#HEYGRRRLFRENNNN! I’m not gonna lie to you, I was kinda dragging my feet writing this blog post. Things have been picking up at work, it’s finals season at school, and we just started the #DoBetterChallenge together, which as we all know is literally already giving me anxiety about pushing myself to be the best. It’s crazy how even when you are super busy you can feel like you are falling behind. Can I keep it real? I don’t always feel like getting on my zoom, but instead of faking the funk, I have decided to go with the flow. In order to achieve long-term results, we must strive for sustainable solutions grrrls! There are going to be times when you feel like you are being pulled in ten different directions and all you want to do is give up, like me sitting in night class right now. Snooooooze fest! Something that I have learned is that the key to continuing your radical self care journey, no matter what life is throwing at you, is to find realistic practices that make sense for what you are able to take on, and to remember that this is actually supposed to be fun!

Of course, it’s easy to practice radical self care when everything is already going well but I want to make sure that we also discuss how to survive the days where you don’t have much to give, your budget is low, and the only thing that sounds appealing is five more minutes in bed. What do they say again? If you fail to plan, then you plan to risk falling into a continuous rut of low vibrational episodes that will take you off track to reaching your greatest and highest good?? Something like that! The good news is that you’re already here, which is a great start, so in my book technically you have already fulfilled your radical self care quota for the day! In order to make sure you survive the next time you feel like you simply can’t go on, this week I want to discuss some minimal effort radical self care practices that will give you maximum results!

Gratitude Over Attitude

My guilty pleasure? I will call my sisters and talk their ears off about anything and everything that is overwhelming me. Something that would probably save them a lot of screen time, and all of us money on our phone bills is if I tried to shift my mindset to feeling fortunate that I have soo many things going for me because everything can change in an instant. I mentioned this not as an opportunity for a shameless family shout out, Hey Mia! Hi Ashleyyyy! But this is an absolutely free, and extremely low effort way to show yourself some love and care when you are feeling down and too exhausted to do anything about it. Think about it, when you are having a bad day it always seems like everything and everything is going wrong for you. You were walking outside and of course your sock got wet, a tornado flew around your room and just had to make your house a complete mess, or the ultimate doom… for the love of all that is grrrly you can’t get your lashes to stick! When it seems like all the wrong things are happening, it’s completely understandable that the last thing on your mind is pushing yourself to get your steps in for the day. So instead, try to shift your attitude by practicing more gratitude! Thank goodness I am fortunate enough to have the ability to walk! I am soo grateful to have a home to make a mess in! Okay… I am struggling to find the bright side of a makeup 911 but I’m sure you grrrls get the point.   

Do Not Disturb

The do not disturb button on your phone is a radical self care gaaaaaame changer! The way I will turn it on whenever I don’t feel like being bothered, which is every day multiple times a day, and immediately feel ten times better. The do not disturb feature is there for a reason grrrls, and it also counts as a certified super low effort way to practice radical self care because with just a click of a button, you are actively working towards protecting your peace. Level two of the do not disturb cheat code is the block button! The real ones know about this one! The block button doesn’t just exist for telemarketers and annoying group chats that refuse to die, it’s there to act as a barrier between your peace and those who make it their mission in life to disrupt it. The best part about both of these options is that they aren’t permanent. Although, if someone pushed you to the point to where you feel better with them blocked from your phone, or even on social media, I don’t think that happened for no reason. Take your peace of mind seriously, at the minimum, you should distance yourself from anyone who doesn’t make you feel valued, respected, or safe. If you ever decide to reengage or give out the nice grrrl special, aka the good ol second chance, then you can simply undo your decision with a press of a button which is still lazy grrrl approved.

Catching Some Z’s

This piece of advice is soo easy you can literally do it with your eyes closed, and in your favorite set of comfy clothes! Be honest with yourself, how much sleep are you actually making sure you get every night? And I’m talking that gooood sleep that made the cow jump over the moon! Ideally, we should be getting anywhere from seven to nine hours of sleep per night for optimal health and well-being, and no the hours you spend in bed doom scrolling on social media don’t count toward that number. If you’re a night owl, or just a restless sleeper then naps are going to be your best friend and the ultimate hack to become the world’s best nap champ. If you have time, and energy, before for the nap to take a quick steaming hot shower I highly recommend this step. There is something relaxing about the hot water hitting your body and making you feel like you feel like your skin could literally fall off the bone that helps you instantly transform into the real life sleeping beauty. Next, grab you some water and a blanket and find that perfect little sun spot on your couch to snuggle into. I would say get in the bed but every time I nap in my bed I accidentally wake up the next day. Ooops! Now, before you get comfortable, don’t forget to open the window to let some of that fresh air in so the cool breeze can lull you to sleep. Obviously, you can nap however you want to but sun exposure can actually produce melatonin, which is a hormone that helps induce sleep. So go soak it up grrrl!

Ultimately, the #DoBetterChallenge wasn’t created to scare the grrrlies away or give anyone, me, anxiety. It is all about continuing to pour into ourselves and having fun trying new things along the way! There is absolutely no pressure to be perfect or the be the best because when you practice radical self care the person who truly benefits from it the most is yourself. Your journey to reaching your greatest and highest good is completely unique to you and should fit your individual wants and needs. Minimal effort is still more progress than no effort, and that’s what it is all about. We are extremely busy grrrls, with full schedules, people who depend on us, and demanding lives. It’s no wonder that sometimes we can feel a little lazy when it comes to taking care of ourselves. Don’t beat yourself up about it, just go with what feels right. Remember, keep your eyes on the prize, aka the frozen margaritas at the end of the challenge. Cheers! Now go and be great, you lil grrrly pop!! TTYL!