Tiny Triumphs: Micro Self-Care for Everyday Sanity!

In today's bustling world, finding moments for self-care can often seem like searching for water in a desert. This episode dives into simple yet profound ways to weave nourishment into every thread of our hectic lives. Join Randi Owsley, LMSW, and Jessica Bullwinkle, LMFT, who bring over two decades of expertise in nurturing women’s mental wellness. Together, we'll explore quick self-care strategies for busy women, mini self-care practices that fit into your coffee break, and those little acts of self-love that can be a lifeline on tougher days. Whether you're a high-flying professional, a multitasking mom, or someone rediscovering herself, today’s episode is your invitation to start small but start strong in your mental health journey.

In the whirlwind of daily responsibilities, it’s easy to forget that every woman, especially you, deserves moments of gentle care and quiet strength. Whether you're a mom carving out breaths of tranquility between the chaos of soccer practices and school runs, or a professional juggling deadlines and meetings, micro self-care is a beacon of relief. Here at Women’s Mental Health Podcast, we’re here to support that journey, reminding you that each micro moment of care is a building block to your overall well-being.

Imagine turning even the most mundane moments of your day into a sanctuary of self-kindness. We’ll share small acts of self-compassion that can soften the days when the world feels heavy on your shoulders, and daily mental health boosters to keep your inner flame burning bright.  Your wellness journey is our collective story, one we're honored to be a part of, one step, one breath, one act of kindness at a time.

FAQ we answer

What is micro self-care?
How can I incorporate micro self-care into a hectic workday?
Can you suggest quick self-care activities for a busy mom?
I’m often too tired for self-care after work. What can I do?
What are some examples of emotional micro self-care?
Is it possible to practice self-care in the workplace?
How can I remember to practice self-care when I’m busy?
Can micro self-care help with stress?
What if I feel guilty taking time for self-care?
How can I make micro self-care a habit?

#microselfcare #selfcare #selfcaretips #selfcarefirst #SelfCareJourney #selfcarethread #selfcareroutine #selfcarematters #ProtectYourPeaceNow #EmotionalWellnessMatters #FindYourInnerCalm #PrioritizeYourMentalHealth #HealthyBoundariesHappierLife #StressManagementStrategies #AnxietyReliefTips #ResilienceBuildingJourney #MindfulnessMatters #SelfCareEmpowerment

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Transcript

Randi: 0:14

Welcome back to the women's mental health podcast. I'm randy. I'm And I'm Jess. And we are two licensed psychotherapists, and this is a safe space where we talk about mental health, well being, and strategies for coping with life's challenges. And how all of this is normal, and you are not alone. Today's episode is all about something we can benefit from micro self care, especially on busy days. These are quick, simple things. We can incorporate easily into our day to day routines to keep our mental health in check, especially when life gets busy. Hectic.

Jess: 0:48

And it's getting hectic right now. It is so hectic. It just feels like self care can be this big thing that we make it. We have to do this all huge time consuming. Yeah, it needs to be on the calendar. Bougie. Yeah,

Randi: 1:01

spend

Jess: 1:01

all this money. And we just don't have it. So we're going to share some easy tips and different ways that we can build these into our lives daily. So find us in more information. on womensmentalhealthpodcast. com. Have you ever had

Randi: 1:17

these thoughts? What exactly is micro self care? How can I incorporate micro self care into my hectic workday? Can you suggest a quick self care activity for a busy mom? I'm too tired for self care after work or after my day. What can I do? What are some examples of emotional micro self care? Is it possible to practice self care in the workplace during my workday? Yes, it is actually. I've got a couple. How can I remember to practice

Jess: 1:48

self care

Randi: 1:48

when I'm busy? Can micro self care help with my stress?

Jess: 1:53

What if I feel guilty taking time for

Randi: 1:55

myself? How can I make micro self care a habit? I like that. Let's make it a habit. Let's do it. So let's start with defining micro self care. So what is it, Jess?

