$pent Millennial

We hear a lot about self-care as indulgence—the relaxing bath, the extra slice of cake, the much-needed nap. And don’t get me wrong, those are great! But the self-care that often makes the biggest difference in our day-to-day lives isn’t always so easy or glamorous. Sometimes, it’s more about taking the tough but necessary steps that set you up for future success, even when they feel like work in the moment.

For me, this week was a perfect example of self-care that didn’t look like typical “me-time,” but more like small, intentional efforts to take control of my space, my health, and my goals. Each task might have felt tedious at the time, but it brought a sense of relief, clarity, and even a little joy in the end.

Here’s how that played out for me this week:

1. Following Through on Ideas and Connections

Have you ever had an idea that you wanted to follow up on, or a connection you wanted to make/ reach out to, but you weren’t sure of the right approach or timing and kept putting it off? Or maybe it is a friend or colleague that you meant to respond to, but the longer you put it off the harder it is to follow up or reach out because it feels awkward, like you waited too long? 

As the weeks and days have been feeling like they have been getting away from me, I have fallen into this quite a bit lately. But, thispast week, I finally followed through and followed up on some of those ideas and connections. 

The forward motion feels good and will hopefully build momentum. 

2. Stopping at the grocery store for homemade salad ingredients

The last thing I wanted to do on Friday after a week of work was stop at the grocery store for dinner items, but dinner out wasnt in the budget and I was all out of ingredients for dinner. 

While I was at the store, I took the time to pick up items for homemade a Caesar salad. Ihave been really enjoying salads adn salad wraps this summer. I know I will enjoy having ingredients readily available for lunches, snacks and dinner this week. 

3. Decluttering my bedroom: slow progress, invisible headway

As I have shared in previous posts, one of my aspirations over the past year and a half or so now has been to reorganize my bedroom and make a closet work space for a compuer. 

This project has been stalled and put off more than not over the past months, in large part because I have been working on saving up a budget for some of the necessary items needed for the reorganization. 

However, that is no excuse for putting off the much-needed decluttering stage of the project. This weekend, I got a start, or second-start, on that. The room feels better already, and I was even able to find a small budget to buy a curtain rod and hooks for the dresser I am transforming into a hanging wardrobe. 

4. Doing mental and physical stretches to work out the painful kink in my upper back 

This past week, I got a stress knot in my back. For the past few days I have been trying to balance resting it and continuing my daily activities, with the help of some Advil. 

As tempting as it is to dull the discomfort with Advil and continue pushing through with all my usual activities, I know it is important to solve the root cuase of the discomfort, not just numb it. So, I have been doing my best to not use Advil and to work out the knot while continuing my activities and routines. 

I have found breathing into the knot, using meditation techniques to relax and release it as well as physical stretches have been helping. I used these techniques to work through the discomfort last night, and this morning. So far, it is feeling better, and I haven’t had to turn to Advil yet today- knock on wood. 

5. Cleaning out the fridge

This morning while making breakfast I took the time to clean out the fridge, getting rid of ingredients that had gone bad and putting newly bought items into clear containers that look neat and tidy. 

Now, you definitely don’t need to spend money on fancy containers for your cheese and milk, but it is a small joy of mine that I saved for by putting money aide each day instead of buying a $7 latte. After a few weeks I had enough money to get some containers from target. 

In addition to a clean look, I appreciate having itms organized into clear containers because it makes it really easy for me to get to things in the fridge and to see and know what I have and what I am low on. 

Since I won’t be buying my own home anytime soon, having a neat, tidy fridge is one way I can enjoy my small and cluttered living space. 

Self-care isn’t always chocolates and bubble baths (as lovely as that sounds). Sometimes, it is doing the things that feel hard in the moment, but set you up for success or future joy. What are some ways you practice self-care that look like (and feel like) work?