August 16-31: Treat Yo’ Self // Self Care

It’s October already, I know. But the lateness of this post comes with a good reason, because treat yo’ self is a Commandment to think about (find all Twelve Commandments here). I haven’t fully tackled finances yet, so I can’t just go out and treat mah self to all the beauty products, for example. Which, admittedly, was kinda the idea when I set up this half month’s theme – to invest in some delicious self care products.

But then it dawned on me that something I’ve been trying to straighten out for years now, actually also falls into the category of self care: sleep. What better thing to treat yourself to than a good night’s sleep. Right?

The Goal

I’ve always said I’m an early bird, but actually, I’m not so sure. I definitely am not a night owl though. So basically, I just love to sleep – in the evenings ánd in the mornings. And I need a lot of it too, 8 hours minimum. I do know, however, that my most productive hours are the early ones. So when I’m sleeping until late, I miss that productive part of the day and I usually feel like playing catch-up all day. Not so good for my attitude or mood. The goal, therefore, is to make sleeping from 22:00 to 06:00 my standard routine. I can, of course, make exceptions for parties and whatnot, but they should be just that: exceptions.

Daily Habit

In this case, the monthly goal and the daily habit are pretty much the same. I’m going to go to bed between 21:00 and 22:00 and get out at 06:00. This means making sacrifices and probably disappointing people, but I’ll start treating it as something non-negotionable (except for the before mentioned exceptions).

It means planning early dinners, it means leaving parties a little earlier, it means saying ‘no’ altogether more often, and it means leaving guests to themselves (when friends or family are staying here). But it also means a long morning all to myself, it means having the most important things done before lunch, it means never being tired again, it means running with more potential, and it means a happier me. And isn’t that the whole reason I’m doing all of this?

Btw, I collected all the habits I’m building throughout the second half of the year on a Habits page (find it in the menu above as well)! I always initially start with one habit per Commandment, but sometimes I add extra habits along the way.

Resolution

Even for early birds, getting up early is not easy. There are days where I wake up 15 minutes before my alarm goes off, fully rested and ready to jump out of bed and start my day, but most of the days, I’ll be just like anyone else: lying waaay too comfortably in a mess of pillows and blankets, knowing full well it’s still dark out and it might even be a little cold (yes, even in southern Spain).

So the resolution here is to get myself a wake-up light. Years ago, I’ve tried one for a month and ever since, I’ve wanted one for myself. A friend told me about her wake-up light from Lumie, and now I’m in love with this gorgeous black one. For purchases like this, I need to save up some money first, but I’m happy to announce the Lumie is on my savings plan now (something I’ll talk more about in future blogpost).

Book Club

I usually read a book before going to sleep, so what better book to read this month than a book about dreams becoming reality? I’m talking about Mike Dooley’s Manifesting Change. I think this is one of the most applauded books about manifestation out there, and I became curious about it after signing up for Dooley’s Notes of the Universe. Go have a look at that if you’re up for some short, daily motivation, inspiration, or food for thought in your inbox. Dooley’s (or should I say “The Universe’s”?) writing style is hilarious too!

XX

View from my terrace with sunrise.

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