Jess: 2:08

Micro self care is about the small, manageable self care practices that we can fit into even our busiest of days. These aren't hour long meditations, it's not spa days, it's not two hour bubble bath, but they're little things that take a minute to do. To breathe deeply, stretching, or even savoring a cup of tea without distraction. Oh, gosh, I love some good tea in the winter.

Randi: 2:35

I do. I love hot cocoa, especially during the winter. Or an apple cider, like warm apple cider. This is about breaking down self care into manageable, but bite sized, little mini bite sized pieces.

Jess: 2:51

I imagine those little tiny mini Snickers.

Randi: 2:53

I was imagining little tiny Reese's Pieces. Oh, how funny. Yours are even smaller. Mine's They have the mini Skittles. Have you seen them? They're like little tiny little little baby bite sized. Okay. Yeah. For example, if you're swamped with work and only have a minute, you can do a quick grounding exercise or a quick breathing technique to help center yourself. And these things, while many might not seem like a lot at first, But like we've said with anything in life, small things add up to big things. And with those things, you feel more balanced and you feel more present.

Jess: 3:29

Oh, that's like, when you're trying to get your steps in, you can park a little further away. So that way, instead of getting that, you walk a little bit more or you're like, let's do a walking meeting because I need to get my steps in today versus sitting. And so it's just adding little, oops, I'm hitting things today. It's just adding little pieces over and over. Okay. This Microsoft Care, it became really popular and it's becoming really popular because most of us are so busy and so fast paced and full of distractions. Do you know how many times I hear, I hate to say this, but COVID was really good for me.

Randi: 4:04

Yeah, because people took time to be with themselves.

Jess: 4:08

Yes, they got to go on walks They weren't forced to go do all this stuff. So I hear that so much

Randi: 4:14

Because like with smartphones and with social media, we're constantly like plugged in to things and many of us have that So many roles that we take on, whether at work, at home, socially, a mother, daughter, friend, whatever you are, it can feel overwhelming.

Jess: 4:31

Exactly, and so many people don't have time for the traditional self care. It's hard to take an afternoon off or do a long yoga class. In fact, I've got like three minutes sometimes in between clients and I will do a couple of stretches I can't do a whole hour But I will do stretches or I make sure that I get up and I walk around my kitchen island I literally will get out of my office, I'll go walk around my kitchen island, grab my cheese and my soda, and then I come back, but I make sure Your cheese stick. My cheese stick. Because that's all we're eating is

Randi: 5:02

a cheese stick. Cheese stick and a Diet Coke. It's better than nothing. That's the mindset that we have with this. It's protein. It's

Jess: 5:10

protein. And I can't have a huge meal in three minutes, so I can eat a cheese stick. But I'll do it. And I go the long way, or if I really need to walk, I'll also go around the dining room table, and then I come back, so A, I've gotten some steps, I've got a little bit of movement, and I'm not just stuck there, and so it's about adding these little things

Randi: 5:26

up. this is like an answer to this modern problem where We don't have large blocks of time And so when we break it down into these small actions, we're making it more attainable We can access it. We can be more consistent than with it And it's something that you don't have to wait for the perfect time to do I feel like a lot of times we get in our heads and we're like it needs to be a certain Atmosphere it needs to be a certain time of the day like I need to have a new outfit to do this no we just You Do it. You give yourself, that one minute or that five minutes or that ten minutes and be like, okay I'm just gonna do it. I'm just gonna stretch. I'm just gonna breathe I'm just gonna walk outside and put my feet, you know in the grass Whatever that looks like and just be like I'm gonna do it right now on this moment

Jess: 6:13

So many of us wait for that perfect moment. You're right. An hour and I'm gonna wait Because we don't have a full Full hour together because the kids came in or because work called or because we have to run and grab the dogs from the vet, whatever it is. But you know what we can do is we can take 10 minutes.

