Last week, I did my best to focus entirely on self-care. After feeling exhausted and drained, I wanted to have some time that centered around exercise, mental-health and doing all the things that re-energized and made me happy. First, self-care is an ongoing practice and just because it was my main focus for this week, doesn't mean I can't be conscious about it as a daily practice going forward. In order to do so, I've learned to be intentional and in the present moment for every act of self-care. Second, self-care comes in many forms. Not just the typical giving oneself a manicure, doing a special face mask on spa day or treating ourselves to our favorite dessert. All of which of course were included this week. It can also take the form of taking care of our minds through therapy, our bodies with exercise and eating healthy or our space with cleaning and organizing. Sometimes they are tasks we don't always have the desire to do, but prepare us to have a better day in the future.
The first day of my self-care week started with going to a new Korean hot pot restaurant with my mother. I really enjoyed myself and while I love my siblings, being able to spend solo quality time with momz was great. The food was tasty and I ate more than my fair share. I really appreciated the ability to customize our dishes. We both got hot pots, but I focused mainly on grilling, ordering two orders of bulgogi (my fave) and some beef brisket. I loved that they had whole cloves of garlic that we could grill up. I may have had the garlic toots the next day, but well worth it.
The next day, I had church, which for me is Zumba class. I've been doing Zumba for over a decade and it's always a great workout for my body and mind. Being able to spend time with my friends, classmates and instructors who always exude a wonderfully positive attitude truly recharges me. I'm so grateful to be a part of this wonderful community.
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| A cute outfit always helps, even if it's just for a workout. |
The same day also happens to be what could be considered an at-home spa day. The typical self-care activities of hair mask, exfoliating, doing nails usually takes place on this day. After a long shower, I enjoy a healthy meal of avocado toast, smoked salmon, a turmeric juice shot and my favorite black tea accompanied with by a couple episodes of true crime stories from my favorite Youtube murder mystery channels. The jury is still out on if I should be watching these, but I do enjoy the style of storytelling of these creators and as a woman, I feel like I need to be aware of the crazy shit against me that's out in the world. That's a whole blogpost in and of itself.
On Tuesdays, we eat tacos! I'm lucky to know of an authentic place that has an incredible taco Tuesday deal that beats buying and cooking food from the grocery store. We go there so often that the owner and staff know us by name and are always so kind. My order is always the same. My favorite barbacoa tacos with avocado slices, with extra onion and cilantro. They also make their own hot salsa sauce that quite honestly should be bottled. A condiment that cannot be skipped. They really should bottle the stuff. Sometimes, they've given us giant to-go containers of it because we've raved about it so much and we will eat it for weeks. With eggs, with fries, with burgers. You name it, that hot sauce is going on it.
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| Where's the extra onion and cilantro though? |
I've recently signed up for a cardio HIIT workout class on Wednesdays. It's a bit more challenging and targeted, making it a great addition to my exercise routine. What I love about it is that it's a very small class. I'm not a big fan of crowds and even if Zumba class were to be very full, it's an exception because I've taken the class for over a decade and know and am comfortable with everyone in class. Cardio HIIT usually has a maximum of two to three people per class, which means that you get more focused attention from the instructor. In the event I don't have proper form or am doing something incorrectly or not safely, it is corrected right away. I've noticed that it's been targeting parts of my body where I didn't even know I had muscle and I'm really enjoying focusing on these workouts, even though they have been extra challenging.
Therapy Thursdays are self-care for my mind. Admittedly, I have a lot of stresses, anxieties, PTSD and trauma I need to work through. I first fell ill with the you know what (let's call it the 'vid) at the end of 2020 and it had done a number on my physical and mental health. Recovery is still an ongoing process. One of the negative side effects was that it had unlocked many traumas that I had pushed down for several years. My doctor, who was monitoring me for the post 'vid issues recommended I start therapy. I am grateful to have a kind and patient therapist, who has been working with me on many of these issues.
Thursdays are also the first day of my stream week, but this week, I decided to take some time off streaming. I love streaming and am grateful to have the opportunity to do so. But because I had been feeling so overwhelmed, but the end of last week, I decided that it was best to take a week off and solely focus on myself. I did not want to spread my levels of negativity and stress on the stream, especially to anyone who may watch it to unwind and de-stress. It would be counterproductive. While I felt guilty doing so, I knew that if I took a week off, I would be able to come back re-energized and more able to spread positivity than if I were to come from a completely spent and depleted space.
Instead, I focused on writing. Doing some creative writing, writing for fun and for this blog. My main goal was to just enjoy the process and find joy in writing again, regardless of the fact that I'm rusty. I'll admit it, I'm rusty as f*ck! And so what if no one reads it or gives a shit? You had fun, right? You got to use your keyboards you love so much! Sorry, I got carried away talking to myself and justifying my "audacity to post my bullshit writing on the internet." Hah! *cringes*
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| Call me a keyboard connoisseur! |
Friday was a true day of vegetation. I told myself that I would try my best to be productive in the things I enjoyed doing this week and would take minimal days of doing nothing. Friday was a much needed day of just relaxing on the couch and catching up on my favorite shows.
Most of Saturday was spent writing. I woke up and slowly started my day by showering and doing my makeup. I enjoy doing my makeup, even on the days I don't plan on leaving the house. Maybe even moreso on the days I stay home because I do it for myself. The practice helps me be productive in other aspects of my life like writing. I was able to get a decent amount written. As most other days, I dropped by on my Friends' streams. I don't always chat, but I'm always sure to lurk to show my support and appreciation.
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| A lil' treat yourself moment brought you by Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies. |
Some Sundays are a semi day of rest for my partner. Depending on how they're feeling, they'll either take a fewer delivery orders than a full day or none at all. This last Sunday, we enjoyed a delicious feast from our favorite Indian place. Chicken biryani, with a side of lamb keema samosas and keema naan. The chicken biryani is from their special "Indo-Chinese" menu. The chicken is called chicken 65. Lightly breaded and possible Szechuan flavoring. I particularly love the samosa here because there is an incredible addictive masala powder that is sprinkled on the outside of the samosa. "Can I just lay down, open wide and you can sprinkle that masala powder into my gob?" is what I want to ask the Auntie at the front of the house. I know it sounds suss, but I mean it in the most literal way. Gimme dat masala powder because I'm addicted to it!
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| Lamb, potato and pea goodness wrapped in a delicious samosa shell, flavored with a sprinkling of that addictive masala powder |
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| Amazing chicken biryani with chicken 65 pieces in basmati rice, topped with red onion. *chef's kiss* |
What I've learned from this week is that no matter what's going on, even if I'm doing my best to take a week off to focus on myself, life is still going to throw curve balls. Even during said week and I have to to my best to take things in stride and focus on the present moment. Each self-care event needs to be very purposeful and conscious and even though I took a week to relax and take care of myself, the following week still had a whole host of obstacles waiting for me. Yet, taking that time to really delve into recharging and making it a priority was truly helpful. The process was restorative and being very focused and taking notes throughout was helpful in how I would pace myself for better mental health in future. My hopes are to take what I've learned from self-care week and put it into practice going forward.
Even if you don't have a week. If you have a spare day or even a few hours, I highly encourage you to focus on yourself. To recharge and re-energize. Do the things you love and enjoy. Do the things that fill your cup and take care of you! Honor yourself. You'll be glad you did.
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