Own Your Intuition Show

24. Self-care: it's not just for you 😉

February 21, 2023 Season 1 Episode 24
Own Your Intuition Show
24. Self-care: it's not just for you 😉
Show Notes Transcript

Is self-care on your list of good ideas but not on your list of high follow throughs?  Do you sometimes feel selfish for doing it?  Or maybe it’s just so low on the list that it doesn’t make it to the top on a weekly or monthly basis?  And what the heck does self-care have to do with intuition?  (A lot it turns out.)  If this piques your interest, then YOU are going to want to listen to today’s episode.  We’re going to talk about how self-care isn’t just for you, the fortunate and unfortunate thing about it, joy breaks, everyday ideas for self-care to get you going TODAY, and inspiration for getting past what holds you back from caring for your precious self.  All on today’s Own Your Intuition show.

Show Notes

 Betty Peralta’s talk, “How neuroscience is catching up with indigenous values.”

 Betty’s website: www.AltAvenues.com.  

 Elizabeth Gilbert interview with Tricia Hersey, author of “Rest Is Resistance.”

 Tibetan singing bowl music

Jin Shin Jyutsu

Tapping

 Heck ya—I’d like the first bit of AimĂ©e’s book for free.  

 Yes, tell me!  How the heck do I tell the difference between the voice of my intuition and my “fear-based” ideas?  Download the free audio here.

 Empath Core Tools On-Demand Program: www.AimeeCartier.com/ect.

 For more about AimĂ©e, her work, readings, speaking, or classes visit www.AimeeCartier.com.  

Aimée on Instagram

Aimée on Facebook

Is self-care on your list of good ideas but not on your list of high follow throughs?  Do you sometimes feel selfish for doing it?  Or maybe it’s just so low on the list that it doesn’t make it to the top on a weekly or monthly basis?  And what the heck does self-care have to do with intuition?  (A lot it turns out.)  If this piques your interest, then YOU are going to want to listen to today’s episode.  We’re going to talk about how self-care isn’t just for you, the fortunate and unfortunate thing about it, joy breaks, everyday ideas for self-care to get you going TODAY, and inspiration for getting past what holds you back from caring for your precious self.  All on today’s Own Your Intuition show.

 ***

 MUSIC  **Ayla Nereo, "All of this" song clip**

 ***

Do you crave clarity and insight?  Do you sense that your intuition is trying to tell you important things, but you have a hard time trusting it?  Do you want access to your own internal  wisdom, and to understand how it operates so that you can guide your life in ways that are meaningful and satisfying?  

Well then, welcome, I’m glad you are here.

I’m your host, AimĂ©e Cartier.  I’ve been a professional psychic, since around 2007.   I’m the author of the book, “Getting Answers: Using Your Intuition to Discover Your Best Life.”  I’ve been teaching others to understand and use their own intuitive and empathic abilities for more than a decade.  

 Join me each week for true stories and tools that will inspire you to take seriously, your own inner knowing—that internal sense that you have uniquely tailored to YOU and designed to not only set you on the roads that are best for you but also help you avoid the ones that are treacherous.  

 It’s time for you to OWN YOUR INTUITION.

  ***

Du du duuuhhhh, that’s the drum roll.  Remember that last week I announced a contest for winning a free copy of my book, Getting Answers.  It was a short one—you had just one week to take the 2 minutes necessary to follow my podcast, 5 star it, write a review and then DM me about it.  The winner is... nobody.  (hahaha!) I did get some lovely messages, like this one from Mary Kay who said, “You are soooooo good at this.  I love listening and re-listening.  Now my daughter, Genna, is too and thanks you.  I love your presence in my life in this way.  Thank you.”  But I guess the rest of you were like—it’s only $15.  Or I didn’t leave enough time to enter.  I know you are out there listening!  I can see the numbers!