Randi: 6:31

So why is this so important for women's mental health?

Jess: 6:34

As women, we are often the caregivers. We're not just caring for our children, but our partners, our parents, our friends. We are in this caregiving role and sometimes it feels very selfish or even impossible. And I'm going to say to carve out time for ourselves. We have this concept that we can carve out time or that we can make time or we can set aside time. That is not how time works. It does not grow on a tree in the backyard. I wish it did. I could go pluck time out of the air. It is not something and time is something I hear women all the time saying is I don't have time. I don't have time for that. I don't have time. And

Randi: 7:10

that's us putting our needs last.

Jess: 7:12

Yes. And sometimes we're like, well, I need a full hour of this so I can get replenished. No, I don't need a full hour. I need 10 minutes. Before I can go be a better person.

Randi: 7:22

Yeah, and those 10 minutes every day of the week, that's an hour of that. That adds up. Those little things add up.

Jess: 7:28

Yeah, sometimes I'll sit in my office, Randy, and I'll finish with my day, and I'm not ready to go outside yet. I'm not ready to go out into the kitchen. And so I'll stay in my office for 10 minutes. And they're like, oh, did somebody go over? Oh, yeah, I was just wrapping some stuff up. Nah, dude, I might be sitting there stretching or playing on Facebook. Sometimes I hide

Randi: 7:45

out in my car. I just don't get out of the car because I'm like in a little bubble. I'm either working or doing something or taking a break, because I don't want any other distractions. And I'm just like, this is my little safe zone. Cause I don't have a reading shack in the backyard though. I would love one, but it's giving myself like that safe space to just take a handful of minutes to kind of like check in with myself and reset because often we get to the point where we feel like we're going to break.

Jess: 8:13

Exactly. Gosh, one time when mine was like two, they were apparently in the garage and the garage was slightly open and I was in the driveway and I was in my car for five more minutes. It had been one of those days I wanted to finish a couple songs. Next thing I know, I see this little head popping underneath it. Mom's home! Mom's home! I'm all excited. I'm excited. And the next thing you know, the garage door's going up. Oh, what are you doing? Yep. Just got here. Yep. So then I decided I had to wait down the street when I needed that extra time. I'd be parked two houses down and then when I was ready, I would drive in. And so it's finding whatever you need to do to make that time. See here I am making time. We can't make time. We can't carve it.

Randi: 8:52

Just taking small moments to show up for ourselves. It reinforces that we are important too. We are important. We deserve to be cared for. We deserve to take care of ourselves. And this has an overall impact on our mental health, our physical health. Emotional, everything. Especially when we do it consistently.

Jess: 10:07

I am a better person when I take care of myself. It just, I'm Because like

Randi: 10:11

we've talked about this before, you cannot pour from an empty cup. You can't just give and give and give and give and get nothing back in return. You are going to shatter.

Jess: 10:21

Or get snappy or say things that you don't want. And so it is okay to say, I need Five minutes. I need ten minutes. I need a half hour. And I've shared this before, my mom worked a very stressful, high level job. She would come home from her long commute and she would go into her bedroom and change. I didn't know at the time, but it would take ten minutes to an hour. I don't know. Yeah, and that was her That was her decompressing that she'd say as soon as I changed we could talk to her and the minute She walked out and she was changed. We could all attack her in the hallway,

Randi: 10:54

though Like I need this time to Yeah process and I used to do that too and I would come home from working with clients especially because I was in a high stress severely, mentally ill clients. I need an hour to just, whether that's cry, and let it all out. so that I wasn't bringing that into my home life and my kids I could process the day and let it go and be able to be like, okay, now I'm here. Now I'm present.

Jess: 11:19

I know. I love it. My family's always like, how was your day today? It was great! But I'm thinking I had to call CPS once, I had to do a safety plan, I was a little worried about the last one, but I'm like, oh, it's great, yeah, it's great, how was your day? Because I can't talk about it, let's do some practical tips for some other people, besides ourselves, on how they can incorporate the micro self care tips.

