Ify’s Random Thought of the Day: Y’all remember that song by Craig David called “What’s Your Flava”? Lawd only knows how it ended up on my shuffle this morning but there I am at 6:45 AM speeding (aka going 15 mph) down FDR Drive screaming to other drivers, “What’s your flava, tell me what’s your flava.” No one answered my question. Rude.
Sunday’s are easily my favorite day of the week, primarily because I get to spend the entire day with myself. Yes, you read that correctly. I choose to spend the whole God given day with me, she, her. Typically, I dedicate Sunday’s to preparing myself mentally, physically, and spiritually for the week ahead. My need to take care of myself and make sure I am whole has grown exponentially over the last two years. The entire process has been pretty dope if I do say so myself. It’s so important to learn your kinks and determine ways to straighten them. The biggest lesson I’ve learned thus far is that I cannot create anything substantial or generative from a place of depletion. For someone like me this is huge. I’m so used to being the backbone of my friends and family which, as you can imagine, is rather draining. Taking a step back and surrendering to my own needs and aligning myself with what I need to feel whole has been instrumental in my self-care journey.
What I enjoy most about Self-Care Sunday’s is that it’s the most un-routine routine I have. Like many, my needs differ from week to week. So it’s important for me not to get too caught up in a monotonous routine and hone in on what my mind and body are telling me it wants that week. Whether that be disconnecting from technology, cleaning and reorganizing my space, creating new content, exercising, crying, meditating, etc., I make sure the common denominator throughout it all is listening to myself. The only thing that remains constant is reaffirming my value and power to control what’s going on on the inside. By the end of the day I feel refreshed and ready for whatever nonsense will arise in Trump’s America.
I know there are decade’s worth of articles on the internet that discuss what self-care is and how you should be doing it; and in my most humble and non-professional opinion, most of those post are filled with erroneous bullshit. Nobody can tell you how to take care of yourself or what you need to do to feel like Beyoncé. That’s a journey you and only you can take. At the end of the day, it’s simply about doing what makes you feel good. So get creative with it. There’s no right or wrong what to take care of yourself. Well…unless what makes you feel good is potentially life-threatening. Then maybe you want to stay away from that and get some professional help. Until next time, take care xxx

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