A Moment for Yourself

A lot is being written about self-care lately.  I've done it myself here, and I plan to further explore that end of the self-care spectrum.  However today I've been reflecting on my childhood. Being the only daughter, my Mom and I bonded over little girly things. She taught me how to take care of my nail, proper filing and polishing techniques.  My Mom gave me my first home hair relaxer.  I'm shaking my head as I write this, if only we had known what we were getting into with those relaxers, but I'll write more on that later. 

My point is, our little beauty sessions were small lessons in self-care. My mother was teaching me the importance of taking time for myself, and there I was just thinking we were having fun! As an adult I've come full circle, as a teenager, I used to think taking care of myself meant that my hair looked good, my nail polish wasn't chipped and my outfit was cute. Now I realize that it encompasses everything from managing my mental health, including being mindful of what I watch, read or listen to,  to blocking out negative inner dialogue to working out and eating right (mostly), to giving myself a manicure or getting a facial. 

Not everyone subscribes to self-care as a real thing and dismiss it as being too new age-y or hippy dippy, even though experts have found that good self-care can improve our ability to handle stress, think on our feet and even fight disease.   Of course I know giving myself a pedicure won't directly save my life, but it can improve the way I feel about yourself, which improves the way I treat myself in general. If I value myself I won't take unnecessary risks , which in a way, can save my life. 

So take that anyone who gives me grief about the size of my nail polish collection!