Randi: 11:40

So one of our favorites is a one minute deep breath. When you feel overwhelmed, take one minute to breathe in deeply through your nose on four counts. and then exhale for four counts. Just doing this simple act of deep breathing can help you feel more grounded and reduce your anxiety almost instantly.

Jess: 12:05

when you do this, I really want you to either do a superwoman pose. Or put your hands up on your head like a triangle, like you just ran a marathon. Yeah, yeah.

Randi: 12:15

do box breathing before. Well,

Jess: 12:17

yeah, box or triangle breathing. Yeah, when you do it like that, because what it does is it opens up your lungs. And if you could just do that no more than three times, really, because then you'll get lightheaded. But just do that and it will really all of a sudden change the scenario of whatever is happening. And if you do that a couple of times a day, set a reminder, put it on your watch. A lot of our watches will tell us to breathe, which is great. Just do that one minute and that is going to change your day.

Randi: 12:44

So this next one I love so much too. So let's talk about mindful sipping. we're not talking about vodka, okay?

Jess: 12:52

We're talking, we're not like mindfully sipping whiskey. We're talking about that cup of coffee or tea. Randi gave me this cool she had no, I don't know how she knew I wanted a teacup, like a teakettle. She gave me this. Oh yeah, for your office. Yeah, she gave me this beautiful iridescent tea kettle that I pull out every winter, because it's nice and cold in my office, it's like this whole display thing, and I put it on one of my pretty boards. I have a little tea cup with it, and I put my decaf tea in it, but it's always something that is just lovely, like a berry or, yes, it is, and then now I'm also getting my water, and I will pour from that, and I will just sip. From that. And I will take a moment while I'm doing it to not only just chug it, like I do my coffee, but to smell the tea. Because the aroma, like the essence, enjoying

Randi: 13:39

the flavor, like just taking that five minutes to just

Jess: 13:43

pause

Randi: 13:44

and. And be present in that moment of what you're doing.

Jess: 13:49

Yeah. And just the taste of it, because again, I don't, I, I has to be something yummy that I like and just really enjoying that moment, even if I'm with a client, I want to just, just have it there in my hand and enjoy it. And it's gotta be a pretty cup, by the way, it can't be an ugly cup. And it has to be a pretty cup. I'm holding a cup in my air. It's a pretty cup. Okay. Another tip during your work day would be every hour or so to get up and stretch, maybe look out the window, shift your position. Somehow a lot of us have these standing desks, lowering desks, just to shift it and move and maybe just acknowledge like a stretch to the sun, that is such a good, yeah,

Randi: 14:29

Yeah. Cause that helps it reduces tension, helps you clear your mind. That's why too, if you have an Apple watch, like it tells you, you need to get up and move. Like every so often. They all do. Yeah. Even like a Fitbit. A lot of times I ignore it. But, I'm like, okay, no, I need to get up and I need to move my body because that's going to help me throughout the day. That's going to make the end of the day that much more bearable if I've taken care of myself throughout the day in these little tiny micro self care.

Jess: 14:58

The other one I learned in grad school was if you have your feet, especially if you're feeling frustrated or agitated or like fidgety, you can't do it open toed shoes though. Okay. If you're sitting there with both feet on the ground and you start with your pinky, your pink, it's not a pinky toe. What is it? Baby toe, baby toe. You start with your baby toe. I was like, is it a pinky toe? You start with your baby toe and you start to roll your toes inward. Start both and just roll them in. So

Randi: 15:22

you're like tension and then let go.

Jess: 15:24

Yes, and you let go. So you roll them in. When you hit your big toe you let go and you start over a few times. That can help when you're feeling like I got a fidget or I'm in a meeting and I can't move or this is making me feel awkward. It's really good for muscle like tension relief, which is a weird thing. And I do

Randi: 15:43

that too when I meditate and I'm trying to relax and go to sleep like I'll do that where I like you tense up. And then you slowly let go of the tension so that it's grounding you in the now.

