After Making Room for Joy in the Kitchen + Dining spaces in January, I shifted to self care in February. When it’s cold and dark, I need ongoing intentionality to stay positive, and focusing inwardly (gratitude) and outwardly (write a letter, call a friend), makes such a difference in my perspective.

Many of us have full lives and days, and can even believe “I don’t have time” to take care of ourselves, because we are taking care of everyone else. But, when I take a hard look at my habits, I generally see areas where I am spending time doing something unnecessary or that zaps my energy for no good reason. My belief is that when we carve out space for rest, play, reflection, and then this flows into every other aspect of life, and the people around us. This is not easy for me, it can feel too luxurious.

I would love to hear about how you take care of yourself.

Do you read, even just a few pages before bed?
Do you take a walk, even if you can only squeeze in 10 minutes?

Self care requires ongoing effort, but when I remember that taking care of myself will help me be a better wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, then I am motivated to carve out time.

In March, we are focusing on organizing and even simplifying clothing. You can download the monthly checklists here, from January - June. Clothing plays a bigger role in our daily stress than we might care to admit. I’ll be sharing tips on Instagram and Facebook all month long about how I approach clothing, and different options for storage, simplifying, and overall habits.