dad slowly recovers from a serious health crisis. Throughout this uncertainty, I have been reminded that self-care looks different in different seasons of our lives.
Sometimes self-care really is booking the massage, getting the facial, taking a yoga class, or taking time to completely unplug. Sometimes, though, it is simply finding the things that keep you grounded when life feels anything but.
For me, that means continuing my 10,000 steps every day, even on the most difficult days. My meditation practice is also an anchor: a place to breathe, get quiet, and remind myself that I don’t have to figure everything out today.
Self-care isn’t always about making yourself feel good. Sometimes it is about finding the practices that help carry you through the hard things.
Other members of the Floating Lotus team have shared what self-care means to them, too:
- Self-care for Kim, one of our massage therapists, includes exercise, hydration, nourishing foods, journaling, mindfulness, quiet time, and setting boundaries. That last one really stood out to me. Taking care of yourself includes saying no, protecting your time, or recognizing that you don’t have to be everything to everybody.
- Liz, our lead esthetician, shared another perspective that I absolutely loved: sometimes self-care means allowing someone else to take care of you.
How many of us are actually good at that? I know that I am not …
We become so accustomed to being the caregiver, business owner, parent, partner, friend, or person who gets things done. Receiving care can be harder than giving it.
Sometimes self-care means allowing yourself to lie on a massage table and do nothing for an hour. Or letting your esthetician take care of your skin during a facial. Or walking into a yoga class and allowing someone else to guide you. And sometimes it’s simply accepting help when you need it.
Our Self-Care Bingo Challenge was another reminder that wellness doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. We loved seeing clients tag The Floating Lotus, sharing their bingo cards and the different ways they were practicing self-care. (One of my favorites was giving yourself a high-five!)
Self-Care September is coming to an end, but our self-care practice shouldn’t disappear when we flip the calendar to October.
Another email, another responsibility, another person who needs something, or another unexpected turn in life will always arrive. Self-care is part of what allows us to keep showing up for all of it.
So, I’ll leave you with the question I’ve been asking myself:
What does taking care of myself look like in the season I’m in right now?
Your answer may be a massage, a facial, a yoga class, a meditation session, or a walk. Or, it may be a much-needed boundary or simply letting someone else care for you for a change.
It all counts.
With love,
Cassandra