I remember well the period of time after I had my second baby.  I was so depleted from the successive pregnancies and stresses of child growing, child bearing, and child rearing that I felt completely diminished. So I instituted this thing for myself, which I called, “Operation Replenish and Rejuvenate.”  I actually wrote those words on the chalkboard of my studio to remind myself of how important they were to me.  The time period after having a baby is very intense.  If you’ve ever had one you know this—if you haven’t just trust me.  It taxes you in every part of your being, you’ve just grown a whole human (or two in my case, successively within 2 years), you now care for that being night and day, your body is on overdrive, not only due to having JUST created a human (You’ve just grown eyes and eyelashes, internal organs and skin and, and, and
). But also if you are breast feeding like I was, it’s also producing food for said baby AND you’re not getting a lot of sleep.  During this time period at least once a week I would schedule hours away from my family—times when my husband was home or when a grandmother or beloved friend was caring for my children.  During these times I would go to the beautiful studio on our property that my husband built me where I write, teach, and see clients, and have a few consecutive hours each week to myself.  I had two general rules for myself and this time.  Rule one: No agendas could be furthered during these moments.  Meaning, I didn’t plan what I would do ahead of time or use it to continue big projects that I wanted to do.  I left each time slot blank and I allowed myself to do whatever I wanted, whatever came to me, whatever I felt like in the moment, whatever whim struck during the hours that I had– without agenda or judgment.  The time wasn’t about being productive.  It was about replenishing, rejuvenating—doing things I love and that felt good to me.  Rule number two was, I was not allowed to do ANY household or family management tasks during this time.  Not one.  Ever.  This wasn’t a hard rule for me to keep! ;)  I am very far from a natural housewife.  I always say that my husband is a far superior housewife than I am—and it’s true.  He likes to cook and putter around the home.  To my mind, (I should double check this with him! Haha) he doesn’t mind doing the laundry.  Whereas when I am stuck in those tasks I feel like I want to throw up.  In any case, I was clearly elated to leave behind these duties.  I was strict about it.  No matter what we needed from the grocery store, or whose laundry needed to be dealt with, when I had my childfree hours I did not devote even one second to those concerns.  It was my completely ME time.  I would come out to my studio I simply ask myself— “What do I want to do now?”  I allowed myself to play—to putter, to experiment, to do crafts, to move to my own rhythm, to lay around, to read, to write: to do whatever I wanted without agenda.  

 Listen, you don’t need to have just had a baby (or two) to create your own Operation Replenish and Rejuvenate.  I highly recommend it.  Especially if you are in or coming off of a highly stressful period in your life.  Devote time to your own care and well-being.  Make your healing a priority.  You’re worth it.  If you are wondering how you do that, I’m going to give you some ideas on today’s show.  I’ve got practical advice on how to start, or continue, depending on where you are on the spectrum caring for yourself.  We’re also going to talk about how self-care is related to intuition.

 This is AimĂ©e Cartier, and you are listening to the Own Your Intuition show.  

 These days the idea of the importance of self-care is frequently bandied around the internet.  Women are understanding that it is NOT selfish to take care of oneself.  That actually it is absolutely necessary if you want to thrive.  If you are a mother, it is even more important—mother is the central nervous system of a family.  If you are off, everyone around you feels it.  That’s probably triply true (or more) if you are empathic and I am going to talk about empathic ability again in the next couple of episodes, so if that pings you—stay tuned.

 In any case, my kids and I play this game sometimes when we are on a walk.  It was my daughter’s idea.  I’m not sure where she got it.  It’s called, “fortunately, unfortunately.”  One person starts a story about something and then says a sentence that starts with, “Fortunately,” and adds on to the story.  The next person continues the story with a sentence that starts with, “Unfortunately.”  You tell a story together by starting each sentence with either “fortunately” or “unfortunately” as you desire.

 So here’s my story for today:

 Fortunately, the idea of self-care being A NECESSARY part of living an optimal life, of thriving, success, and happiness has trickled down into our common lexicon.

