What If Caring for Yourself Was a Sacred Practice? | BAC Massage Therapy

What if caring for yourself was a sacred practice?

I think most of us see caring for ourselves as just one more thing on our to-do list. And let’s be honest for a second -- it’s usually the first thing dropped when time is limited. Laundry, groceries, chauffeuring kids around, and all of the other tasks of daily life you have to do all take priority. And at the end of a long day, we’re simply too tired. 

I don’t want taking care of yourself to become just another item on your already long list of things to do every day. Frankly, it’s exhausting trying to fit it all in when that’s how you approach self-care. Caring for yourself shouldn’t feel like one more task you have to squeeze into an already full day.

So what if we changed our perspective, just a little, and started looking at caring for ourselves — body, mind, and soul — as a sacred practice?

Could it change from something you have to do into something you actually look forward to doing?

Could taking care of you take priority over your everyday, never ending to do list?

Now, I know things like laundry, groceries, and cleaning still need to get done. But what if they became the secondary tasks instead? What if you found ways to automate some of them, simplify them, or get your family on board with helping?

Would it really matter if the dust sat on your TV stand for one more day? In my world, not taking care of me is far more detrimental in the long run than a little dust on my TV stand.

What if we stopped thinking about caring for ourselves as another collection of things we have to do and started seeing them as sacred acts? Acts of gratitude. Acts of devotion. Acts of unconditional love toward ourselves.

Instead of starting your day by poring over your to-do list, what if you began by choosing one sacred thing you can do today to care for your body, mind, or soul? Then wrote it down. Blocked off time for it. And let the rest of the day fall into place around it.

Go into the woods not because you need to get grounded, but because you love being there. Because being among the trees allows your soul to exhale and your shoulders to relax.
You’ll probably come home grounded either way — but the second perspective warms the heart and lights up the soul a little differently.

Go for a wander in the woods — then tackle the grocery shopping.

Nourish yourself with a wholesome breakfast — then plan some dinners while you leisurely finish your tea. Or better yet, enjoy the entire cup of tea, while it’s still hot, before you start planning anything.

Your kids want to play games after dinner? Guess what? The dishes can wait. Or get everyone involved in a quick tidy-up first. Some amazing — and hilarious — conversations have happened in our house while washing dishes with my kiddos. Either way, games together or dishes together, we are fostering connection. And connection fills my heart with joy.

Sometimes the Ordinary Things Are Sacred Too.

Seeing self-care as sacred doesn’t mean every practice has to involve meditation, candles, crystals, yoga, or wandering barefoot through the forest.

Sometimes sacred self-care looks remarkably ordinary.

Take meal planning ... Planning ten dinners ahead of time becomes much less torturous when I recognize that those thirty minutes are actually caring for myself in several different ways. First, it helps make sure we’re eating nutritious meals, and some yummy lunches as well if I'm lucky enough to snag the leftovers. Second, taking the time to plan allows me to add some variety instead of rotating through the same five dinners over and over again. And third — perhaps most importantly — it means I don’t have to make a dinner decision at 4 p.m. on Wednesday when dinner needs to be prepared, cooked, and eaten before I start work again at 6.

Thirty minutes of planning becomes an act of caring for myself all week long.

Scheduling my sacred self-care for before my other tasks revitalizes me, too.

If I wander in the woods before I go grocery shopping, I know the walk will actually happen. It won’t get lost in the busyness of the day, and I won’t reach the end of everything else too tired to go.

Make Space for What Matters

Another trick for making sure your sacred self-care actually happens?

Auto-booking.

Pre-scheduling things like my acupuncture appointments means they are no longer something I have to somehow 'fit in.' I have intentionally made space for them — every month, for the entire year. And those appointments are non-negotiable for me.

You can also look for ways to make the less-sacred tasks of life a little easier.

Ordering groceries online, for example, can save time — in theory — and frustration if you really don’t love shopping. Personally, online grocery shopping actually adds stress for me, but I know plenty of people who swear by it. For them, it frees up time and energy to care for themselves in ways that feel much more meaningful.

The point isn’t to do things the way someone else does them.

The point is to intentionally create space for the things that nourish you.

So, How Do You Start?

Grab some paper or a notebook and a pen. Sit quietly, place your hands over your heart, and take a deep breath. Then, one at a time, bring to mind the things you already do to care for yourself.

Think about why each one matters to you. How does it care for your body? Your mind? Your soul? What does it allow you to keep doing? How does it make you feel? Then write it down.

Here’s one of mine: I don’t strengthen my muscles simply because exercise is something I’m 'supposed' to do. Strengthening my muscles allows me to continue doing the things I love — hiking mountains and trails — and supports longevity in my career. And it will help me keep doing those things for a long time to come.

Strength training also gives me a quiet space where all I have to think about is the next rep. And, if I’m being completely truthful, there’s something incredibly satisfying about knowing I can lift heavy things. That sense of strength and accomplishment matters too.

Need another example? I don’t just eat food. I nourish my body — and sometimes my soul — with food that is delicious, gives me the energy to do the things I want and need to do, while also providing the nutrients my body needs to be strong and healthy.

Looking at food through the lens of nourishment rather than simply as something you need to eat shifts something. Choosing foods and meals that support you starts to feel less like another obligation and more like an act of care and devotion.

Choose One Sacred Thing

Once you have your list, choose one thing from it that you can prioritize today as a sacred practice of caring for you.

Write it at the top of your planner or stick it somewhere you’ll see it.

Then decide where it fits into your day.

And remember to set yourself up to succeed.

Don’t schedule an hour-long powerlifting class at 7 p.m. if you know you’re not a night owl. And maybe don’t sign yourself up for 6 a.m. yoga if there is absolutely no chance you’ll be awake, dressed, and rolling out the door at that hour.

Sacred does not have to mean difficult -- and it definitely doesn’t mean perfect.

There is no such thing as failure here — only feedback. So, if your day goes sideways and your practice gets lost in the shuffle, that’s okay. Take a deep breath. You can begin again tomorrow.

This is actually why I intentionally use the word practice.

Practice leaves room for you to be human. It leaves room for life to happen, plans to change, and things to occasionally go completely sideways without completely derailing you from your sacred practice. But it also leaves room for you to evolve, experiment, learn, and grow along the way too.

We aren’t aiming for perfection. The intention is simply to consciously choose to see caring for yourself as sacred. To recognize that tending to your body is sacred. Protecting your energy is sacred. Nourishing your mind is sacred. Making space for joy, rest, connection, movement, creativity, and the things that make your soul exhale, is sacred.

And showing up for yourself first will get easier the more you practice. 

In all honesty, I’m not sure I ever want my practice to become perfect. Because perfection would mean there is nothing left to learn, nowhere left to grow, and no new version of myself waiting to be discovered. 
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I’d much rather keep practicing, wouldn't you?

PS...For more information on sacred practices make sure to check out my book.