Jess: 15:55

Hmm. Yeah, like I feel like

Randi: 15:56

each muscle whether it's your hands your fingers even your jaw your tongue like your butt. Yeah, like everything I will go down from head to toe you don't have to do that You can pick one thing but a lot of times like I notice too like i'll clench my jaw Yes when i'm doing things and so like I I will be like, okay loosen it loosen it, like tense let go so just like that pause. You Junk journaling. We've talked about it. It's huge. Gratitude journaling.

Jess: 16:23

In fact, there's a, one of the next shows I'm doing, she has an entire like junk journaling kit.

Randi: 16:28

It's huge. There's a handful of girls on TikTok that I watch that show how they junk journal and it's, it's crazy. It's, I've always loved this because I feel like you don't need to have, everything doesn't need to be aesthetic. Like you can use what you have and then just put it together and write about it. And this is something you can do very quickly, whether you want to just put a note on your phone or just write it out, just quickly jot down one or two things you are grateful for right in that moment.

Jess: 16:58

And the other thing I like to have you do with that gratitude is I want you to open up every day. Wake up, look at your gratitude. Okay, what was yesterday's? And then go find something else that you're grateful for. And it doesn't have to be this huge thing. It just has to be different. I am grateful that I hit all the green lights,

Randi: 17:15

right? I am

Jess: 17:16

grateful that I got to see that smile. It doesn't have

Randi: 17:19

to be something like life altering, like you can be grateful for anything. And just thinking on those positive things. Has a huge impact on shifting your perspective.

Jess: 17:30

Exactly. And then at the end of the day, if you can write it down, so the next day, you know what it is. And that way, when you're struggling, you can go back and look and go, okay, what was I grateful for? And then once you start doing this practice, it becomes. A lot easier for you to do. Yeah,

Randi: 17:45

then you just, it, it becomes a habit. So you just are doing it without even really like thinking about it.

Jess: 17:50

And I'll do that often times when I feel like I'm getting more frustrated. I will start going, okay let me get back into my gratitude and let me see what I'm grateful for. And one day I was sitting there, okay this sounds really dumb, well not dumb but like bougie. I was sitting in the hot tub and like we got these really big snowflakes. And it was the coolest thing with this blue sky. And I was like wow, I am really glad that I am sitting right here. With these big snowflakes right now. I had never seen snowflakes that huge. And it was just the coolest thing instead of just going, Oh, it's snowing.

Randi: 18:21

Oh, it's snowing. So let's talk about feeling like I just don't have the time. It's just like one more thing for me to do. I feel like a lot of us face this. Like I just can't put one more thing on my plate.

Jess: 18:33

I think when we say I don't have enough time, it goes right along with that. I'm busy. How are you? I'm busy. No, no, no, no. That's what's going on, not how are you. And I feel like a lot of times we say these things because we're so overwhelmed, and we don't break it down into the littler pieces. I think it's important to remind ourselves that these are tiny moments, these being overwhelmed. Tiny

Randi: 18:56

moments. 30 seconds. Yes. Can you find 30 seconds today to do something for yourself?

Jess: 19:02

Oh, you're listening to our podcast, so that counts for right there because you're already listening. But I want you to find one other thing to spend a few minutes, 30 seconds, a minute here or there to really reframe, and you said it earlier, Randi, reframe what is more doable for you.

Randi: 19:19

another thing too is to stack these habits with something else you're already doing. Like the gratitude practice, maybe pausing to think about what you're grateful for while you're brushing your teeth.

Jess: 19:30

Oh, I like that.