 Unfortunately, you have to DO IT to receive its effects.  Knowing about it is NOT enough.

 I say this to my students sometimes because this is a tool and a knowledge that REQUIRES action.  It’s not like listening to a podcast or reading a book, or even asking a question—as we have been examining in the last few Own Your Intuition Show episodes.  Those things all have the capacity to change the shape of your life—with very little effort.  An idea rolls around—it shifts how you consider your circumstances.  Your life seems easier, or more doable, or you recognize that there is an end to the tunnel you are in, or that the Universe IS supporting you in a way you never imagined.  A question is asked, an answer comes.  Self-care is not like that—no matter how many images you see of someone in a bubble bath—it does nothing for you—unless you yourself GET IN THE GOSH DARN (radio talk) BATH!

 There is a thing called the Naked Lady Spa in Washington where I live—actually there is more than one.  It’s actually called, “Olympus Spa” but often referred to as the “Naked Lady Spa.”  It’s called that because it is for women only, and everyone is either completely naked—in the hot tubs or sauna’s or wearing a robe in the other heated rooms.  You have to wear a sort of cotton shower cap they give you on your head too!  It’s very becoming!  Just kidding.  But no-one cares!  Because that is not why you are there—to look good.  You go there to feel good!  Pro tip: Every year they have a sale where you can buy like 10 passes.  I buy them whenever there is a sale.  When you do it this way, it’s like $100 off or something.  So you can spend the day at the spa for like $35 or something.  And on THE DAY of your birthday it’s half off.   (Don’t use your passes then!) 

 I am not precious about these passes.  I don’t just use them on my birthday or for special occasions.  I use them whenever I feel that I need to lay around in the spa, soak in the hot tubs, eat in the little restaurant, spend some time in a deliciously heated room with my journal, get ideas, think big thoughts, digest the happenings of my life or sweat them out.  Because Friday evening is an evening that my husband puts our kids to bed (we alternate nights at our house)—I often catch an early late afternoon/evening ferry to the mainland and go to the spa.  I’m back in my bed by about 11pm.  Many years ago this spa was a thing I just did with friends once in a blue moon.  These days, I most often go alone.  It gives me this window of complete freedom of thoughts and body that is refreshing and regenerative to me as a mother of youngish children.  If you are in Washington, and you are a woman—you must be a woman!  Get on the Olympus Spa mailing list.  They’ll let you know the next time a special is arising.  If you are not in Washington, I am so sorry.  Google Korean spa and see what you can come up with—or spa in general—whatever.  Buy yourself some passes.  Ask for them for your birthday, or mother’s day, or any day.  Don’t be precious about them.  Use them.  You deserve it.

 Do you want to know how I know that you deserve care?  This is something that comes up for people sometimes when we are talking about self-care—and I’m going to dive into that in a little bit.  But first I’m going to tell you how I know that you deserve self-care.  

 You are alive.  That’s how I know.  Every little living thing is precious—whether you can see that about yourself—it is still true.  Self-care is also one of those things that actually feeds itself.  The more you care for yourself, the better you feel.  The better you feel, the better you are, the more positive impact you have on others too.  The more you make the most of this precious life you have.  It’s like going to the Naked Lady Spa for me.  First I had the idea, then I went.  Once I went I was like—"This is so good.  This is so relaxing and necessary for me.”  Go again.  You get it?

 Another everyday self-care piece I do is fresh flowers.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I love flowers.  They are high on my list of true loves and pretty much year-round we have a vase of fresh flowers on our dining room table, and often in our bathroom, the kitchen sink windowsill, and in my studio where I write, teach, and see clients.  We have a huge garden, so many months out of the year these flowers are picked from our yard.  But when they run out, which happens in November, I buy them.  I once had a friend tell me she loved flowers but didn’t feel like she couldn’t splurge on them.  To which I replied, “Have you heard of Trader Joe’s?  You can literally get a bouquet of flowers for under $5.  Less than a cup of coffee and something that lasts MUCH longer and in my opinion spreads more joy.”

