Self Care, Quick or Extended

September is designated as Self-Care Month. I’ve been seeing a lot of social media posts about the topic and have had time to think about my self-care needs. When my friend posed the question on her Facebook page, the options that were listed on her page were a sweet treat, spa day, or shopping. I responded with a quick and an extended answer.

My quick self-care pick would be a sweet treat. I’m not a big candy fan but a pastry or chocolate and I’m all in. This week has been a relaxing week but I felt like indulging in self-care yesterday and went to a donut shop. This donut shop you can “build your own” with the frostings, drizzles, and toppings. I didn’t overdo it, but I got three: caramel apple pie, vanilla and caramel, and strawberry lemonade. Can you say mouthwatering?!?! I’m not ashamed to say I ate all three yesterday. That quick moment of self-care can lighten your mood and in my case soothe a sweet tooth craving.

My extended self-care pick wasn’t one of the options but it shouldn’t be a surprise….TRAVEL. A weekend trip to the beach or a 10-day guided tour to Dubai, sign me up. This pandemic has really put a damper on my extended type of self-care but I see the light at the end of the tunnel. The borders are slowly opening and resorts are implementing contactless experiences to keep everyone safe. Travel & Leisure shared an article about the cruise line plans to operate later this year. I didn’t see if they plan to reduce the capacity on the ships but the social distance might be a problem. But regardless, travel recharges me. I’m not one of those people that still work on vacation, I fully engulf myself in my vacation. I need that time of self-care so I can operate at full capacity when I return. I’ll hopefully be able to share a story before the end of the year of my extended self-care choice. And believe me, I’m going to make the best of it.