Randi: 19:31

Or deep breathing while you're brewing a cup of coffee at work or at home. It's an easy way to make that part of your routine. So I'm already doing this. I'm putting on my makeup. Maybe I'm going to deep breathe while I'm doing my makeup or like I'm already, have to walk to the coffee machine to do this. I'm going to do, some deep breaths or think about things that are important and I'm grateful for today.

Jess: 19:56

I like that. And if you're going to have a hard time, do things like on your coffee maker, put a little,

Randi: 20:01

a little,

Jess: 20:01

a little note to remind yourself while you're sitting there.

Randi: 20:04

when I was in my 20s, even before I even thought I would have anything to do with like mental health or being like a therapist. Like I used to put post its of like affirmations all over the place before it was like a thing you even did people are like, you're weird. And I was like, no, because I am a visual person. So I needed the constant reminder for myself because. At the time, I didn't know I was undiagnosed ADHD, so I would live in my head So those little constant reminders, you know throughout my house would help me pause in the moment and remember like what was important or what I should be focusing on

Jess: 20:39

That's so funny in college. I used to keep them in the visor of my car Yeah, and every time I would start my car I would say my affirmations And so every time I started I start my car at least twice a day

Randi: 20:50

Yeah,

Jess: 20:50

and so i'd say my affirmations or I'd pick one of my affirmations

Randi: 20:54

Yes, not really knowing it and like once I know like my boyfriend I had in my 20s Like he was like, it's so weird. Did you do that? And that's why he

Jess: 21:02

was a boyfriend And he's an ex

Randi: 21:05

and i'm a therapist Anyways, so let's go over our have you evers? Okay. So randy, what is micro self care? You consistent, small, manageable, bite sized practices or activities that nurture your soul, your mental well being, your emotional well being, your physical well being, and they can be as brief as a few seconds or a few minutes just so they fit into your busy lifestyle and are not overwhelming. How do we, again, incorporate these into our hectic workday?

Jess: 21:43

First I want you to identify little pockets of where you can, and little pockets. Your morning cup of coffee, a five minute break or walk between meetings maybe, when your computer is booting up, if we even do that anymore, because most of us just leave it on all the time. But these are things that you can do when you're like when you're doing your deep breathing. You can take the time to sip some tea or your coffee carefully. You can get up and stretch between meetings or take maybe the long route to the bathroom versus the short route and just get a little bit more movement going. They're just small little tiny pockets of time. All right, Randi, can you suggest quick self care activities for a busy mom?

Randi: 22:25

So try a one song dance party while doing chores or I do this too because like I'll get in a funk and I will put on some music and just like dance around to kind of like shake it off and I'm like, okay, I've got You know literally like three, you know to five minutes and that's it, And i'm just gonna let it all out and leave it all out there on my you know fake dance floor another thing is enjoying like a favorite snack like in peace like whether you're hiding out in your car Carrier closet.

Jess: 22:58

Yeah, you're like, what are you

Randi: 22:59

eating after the kids? I've gone to bed, just taking that time to like really enjoy Whatever that small Thing is if it's one piece, you know of chocolate or like a little mini charcuterie board Sometimes i'll make like my own little mini charcuterie and not share. Yeah and not share You know what i'm

Jess: 23:17

doing right now. It's so funny. I love october. I always hide the big costco bag of candy in my closet You And my family, we're all, everyone's older, so they're all doing their own thing. If they want the candy, they have to come into mom's office to get the candy. I hide it, and they know where it is. So

Randi: 23:33

they gotta

Jess: 23:34

come talk to me and say hi to me. Which is what I want, because they're all doing their own thing. And so they come in, they say hi, get the candy, and they leave. And so I'm sitting there. That's what I'm doing for mine because I enjoy seeing him.

Randi: 23:47

Yeah, yeah. Or you could just take a quick, sometimes for me it's just walking to go get the mail, like down the street. I do that. Because like our, we have a community mailbox and we have to walk down there and get it. I'm like, okay, I'm going to take the time, to walk down there, take the dog and just, have some alone time. Amen. That's it. So what if you are, you feel like you're too tired for self care after work? What can you do?