 Recently, I was helping to plan a Solstice gathering with several folks including mythologist and speaker, and author, Michael Meade.  We were talking about the elements of planning ritual.  He said this thing that struck me so much I wrote it down: “Once you get (or create) enough beauty, people feel held.  They will relax and let go.”  Get it?  We feel held by beauty.  That’s no small thing.  Beauty helps us relax.  It helps us heal.  It helps us regenerate.  It’s important.

 Recently, I also went to a talk by Betty Peralta called, “How Neuroscience is Catching Up with Indigenous Values.”  It was mind-blowing and affirming and I HIGHLY recommend it.  I have put a link to it in the show notes.  It’s on YouTube.  The lighting is TERRIBLE in the recording, but trust me, if you can suffer through that—or just listen—it will blow your mind.  So please check it out—I highly recommend it.  Also, Betty’s website is www.AltAvenues.com and she may have it on there in the future, I’m not sure.  But I’ll put a link to all this in my show notes.)  She, Betty,  was talking about some protective measures against toxic stress that were imbedded into indigenous cultures.  One of them was “unstructured time.”  Do you have that in your life?  Moments that are not dedicated to anything in particular or devoted to “get stuff done.”  Moments like my Operation Replenish and Rejuvenate that you could use for literally just laying down if you wanted?  Well, it’s good for your brain it turns out.  I know a yoga instructor and Ayurdvedic practitioner on the island where I live that recommends you get horizontal for at least 10 minutes during the day.  Just lay down and let your body relax.  That’s all.  As Betty mentioned in her talk, “Stress is the biggest killer of our time— it leads to so many ailments.”

 I also listened to a recent interview with author Elizabeth Gilbert and author Tricia Hersey about Tricia’s book called, “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto.”  It’s an Instagram video and I think they did it live.  It’s an interview which I HIGHLY recommend.  It’s a very inconvenient way to listen, if for example, you have children and are trying to cook dinner.  But it is TOTALLY worth it.  In it Tricia also busts the myth that rest is for the privileged.  Also, her stories are fantastic and heartwarming.  Link in the show notes.  I’ll put a link in the show notes.  It’s another thought-provoking conversation that may inspire you to ACT on self-care.  

 Okay, so why do I, psychic and teacher/guide of accessing your own intuition do a class in my programs on self-care?  Why am I talking to you about it today on the “Own Your Intuition” show?

 Self-care is rarely linked with intuition and yet in my experience, for an optimal performing intuition, it is an integral part.  The truth is, is it is very hard to access your inner knowing when you have a frantic, fearful, or stressed mind; it can block you from receiving your own intuitive impulses.  When your body and/or mind are constantly playing the “I’m stressed” song, it can be very difficult to hear what solutions or insight your Highest Knowing is trying to provide.  Especially because as I mentioned to you in episode 4 of the Own Your Intuition Show, your intuition does not speak to you in that frantic stressed out language.  It’s also tough to discern the difference between the tone of the answers or solutions that you receive when your body and mind are very depleted.  Are your ideas your mind trying to offer up any scenario it can think of to help, or is this solution divinely inspired?  It can be hard to tell the difference from an exhausted state.

 To calm your mind, or to have access to an array of information or intuitively guided solutions you must pay attention to your body, being, spirit and soul’s needs regularly.  That means you must also give it what it requires to feel whole and balanced.  Hence self-care.  I want to remind you of something you may know but may forget from time to time: Your being and feeling balanced is entirely in your hands.  Of course, there are circumstances in life which may take you out of balance and are beyond your control, but the noticing, and the return to balance is an ever-present dance in life; one in which, for yourself, only you are in charge.

 When I talk about self-care with my students I often recommend that they start with a personal investigation on self-care.  It’s useful for recognizing what your underlying beliefs around this practice are—and for getting rid of any junky thoughts that are holding you back.  Here are the questions I ask them to explore:

 When I think of the word self-care how do I feel?  

