7 Powerful Self Care Tips every Black Queens Should Practice Daily
For black women, our self-care is vital. We spend most of our time caring for the needs of others — family, friends, coworkers and spouses — that we put our own needs on the back burner. Which can obviously be detrimental for us in the long run. So sis, it’s time to take care of yourself. As Audre Lorde said: “Caring for myself…is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare.” And she is right.
While many people equate self-care with lavish vacations, spa days and expensive gifts to treat ourselves, it’s important for you to know that self–care isn’t a one-time occasion that occurs every few months — it’s a daily practice. With that said, here are nine ways you can practice self-care daily. The truth is, you owe it to yourself to take care of yourself. So why don’t you start today?
1. Meditate Take a moment every day to practice mindfulness. You can practice this on your own, or even download a meditation app. Breathe. Count to ten. Staying focused on your breath removes distractions, worries, and restlessness from the mind. Being in touch with your soul and inner emotions helps you feel more connected to the world and is a perfect way to relieve the burdens of activism and the daily stresses of everyday life.
2. Make of all the things that you’re grateful for: This one is a Huge one, and changed my life big time, I learned this technique from Rhonda Byrne in her amazing book the Magic, it is a Must Read, I keep it always on my bedside Table, to remind me to be grateful before I sleep. It’s important to cultivate a spirit of gratitude. Focusing on the things you’re grateful for each day will help you feel happier, more centered, and more self-confident. It’s as simple as saying, “I’m grateful for…” and naming things, people and events that have occurred in your life on a daily basis. You woke up this morning — that’s a gift to be thankful for in inself. Keeping a gratitude journal and writing in it each day can help you consciously give thanks for the things that make your life better.
3. Have A Ritual: Rituals are a way to celebrate life and infuse our days with meaning. A routine is made up of those things we do every day. A ritual, however, is how we break up the monotony, create joy in the mundane and nourish our souls.
Over the last few years, I’ve infused my mornings with simple rituals that remind me that life is more than just a set of tasks to be crossed off my many to-do lists. These rituals help me pause and rest when it’s so tempting to just. keep. going. And they give me something wonderful to look forward to throughout the day.
When I wake up, the first thing I do is to prepare my Bullet Proof Coffee, put on my headphone and listen to my favorite affirmations videos from youtube. Then I will grab my goals journal, and write down my Affirmations visualising my Goals while sipping my coffee and facing the Sea! It is literally My Me Time, and I look forward to it everyday. Some of my queens have Night rituals instead, a hot Bath, Glass of Red Wine with dried flowers, Candles, and a good Book. Whatever the ritual is , just have one and stick to it for 21 days and watch your life change for the better!
4. Power Hour Another Game changer! The Power Hour is a phrase coined by Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project. In her on-going work to find ways to be happier in life, she realized she needed a reliable way to attend to those tasks that don’t rank high on the priority list and yet cause problems and stress when left undone, drain your energy and create stress. I try to schedule at least one Power hour everyday, to do Ironing, cleaning, paying bills, washing The car, calling Family ( Haha! I need a Power Hour for that) I just write it on my calendar the night before and it cleared so much stress out of my life. I have a Free Productivity Planner with power hours, Daily water Intake, To-do list, Meals, email check Boxes! So go ahead and Download it here, all you need is just to print it and watch your life change and productivity skyrocket.
Exercice: Or Dance to your favorite music, the important thing is to Move! With what is going on in the world right now, we are not moving like we used to, most of us work from home and we still not ready to hit the Gym yet. So one of my Daily self Care act is to choose an hour let's say my launch time cause I'm usually fasting, I take a 30 minutes break and I put my headphones on and I dance, Then I Take a hot shower in the other 30 minutes and put on moisturiser and body creams! Trust me when I tell you, the energy I feel afterword is incredible.
Read A book: Be honest when was the last time you have read a book, we tend to waste our time scrolling on the gram and Tiktok, but honestly getting into the Habit of reading before you sleep can be a life changer. So please get into the habit of reading Physical books cause if you put them in your kindle you will forget about it. I made a post sharing my Top 10 Books by Black Female Authors, make sure to check them out here.
Rid the negativity. Above all things, protect your energy. Once you find the source of any negativity, don’t hesitate to cut it off. This can be a person, your job, or a habit. This will make a world of difference for your spirit in the long run.
