Top Ten Thursday - Self Care

It's Top Ten Thursday and today Tamara (Part-time Working Hockey Mom) has asked us to list the top ten things we did for ourselves in the past couple of days or weeks: for our physical or mental health, for our silly joy, for our further education, whatever we could think of! 

1. Beach Walk - last weekend we went for a walk along Findhorn Beach with Bramble Jelly, enjoying the crisp, cold weather with a bright, blue sky.

2. Breathing - I know that may sound like a really strange thing to put, but taking time to do some slow, deep breathing can make all the difference to how you feel in a day. Doing a short relaxation can help with stress and anxiety levels which ultimately is wonderful self care.

3. Hot Drinks - sometimes just sitting down at home with a nice cup of coffee (my tipple of choice) or tea (Ken's poison) and relaxing can be the best self care in the world.

4. Laughter - having a laugh is great self care, so watching a comedy or doing silly things is perfect for your health. Recently I put a stripe of lipstick down my beloved's forehead on the way to work because he kept swerving when I was trying to put it on. Despite reminding him as I got out of the car at work, he forgot it was there and went shopping to several different shops and to Costa for a drink, before getting back in the car and noticing it when he looked in the mirror. I laughed so much when he told me and I'm sure all the people who encountered him that day did as well.

5. Spring Babies - taking time to enjoy nature is a great form of self care and it always makes me smile when I see the lambs and piglets, especially if Ken stops the car so I can get out to take a photo and have a bit of a chat with them. I try to forget what's going to happen to them in the future and tell myself they're going to live to a ripe old age.

6. No - this is a form of self care that I find really hard so I thought it was important to put in in. I'm really bad at saying no to people and end up doing things that I haven't really got time for or that challenge my sanity at the time. My way of trying to counter this is that my lovely colleagues often double check with me when I say yes to make sure I actually mean this.

7. Fun - we often take selfies so that we have pictures of the two of us together, but it's even more fun if you can find a giant unicorn horn and have it coming out of both of your heads.

8. Reading - this is often my go to thing to help me switch off and recharge, as I can get lost in a book for hours, shutting out the world and immersing myself in the world of my book characters.

9. Manicure - I haven't actually done this for a while, but it is something that I love having done and getting my nails painted at the same time.

10. Hugging - that connection to another human being that can show so many things; reassurance, empathy, friendship, support, and of course love.

Photo from Pixabay.com

There you have my top ten of self care - what's your favourite thing that you do to look after yourself? Before you go, hop over to Tamara's Blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for their list.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and take care of you this week.

Pamela & Ken
xxxxxxxxxxxx