How is this belief serving me?  

Is it serving me?  

Is this belief inhibiting me from getting what I need or nurturing or loving myself?  

Do I believe that other people deserve nurturing?  

Am I a person?  

Does this mean that I too deserve nurturing? (This is a leading question!)  

 
If you know you have trouble practicing self-care
—you might also ask yourself “Who am I serving when I am not caring for myself?”  Or, “Does being a washed out, over done version of myself serve me OR the people I love?”

 If it is important to you to be able to uplift and serve others or even if it is important to you that you have a good life or enjoy it; then you have to start by caring for yourself; there is no other way.  It is also not the responsibility of those around you—it’s yours.

 Like I already indicated, self-care requires DOING.  It requires you to pay attention to your animal body (what I call your human form).  It requires you to listen to it and give it what it needs.  It requires you to check in with your Spirit.  Is it defunct of joy right now?  A sure sign it needs to take a load off or that it needs what I call a “joy break.”

 During the pandemic—in the beginning total lockdown stages I instituted this thing in our house which I called “Joy breaks.”  I started by saying to my kids, “I am now going to take a 20 minute Joy Break.  I am not available for questions or service during that time.  If you need something you can find it yourself or wait until my Joy Break is done.  I will be happy to help you after that time.  In the meantime, I will be in my bedroom doing something that makes me feel happy.”  Let me tell you – it was SO healing.  I read or napped or whatever—just whatever!  I had 20 minutes of time (which felt like a gold mine of time then) to do whatever I wanted.  It was bliss AND more importantly again it affected and increased my capacity to deal with the stresses of endless days of lockdown.  Before too long my kids would say, “Mom, can I take a 10-minute joy break before starting my math?”  I would always agree of course— because it made everything so much smoother for them too!  Although we don’t use them or label them as constantly as we did during those days, “Joy Breaks” continue to be a happy part of our family lexicon.  

 The other amazing benefit is that when you regularly pay attention to what is needed by yourself and give it to yourself less self-care is needed.  For example, I still remember a period where I had quite a lot on my plate all at once.  I was simultaneously launching a new Intuition University program AND preparing for a weekend of travel where I was going away to give two different workshops.  It was all happening at the same time.  During that week I was working late into the evenings on most nights, which I rarely do.  But one night, as I sat down in my studio to settle into work I felt very clearly in my bones, “That is not what is needed right now.”  I could sense that doing this would push me over an edge toward run down– something I did NOT want to be when I was going to be presenting for many hours over the weekend.  What I knew I needed instead was simply a night off.  So I rented a movie and watched it on the couch while eating popcorn with my husband.  This very simple noticing and acting on it allowed me to maintain my balance and equilibrium– while launching a program and doing a weekend of speaking engagements.  Neither during nor after my weekend of teaching did my energy take a dive.  I felt good when I returned home and able to continue my progress on my program­.  It was paying attention to even that small call of my body and heeding its needs as I went that allowed me to do all of these things at once without crashing afterward or during.  That’s what I mean by needing less– when you pay attention and give to yourself what you need sometimes it just amounts to a few hours of relaxation to help you maintain and accomplish even major goals.  As I mentioned before, when you provide self-care as you go along­– you also rarely have periods of deep burnout.  Now, I can’t say that last sentence without recognizing the extenuating circumstances and continuous collective trauma we have all been living in during the last few years—and how this time in history is different than any of the other that I have lived through.  So that actually makes the necessity of self-care even more important right now.  No matter what is happening we must continue to veer toward the joy—not a s a way to bypass  or ignore the hard and ugly, but as a means of surviving it and continuing to thrive, and to have it within ourselves to come up with solutions.  All the hard all the time does not make a fertile ground for solutions.  We cannot help ourselves or the world when we are running on empty.  Nonetheless, it also remains true that, collective trauma and world-wide pandemics aside, if you care for yourself as you go along you skip periods of deep burnout.

