“Practice self care as if everything depends on it.”

-Rolf Gates

What is ‘self care?’

Does it mean eating healthy food? Taking care of your body by exercising? Cultivating a sense of peace and well-being by meditating, praying, or simply allowing yourself times of stillness?

And what about relationships? How can we care for ourselves when we’re so busy taking care of others?

We have a saying in my family that sometimes we need to “fill the well.” This metaphor implies that our energy, our vitality, our joy and creativity are like the water in a well that we can draw from to sustain ourselves and others.

As we draw down from the source, our reserves can start to become depleted.

Self care is the practice of replenishing those reserves.

It’s also a gift we give ourselves simply for the sake of giving it, not just so we can tap into greater reserves in order to use them.

Here’s what I know from my own life about self care…

It starts with moving my body, every day, especially in my yoga practice…
Being in an uplifted environment matters: my home, the places I choose to practice yoga, even where I shop…
Mindful eating (of healthy food!) transforms sustenance for the body into sustenance for the whole self…
Spending time apart from goal-driven activities by walking in the woods, meditating, or simply retreating to my bedroom to read quietly in the midst of a busy family weekend can restore my sense of balance…

When I practice self care, the world seems to brighten, and I become a gentler, softer version of myself. Self care allows me to better ride the waves of parenting two teenagers, running a household and a business, and participating wholeheartedly in relationships.

When I fill the well by practicing self care, I’m available for my life, my people, and my work.

I encourage you to gift yourself with a full day of self care at Habersham Mills on Saturday, November 4th, as we gather to do yoga, breathe, walk mindfully through the woods, eat wonderful food together, and re-connect with our source.

You can register at www.quietgroundretreats.com

STUDIO.BNA architects
675 Pulaski St. Suite 200
Athens, GA 30601

o. 706-850-4224
c. 706-308-8339

www.studiobna.com
www.verydarkgray.com