the week i was in recovery mode (and there was a new moon) // 26

it’s not like i really had to recover from my trip to paris. even though we saw a lot of things and experienced a lot of things, we did it all at a slow pace. at the pace that we chose. we had no timelines. no deadlines. no schedules. we literally moved from place to place whenever we finally felt like it, hanging around in one place or the other for as long as we wanted.

however, the trip home was a different story.

the actual trip went well. but, the fact that we landed in sweden at midnight and arrived home sometime after 1, coupled with the fact that we may have been a wee bit hungover from sunday night, and that i had to get up and work on tuesday morning, a mere 5 hours after going to bed, i suddenly was thrust into recovery mode.

no cup of coffee, not even multiple cups of coffee, would do the trick. no walk outside in the healing sunshine either. i was wiped out. and it seemed to last all week long… all the way until this weekend.

now, i feel like a human being again. now i feel back on track and motivated and excited.

but, this week… well, let’s just say that i was not that effective. and i did work this week too. not too much productive work actually happened. i mean, i did what i had to. but, then, i found myself fighting off summer mode over and over again. luckily, my boss, who was also the only other person working, was also fighting off a bit of summer mode.

that brings me to today, sunday. today i am rested. inspired. and motivated. and i realize, once again, the necessity of listening to our bodies. of slowing down when we need to. of not pushing ourselves to the brink of insanity.

because, ultimately, if we are not good to ourselves, then we most definitely cannot be good to anyone else.

so, in honor of tonight/tomorrow’s new moon in cancer… a moon that begs us to feel our emotions and take care of ourselves, i am sharing my favorite ways that i engage in self-care.

→ coffee. i like it hot. to sip it slowly. and preferable with a book or journal in my hands. or with a friend.

→ netflix. a girl’s gotta veg out.

→ sleep. mornings without alarms. sooooo good.

→ water + my kitchen window. a daily ritual to just be present before the first sip of coffee.

→ meditation. time to reconnect. ground. feel. be.

→ strolling. getting some fresh air and always doing the following at the same time…

→ photography. observing. creating. capturing. documenting.

→ long showers. i don’t do it often. and i’d take a bath if i had a tub. but, every now + then. a long, hot one is necessary.

→ hermit days. who doesn’t need a retreat? well, i do. and often. these are my true soul days. nothing social. not even real clothes. and choosing to do whatever i want. usually anything and everything on this list.

→ planning (and taking!) trips. dreaming. researching. booking. learning. preparing. nothing beats travel. except hermit days when traveling. that’s the best of both worlds.

perhaps you could join me by spending this new moon, this time of inward reflection, of setting intentions, as a time to also make a list of ways that you care for your self (or ways that you plan to take care of yourself over the next moon cycle). if that feels too ambitious, then just make a plan for the next two weeks… until the full moon on july 19.

now, i know that we all feel guilty for taking time for ourselves. we are conditioned to think that we must take care of everyone else first. to put everyone else’s needs before ours. and, if and when, we focus on ourselves, then we are being selfish. but, as i said before… ultimately, if we are not good to ourselves, then we most definitely cannot be good to anyone else.

so, let’s all just slow down for a minute, for a day, during this new moon and let our souls be still. there is something waiting to be born from all of us. something beautiful, deep, and inspiring. ways that we can live our life even more deeply and fully, ways that we can live our soul’s truth, and make a difference in our world. but, we have to care for ourselves. we have to listen. we have to just be so that it can begin to grow + manifest.

happy new moon, wild ones. breathe deep and just let it all be.

xoxo. liz.