One Simple Idea to Help You Take Better Care of Yourself
Cindie Chavez – ©2018
We hear a lot about “self-care” these days, probably because most of us could do a little better in that area.
The world is in a big hurry to get more things done, and it can be overwhelming at times. The cycle I often see (and have unfortunately experienced myself on more than one occasion): We become too busy because we take on too much, overbook ourselves, can’t say no, and want to be everything to everyone. Like Superwoman! Or the Energizer Bunny – going and going and going and… then (suddenly!) it hits us. We are exhausted. We feel depleted, or we get sick, or we have a meltdown. Then we decide to remember and improve our self-care situation. Often what comes to mind when we hear the word “self-care” is a day at the spa or a tropical vacation. This complicates things even more if you don’t have the finances or the time for a week in Hawaii or a VIP day at the spa.
But even if you do have the time and the money you can’t take care of weeks (months?) of burning the candle at both ends with a spa day.
We need food, sleep, water, air, and sex on a consistent basis. Not counting the Breatharians (who say they can go without food) and monks who have taken a vow of celibacy, most of us realize that we can’t postpone these necessities for days, let alone weeks or months on end.
Our physical body is the foundation of everything else we create – if we neglect our most basic human needs, we suffer.
But even as we cannot postpone our most basic human needs without causing an unnecessary burden on our body, we cannot postpone our not-so-basic needs without creating a drain on areas like emotional well-being, creativity, spiritual fulfillment, mood and general happiness.
Self-care is not complete if we are neglecting to do the things that feed our soul. And these soul-feeding activities often get crowded out of the schedule in the day to day hustle and bustle of our dual-ended-candle-burning lifestyles.
The most effective self-care is consistent and the best way I’ve found to keep up with it is to order my life according to the moon phases.
Yes, I said it – I order my life according to the moon phases. And yes, I know this might sound like a ridiculous new-agey woo-woo strategy. But, hear me out.
Nature has cycles, rhythms, an ebb and flow. Seasons change, the tides flow in and out, the moon waxes and wanes. The moon’s phases affect the tides and we humans are more than 50% water. (The moon’s 29-day cycle is congruent with a woman’s menstrual cycle as well.)
Here on planet Earth in our work-centric world we often order our life around a 5 or 6-day work-week and the Gregorian calendar. Work like crazy for 5 or 6 days and take a day or two off, go to school for a number of months and take a week or so off, etc. We’ve already accepted the idea of ordering our life. Order is good. We like things to be orderly. But the way I see it, ordering our lives in accordance to the moon’s cycle is one step better because it is congruent with what is happening in the natural world.
And best of all, the 29-day cycle of the moon phases is perfectly suited to consistent self-care (not to mention home management, creativity, and various other methods of magic making.)
If you’d like to give it a shot, begin with simply marking your calendar for the new moon and the full moon. Some calendars already contain symbols for these dates, the new moon symbol is a black circle, the full moon symbol is a white circle.
Start with the next new moon, since it’s a perfect time to set clear intentions and begin new habits.
Then, two weeks later at the full moon check in with yourself about what you’ve begun – how is it going? Take the time to recognize what is working, and what isn’t. What would you like more of? What do you need less of? Allow this time of illumination and fullness to inspire you. This is also a time for forgiveness for yourself as well as others. Full moons are also a wonderful time to plan celebrations. But for now, let it be easy. Just remember to acknowledge the full moon and check in about what you’re grateful for right now.
The few days that fall before the new moon are what we refer to as “dark moon days” because the moon has been waning and is now just a sliver of light causing the night sky to be quite dark. This is the perfect time to optimize your self-care regimens and rituals, including extra quiet time, deep breathing, extra (or at least enough) sleep, meditation, contemplation, enjoyment – and also a time to let go of what you no longer need – decluttering your physical space as well as letting go of any obligations or tasks that have become an energy drain. It’s also a wonderful time to review the past month, decide what you want for the upcoming lunation cycle. For this first time around, just make a point to schedule in some quiet time during these few dark moon days – just an hour or so to meditate or read a book or contemplate what you’d like to experience over the next few weeks.
These dark moon self-care practices will prepare you for the next lunation cycle that begins with the next new moon. And so, we begin again.
Once you have adjusted to the rhythm of the new moon, full moon, and dark moon days you can try recognizing the quarter moons as well!
Nature has a rhythm, and we are part of nature. It serves us well to go with the flow.
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Cindie Chavez is known as “The Love & Magic Coach”. She is the creator of MOONTREAT™, and she has some great free stuff for you at her website: www.cindiechavez.com
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Cindie Chavez is known as “The Love & Magic Coach”. She is the creator of MOONTREAT™ – and she has some great free stuff for you at her website: www.cindiechavez.com
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