Jess: 24:12

You can do something that doesn't take a lot of energy. If you're exhausted, maybe that dance party isn't gonna work. Or that walk, you're like, yeah, I can't do it. So listen to a calm podcast. Read a page or two of a book that really inspires you. Or watch something that inspires you. Maybe you're gonna put you know, a face mask on something that you don't normally do, but something that's showing that you care for yourself to feel pampered, even if it's putting on your favorite fluffy socks. We all have our favorite fluffy socks that just make us feel so good. Alright what are some examples of emotional micro self care?

Randi: 24:53

Journaling your thoughts for a few minutes, or I love this, sending a gratitude text to like a friend or like a family member, Aren't those great? Yeah, that you're like just like thinking of them and that you love them. I got one from my sister this morning and she's I just want you to know like you're so awesome and that blah, blah, blah. And I want you to take time for yourself today. Maybe take an extra long bath like this. And I said, are you dying? Are you okay? And she's what? I can't say something nice to you. And I was like, you never say anything nice to me like that. But then I was like, oh, and it, it did. It helped me shift my mindset this morning. And I was like, oh, she actually cares.

Jess: 25:32

And she's laughing, which is great.

Randi: 25:34

Bratty, baby sister that, and we work together too that's hard too, because we always have a lot of like things happening that are like crisis mode, so we were both kind of like, oh, and then I was like, well, I hope you have a really good day too, instead of you're such an annoying sister, but I love you still those kind of things Practicing affirmations whether you're writing them on a sticky note or saying them in the shower, small gestures like that can profoundly impact your emotional well being. like we were talking about, practicing this in the workplace or your workday, even if you work from home, how can you do that?

Jess: 26:07

I always say decorate your area with something that brings you joy. You know what I have that I freaking love? I have a a digital frame in my office. I love it. It's a bigger one and I upload everything from my phone to this digital camera and it's all the pictures that we don't post anywhere. They're just on our phone. I love it. Your memories. And I love it. And I find when people come in my office, the family will stop and they'll check it out because they don't always see what's on my phone. I don't see what's on my phone because we take it and we forget about it. So there's a couple up there, they make me giggle and it just makes me laugh when I see them. I love it because I have it my vision. And so I can see, honestly, why it is I'm working, why it is I'm doing all of this, my, it's my why, and it changes because it rotates and it's just, I love doing that. The other thing I'll do is I'll do different air fresheners or like the, the myths that we have, what are those called? Aromatherapy.

Randi: 27:04

Oh, oh. Sorry. The oils and stuff like that. Oh, diffuser. Yes. Oh. Here we go. Together we have a whole brain. Sometimes. But

Jess: 27:14

yeah,

Randi: 27:14

I'll do a diffuser. Well, I buy like cute stuff for my office that makes me happy, like I bought like this tulip lamp. I

Jess: 27:20

actually love coming in her office because she has all this fun stuff. I'm always like, oh, what do you have now?

Randi: 27:25

It Like, like I bought myself some pens, but like really creating like a sanctuary, like someplace where you feel safe and like at home can make a huge impact in your. Work environment and that can be a form of pens can be a form of self care. Okay, like I'm super excited about these smooth new Sharpie

Jess: 27:46

Actually, I'm gonna have her open it later so I can see what they are. They just released these did they? Oh, I

Randi: 27:51

hate when she does that and then now I'm like, I'm gonna go buy them and they're new and they have different colors

Jess: 27:56

Oh, remember when we were in like high school We'd have all the pink and blue pens and like we'd have all the different fun pens The clickers. Oh my gosh. Yes. Okay,

Randi: 28:04

but those little things can be self care. Maybe you want to use that crazy pen like at work and it just makes you laugh and smile. Makes you happy. That's, okay. So then how can I remember to practice this and do this? It's when I get so wrapped up and I'm busy. Just like you said, put sticky

Jess: 28:20

notes all over the house. Make visuals. I know my husband hates those things that say kitchen when you're in the kitchen or eat here. He hates that. We have a friend who has her entire house is full of those things. The words. All the words. I know, it's supposed to

Randi: 28:33

be like a Decorating faux pas to have word art everywhere.

