As I move through a period of transition in my own life (I recently started a new job!), I have been digging into my toolbox to offer my body and mind a whole lot of nourishment. These are practices I turn to often in my life, acts of “self-keeping”, a term I learned from my friends at On Being In Your Body, one I prefer to “self care”, a term that has been deeply commodified (imho).

While I may offer up a couple of specifics when it comes to brands or apps, in general, I don’t believe taking good care of yourself needs to take the form of spending money, though it sometimes affords you the care you need - and my own access to healthcare through financial means is an immense privilege I don’t take for granted.

Here is an inexhaustive list of ways I have been caring for myself of late:

I shower regularly. I keep the lights low. Sometimes, I bring a chair inside so that I can sit (I miss baths). I like to use a few drops of essential oils on the floor - it permeates the living room, too. My favorites are lavender, tea tree, and anything Juniper Ridge makes.

I move regularly. Some weeks it’s a daily sunset walk around the neighborhood. Some weeks it’s a combination of moves that were inspired by the Headspace App (my membership was a gift from my former employer). I use their “Movement for Beginners” course - 28 days of either walking/running (cardio), and indoor workouts (mobility, flexibility, and a bit of strength), or meditation (day off). They have a surprising number of helpful stretching and movement videos, which I’ve really enjoyed.

I meal plan and prep. Nothing fancy here. I use Workflowy to keep a list that I share with my partner so that we can both add links to recipes and make ingredient lists. We share the labor of prepping & cleaning.

I see my health practitioners, when it’s possible, from a safe distance. Both therapy and acupuncture have been made possible in my life due to employer-provided health insurance these past couple of years. My therapist and I work together by talking and by doing somatic psychotherapy - this combination has been powerful and important in my life. When I found acupuncture and the sort of body-listening my acupuncturist does, I felt like I was tapping into some of the bodily stuff that came up in therapy, and softening it further with this body-based practice. Both of these modalities can be challenging or exhausting for me, but expansive and informative, and I’m so grateful for the access I’ve had to them lately.

I use Headspace for guided meditations to help me rest & sleep. There are mediations for everything from overwhelm to compassion, and my personal favorite thing is the “sleepcasts”, which are basically bedtime stories for grown-ups set to an ambient background landscape (eg “cat marina”, quite possibly the silliest and cutest thing I’ve ever fallen asleep listening to).

I do a load of laundry mid-week. I tidy up the whole house each evening after work. I do a couple of “weekend chores” (watering the plants, sweeping, a load of towels) on Friday early evening. These acts of tending with reliable regularity make my weekends feel a little softer & less overwhelming, and they leave room for a bit of spontaneity.

These are several of the ways I’ve been tending to myself of late - small acts done with just a little extra attention and care. I’m curious to know, reader, do any of these resonate for you? How are you tending to yourself as we glide (and stumble) toward a hopeful spring this year?