Gentle Lessons From A Month of Self-Care

As we head into the Spring, we are wrapping up our month of self-care. If you have been joining along with us for our “Glow Through It” journey which is literally a playbook for living your best life, we’ve covered self-forgiveness, self-acceptance, self-gratitude, and in the month of April we focused on self-care.

When we first started the month, I figured this was gonna be the easiest theme of all because of course we’re amazing at self-care; we have an amazing movement practice that literally prompts us to engage in self-care often.

However, being intentional about focusing on self-care brought about some deep lessons I wasn’t even prepared for.

So here’s all the tea from our month of self-care.

Systemize Your Self-Care Routine

As a busy wife, dog mom, and CEO at SPICE, I’ve found it difficult to keep up with my own self-care even though I am a strong advocate for having an unapologetic practice.

However, the truth was I’ve focused so much on doing for others that I began neglecting myself for years.

At beginning of 2023, I vowed to make a change. I began to focus more on how I could serve myself so that I could be healthier for the people that need me most. I knew the only way to get back to a routine that worked, I needed a system.

The first step to getting into a self-care groove I looked into a concept called cyclical living; which is essentially a way to use the moon’s 28-day cycle to help you correlate the moon’s energy with your own energetic needs.

I learned so much about how our current culture neglects it’s connection to nature even though it’s been a practice across ancient cultures for centuries.

By incorporating the moon cycle into my self-care practices, I was able to establish a deeper connection with nature and the universe, and provide a sense of grounding and purpose around my own self-care. It had such a profound impact on me, I will be sharing what I learned in an upcoming 4-week virtual series at SPICE called Rest, Recharge, and Renewal: Make Self-Care Look Easy .

Check it out and be sure to register as soon as possible. Space will be limited.

Set Boundaries

Setting boundaries was a real game changer for me. I used to say yes to everything and everyone, even when I didn't feel like it. It was like I was afraid to disappoint anyone. But over time, I realized that this behavior was only bringing me stress and burnout. This month I decided to say no to people and activities that drained my energy. It was hard at first, but I quickly noticed the positive impact of freeing up my time and prioritizing things that made me truly happy.

It was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. And the best part? People respected my decision to set boundaries and I felt so much more empowered in my relationships. However; in some cases people didn’t respect my boundaries and I had to make the difficult decision to re-frame the relationship. That’s not easy, but trust me…totally worth it. Be sure to keep a healthy inner circle to keep you motivated and inspired to be your best self even when it’s difficult.

Cultivate Self-Compassion

Self-compassion (self-kindness) is something I struggled with in the past, but it's been life-changing for me, and I want to share my story with you. I used to feel like I wasn't worthy of self-care. Seeing images of women with long flowing hair running through fields of daisies in the Pacific Northwest while living on a raw vegan air diet with a dog who eats better than me and a baby named Filipa Noel made me feel like my ordinary life would never be as extraordinary as someone who had time for a luscious self-care practice. But, as I started to learn about self-compassion, I began to see that it wasn't about living up to an ideal, but instead was about being kind to myself, no matter where I was on my journey.

For a long time, I had been beating myself up over small mistakes and treating myself harshly. But, this month I got serious about my self-compassion practice, I was intentional about treating myself with kindness and understanding.

Each week I learned to appreciate my strengths and forgive my flaws, which provided me a steady flow of comfort in my own skin. Instead of striving for perfection, I've learned to drop the perfect act and embrace my flaws as a natural part of who I am. Self-compassion has been a powerful tool for me, helping me to accept my imperfections and ultimately, to love myself more fully.

The Danger of Too Much Self-Care

Although it’s important to take care of ourselves, but like anything, it’s all about finding a balance. Trust me, I’ve been there. I used to think that the more self-care I did, the better. But when I was spending all of my time doing things for myself, I was actually avoiding the important stuff and not dealing with my emotions.

This month taught me that finding the right balance is the key to success - that means finding time to take care of yourself while still taking action towards things that will push your life forward. Believe me, it’s tough to juggle it all, but when you’re able to find that sweet spot, you’ll be amazed at the results. So, let’s all commit to finding that perfect balance between living and thriving - we can do it!

Inner Work is Key to Effective Self-Care

As much as I enjoyed pampering myself with bubble baths and massages this month, I found that real self-care goes deeper than surface-level indulgences. Effective self-care requires a deep understanding of ourselves, our values, and our goals. By doing the inner work, we can create habits and routines that are aligned with our true selves that nourish our mind, body, and spirit.

I hope that these tips have given you some inspiration for your own self-care journey. Remember, self-care is not selfish, it's necessary for our overall well-being. Start small and find a self-care system that what works best for you. Practice boundaries, be kind to yourself, find balance, and commit to deep inner work. Your future self will thank you!

XOXO;

Jackie Smith

CEO; SPICE Pole + Aerial Fitness