Jess: 28:37

Well, it drives him nuts, but you can leave yourself little notes. You can leave yourself a picture that reminds you, right? Of a smile. Oh, yeah. Okay, let me take a look at this. Or,, leave yourself a prompt. What are you looking for today? That's a great question as you walk out the door. What am I looking for today? Or what do

Randi: 28:53

I want to get out of today?

Jess: 28:55

Yeah, what do I want

Randi: 28:56

to put into the world? Yeah, or that's another thing, what do I want to give others? Yes! Sometimes flipping it about not making it always about yourself, but that can still be self care, giving into others and putting good things out into the world. Yeah, I used to tell my kids, make it a great day. Yeah.

Jess: 29:14

make it the best. All right, let's survive. Maya, don't do what I used to do. Make good decisions, please. Not the

Randi: 29:23

decisions I made. So what if you feel guilty about taking time for this?

Jess: 29:29

I wish, I know, I wish we would stop feeling guilty, Randi, because, the guilt and

Randi: 29:33

the shame.

Jess: 29:34

Yes. I wish we could get rid of the guilt and the shame and just do what we want. Go listen to our, our podcast on no longer, doing things you don't want to do. I will no longer do things out of obligation. And protecting

Randi: 29:46

your peace. Oh. Radical

Jess: 29:49

self acceptance and love.

Randi: 29:50

We have, we have a lot of information out there that can really help you guys that we just talk about, like from our heart and our experiences. And so deep dive into it, if you.

Jess: 30:01

Or just take it in small, little, skittle sized chunks, whatever you want, if you can do ten minutes of us, then do ten minutes. I

Randi: 30:06

mean, even I will go back and listen to our podcast and sometimes I only have, five or ten minutes and I'll listen to a chunk of it because that's what I have and it makes me laugh and smile, oh yeah, and when I go

Jess: 30:16

through an edit, I just crack up. Some of it, I'm just cracking up, I'm just like, oh, that was good, oh, that's good, Randy, oh, listen to that, and I laugh. Okay, so Randi, how can I just really make this self care a habit? Micro self care. How do we do it? Micro,

Randi: 30:29

micro, small doses, not that kind of dosing. I

Jess: 30:33

was just gonna say, wait, wait, wait, we're not talking about micro dosing. We're not talking

Randi: 30:37

about micro dosing. Okay, well, micro dosing self care. So start small, be realistic about what You can fit into your day or stack with something else you're doing and celebrate that you are doing those micro tiny moments for yourself. And gradually it will become woven into your daily routine and how you do it.

Jess: 31:01

Yeah, exactly. So those are some quick. Easy to fit into your life, self care moments, routines, habits, whatever it is, remember self care doesn't have to be time consuming and it doesn't have to be this elaborative bougie thing to be effective. Yeah, it doesn't have to be

Randi: 31:19

expensive. No,

Jess: 31:21

the key really is consistency and giving yourself permission. I think this is really the key is giving yourself permission to take that moment. You deserve that minute. You deserve an hour, but you deserve that minute. That. 30 seconds, that extra step. You

Randi: 31:35

deserve a weekend in a hotel.

Jess: 31:36

Oh my gosh. With no kids, but we won't go

Randi: 31:39

there.

Jess: 31:39

But you deserve all of this and you are worthy of it. And you are going to be a better person for giving yourself that permission.

Randi: 31:48

We hope these tips inspire you to incorporate micro self care into your day. And if you know someone who could benefit from this, don't forget to share this episode with them.

Jess: 31:58

All right. Take care and we'll see you next time.