This is AimĂ©e Cartier, and you are listening to the Own Your Intuition show.  Today we are talking about self-care and what it has to do with intuition.  A lot it turns out.

Literally AS I was preparing this podcast I got a text from a previous student of mine named Melissa.  She was reaching out to our WhatsApp Intuition University graduates group thread to tell us how she was kicking herself a bit because she hadn’t felt like she was doing very well on self-care.  Then she had this ah-ha moment for herself where she realized that for her, “learning” was a form of self-care.  She said she had been totally missing the fact that what she is being called to do—learn new things—is also a valid way to care for herself.  She said, “A textbook and giving myself the time with it, is in fact nourishing to me.”

Isn’t this a beautiful reckoning?

Two things: do not waste any energy kicking yourself about not caring for yourself if you find you are not.  Instead, use that energy to do something about it.  Get in the bath.  Get to bed early.  Make some popcorn and binge watch, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” that’s what I’ve been doing since my appendectomy!  I’m almost through all the seasons, thank god, so I can get to bed a little earlier at night!  I cannot just watch one episode!  Last night I looked at the clock and realized it was one in the morning and I had to shut down Suzie and Midge ASAP!

Actually, while I am on the subject of self-care and binge watching—if you haven’t seen Ted Lasso—block off time in your schedule and pay for the month of subscription to Apple TV.  It’s the most soulful and refreshing sitcom I’ve ever seen.  Worth the small price it will cost you to get a subscription and cancel it after you are done if you want to.  

The second thing, as Melissa’s text to us made clear, “Self-care is about what feels nourishing to you.”  It’s not all about facemasks and candle lit tubs.  If you, like her, feel nourished by learning—then take a class.  

Melissa also mentioned in her text to all of us that the class after our self-care class was one of her favorite classes.  That’s because everyone comes back to class and shares what is on the self-care list they have now made.  So we get to hear all kinds of things that everyone in the class likes to do to feel nourished.  Melissa said, “I remember just feeling so good listening to everyone’s experiences.” 

So you can thank Melissa and her timely text to my Intuition University graduates for the next piece of today’s program.  I am going to list some of the things that are on my list and things that have been on my student’s list.

I’m going to end with this—and for the same reason I talk about it in my programs.  I think it likely to inspire your own list—whether some of these activities that I mention sing to you—or whether hearing them makes you recall that you like hoola hooping in the dark with a black light.  Whatever!  

Get out a pen and paper now so you can jot down your favorites or start your own list.  Or listen to the recording later.

If this list inspires you I’d love to hear.  I’d also just love to hear what is on your list.  As Melissa pointed out, it is so fun.  You can send me an mail through my website: www.AimeeCartier.com, DM me or comment on Instagram, reach out to me on Facebook, or send me a text if my number is in your phone!  I’d LOVE to hear!  

I don’t usually start with this—I usually start with my love of colorful and beautiful linens.  (Remember beauty relaxes!)  But I’m going to start this list with saying that THE BEST form of self-care I know (and completely free) is going to bed early.  Even better to do it three nights in a row.  It is a complete reset.  Fail proof.  I have a student who shared with our class that three to four times a week she ensures that she is in bed from 8pm to 8am—for a full 12 hours.  I found that so inspiring.  I love the idea that embedded into her weekly schedule is several 12 hour periods of rest.  We need this.

Okay, so on the list, in addition to the early night’s sleep, you will find all things– or some of the things– I’m not giving my complete list, just  for the sake of time. Your list is comprised of things, experiences, or activities that add a bright spot to your day.

AS I already alluded to, colorful quality linens—especially fun bright hand towels in my bathroom.  And a variety of duvet covers in a variety of colors that I change as the whim suits me, or as the season’s change, are something on my list.  They add joy to me—a bright spot in my day.

