ten things tuesday

During a conversation with my hair magician about what a horrible January I had, she asked me what my secret is to looking so good.  She said I didn't look as though I had had so many challenges as I had.  And my gut response was Self-Care.  I prioritized self-care during the Month That Was.  So here are ten things I did that took about five minutes and made me feel more present and less like I was spiraling out of control:

1) Find a video of cute animals.  Watching something adorable can be a real boost--plus, sharing is caring and I often share with my sisters and friends.

2) Do a digital detox.  Unplug for five or so minutes.

3) Listen to an upbeat or guilty pleasure song.  I get my groove on.  

4)  Book the appointment.  I need to be better about this because I was about a month overdue for my visit with my hair magician.  But making the appointment for routine errands and tasks takes a load off my mind and I feel like I've accomplished something.

5)  Color in a coloring book.  I have several apps on my iPhone that I use regularly plus a stash of coloring pages at school.  It's meditative and creative.

6)  Make a joy journal entry.  Every day I jot down three moments of joy.

7)  Have a treat.  Digging into my stash of desk chocolate or even starting the occasional day with a donut to go along with my daily Dunkin' iced coffee can be a mood boost.

8) Read a book.  Or read about books.  They are kind of different hobbies but they're related and help me clear my mind.  I love reading and I love reading about books to add to my neverending TBR.

9)  Do a short mindfulness breathing exercise.  This helps me tune out my thoughts and focus on my body in the now.

10)  Jot down three nice things about myself.  Could be something I have done to make someone's day better or that I had good hair in the Zoom meeting.  Little nice things about myself.