Hello Minimalists😊👋,
It's been a while...I trust you all have been great❣️.
For this week's #KISS blog prompt I'll be responding to question number one.
How do you identify that a reset is needed? What are some of your favourite places to go to reset, and what are some of your favourite activities to do for self-care?
I think resets and timeouts are grossly underrated. A lot of psychological and physical illnesses can be prevented by these simple acts...rest, take a break, just breathe then you can go back to living your lives after your mind, body and soul are relatively stable.
I didn't always know this and some people still think they can't afford the luxury of a timeout but we all have breaking points. When everyone, no matter how strong they are, gets to that point they break and sometimes it's almost impossible to piece yourself together and continue living your life.
It isn't difficult for me to figure out that I need a reset. My body protests when it feels overly exerted and my mind begins to feel like a jumbled-up mess of all my suppressed emotions.
Physical signs;
- I start having migraines.
- I get unexplainable breakouts on my face.
- I look sad and tired almost all the time even when I don't have reason to be.
- I become irritable and get annoyed by the slightest things.
- I turn into a total crybaby. It feels like the tears are always there waiting for the slightest opportunity to let loose.
- I lose interest in doing things I normally look forward to doing.
- I go about my day like a mindless robot. Things I normally do with awareness I begin to do based on muscle memory because I'm there in the flesh but it feels like I'm not.
Mental Signs;
- I begin to overthink.
- I become very pessimistic.
- My sense of humour flies out the window.
- Suppressed thoughts come to the surface and begin to weigh down on me.
- Everything becomes overwhelming.
The intensity of these signs depends on what triggered them and the extent to which they did. It doesn't always happen like this for me but these are the signs I've noticed over time.
They can be different for everyone but it all boils down to the feeling that something is off with or within you. Ignoring these signs may just make them worse. Taking note of these things as they come helps you identify triggers and eventually profer solutions on how to deal with them.
The key to having an effective reset routine is mindfulness. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, it can just be doing things you normally do with intentions specific to what you are going through and the results you want to achieve from performing those actions.
It doesn't always have to be a routine. You can just decide to do something spontaneous or something you normally won't do as long as it feels like it'll help you achieve your reset goals.
My reset routine involves activities that cater to my physical, mental and emotional needs simultaneously. I've discovered that most times my need for a reset comes as a result of prolonged self-neglect so taking care of myself helps put me back on track.
Things I do to reset;
Intentionally cleaning and tidying up helps me organise my thoughts and organising my thoughts helps me clear my mind. Cleaning and throwing out unwanted things from my living space is like a physical representation of what's going on in my head. So when I'm done my head feels freer and I'd have made some progressive decisions on how to go about the problems that overwhelmed me at first.
Cooking soothes me and food is a major part of my recovery. I can decide to prepare something nice for myself. It can be something regular or a new recipe I want to try. The result has to be wonderful for this to be effective.
Taking long baths helps me relax. There's just something about the water washing over me that takes away all the tension from my body. Using nice smelling bath products takes the pampering to a whole new level and that is always welcome🥰.
Note: most of these activities are carried out with soft feel-good music playing in the background. Music plays a major role in this too.
After I'm done doing all that I usually curl up in bed with a great book or I watch something that interests me. It can be anything from movies to YouTube videos. Anything is effective as long as it keeps my mind blissfully occupied.
When I don't feel like staying indoors I take solo walks in the evenings when the weather is nice and walk-friendly. Sometimes I just watch the rain or do something equally soothing.
Usually, after doing all this I feel like myself again and I can go back to doing things normally without having any of the signs I mentioned in the beginning.
There you have it. My reset routine...the glue that holds me together😊.
ALL PHOTOS USED BELONG TO ME.
Thank you!❤️