 Also on the list are: 

·      Pure beeswax candles

·      Reading uplifting books, reading poems, writing poems

·      Knitting simple things

·      Fantasy novels

·      Hot creamy drinks

·      Salt lamps or fun colorful strings of light (especially in my house during the winter months, I love ambient lighting—that gives me joy.)

·      Uplifting movies– often of the romantic comedy sort

·      Snuggling with my man while I watch movies
. Maybe eating popcorn also

·      Making gifts for other people or even buying gifts for other people. 

·      Writing letters to my friends

·      Pens that are satisfying to write with

·      Traveling (Anywhere, but Europe is my favorite.)

·      Speaking foreign languages

·      Listening to foreign languages

·      Sitting in candlelight

·      Going on dates with my husband

·      Time with girlfriends

·      “Camp” fires

·      Classical music (Vivaldi is my favorite.)

·      Tibetan singing bowl music  (I’ll put a link to my favorite You Tube 3 hour series in the show notes.

·      Journaling in my bed when I’m cozy under the covers and in my PJs

·      Going to bed early, especially in the spring when it is still light out

·      Hot water bottles or my electric heating pad in my bed at night 

·      Coloring books and coloring in them

·      Painting with watercolor

·      Doodling in my journal

·      Clothes shopping by myself, that is how I like to do it best.  No kids in tow.

·      Flowers in our yard and in vases in my house and studio 

·      Walks outside

·      Swimming in lakes

·      Giving myself a foot rub at night before I go to bed (with oil and/or a tennis ball to get out the kinks)

·      Jin Shin Jyutsu (I’ll put a link.)

·      Reiki

·      Acupuncture

·      Women’s spa days (as previously mentioned)

·      Tapping

·      Diffusing essential oils

·      Taking Epsom salt baths with or without essential oils

·      Meditating

·      Exercising 

 Some of these are on the list because of how I feel when I’m doing them, reading, outdoor fires, chatting with girlfriends.  Some are on the list because of how I feel afterward (exercise, meditation, acupuncture for example).

 
Some from my student’s lists over the years:

·      Running down hills with my arms out

·      Scuba diving

·      Swimming in the Puget Sound

·      Riding her motorcycle

·      You heard Melissa’s studying or taking interesting classes—giving herself time and space to learn

·      Gardening

·      Sauna

·      Hammocks

·      Dancing

·      Organizing (that surprised my student when she discovered it—but it made her feel good)

·      Jazz

·      Papaya in the morning

·      Listening to podcasts while cooking

·      Breath work

·      Wearing lipstick

·      Having a tidy bedroom

·      A cozy blanket and my cat

·      Waves lapping

·      Fresh clean sheets

 

It doesn’t have to be expensive to care for yourself.  You can see from these lists that self-care, paying attention to and doing the things you love does not have to be a several hundred or thousand dollar affair.  It can be as simple as walking barefoot through the grass, having objects of beauty around you, Facetiming with your girlfriends while knitting or changing your sheets.

 What can you do to care for yourself today, tomorrow, the next day?  I encourage you to do one or more lovely thing for yourself each day.  If you are in a period of depletion, or you need more, do more.  Let me know how it goes and what you do!  I’ve already said all the ways you can get a hold of me.  Enjoy!


 ***

This is AimĂ©e Cartier and you have been listening to the Own Your Intuition show. 

Preparing and recording a podcast really amounts to sitting in a room alone— that’s one of the reasons why I love your comments and observations.  So thank you so much to those of you who have already reached out and thank you so much to those who will do so.  And, you know, your staring or commenting in the place you get your podcasts also helps others find me too.  I know we hear this all the time, but it really does help.  So if this inspired you—would you mind telling a friend or leaving a 5 star and/or review?   

I’ve got lots of freebies on my website too (including the first part of my book)—and special secret—I’ve got a new class in the works starting in April.  So if you’d like to be among the first to know—head on over to AimeeCartier.com and jump on my mailing list.

All my love.