We get confused sometimes with pampering and self-care. Maybe we believe doing things like – candlelight, long baths, massages, getting dressed nicely – is saved for when we have a romantic partner. Let’s remember that LOVE is an energy source and what would happen to our energy if we spent time being in love with the ONE person we are with all day long.

We can be disdainful during the busy season of parenting of all things pampering and spa-like, but let’s turn that on its head and consider that when we spend time on self-care, and self-love, and self-acceptance, we are actually re-energizing the patient part of us, the joyful part of us, the part of us that can give to others. Consider adding in some self-care (love & and acceptance), remember . . . little bits add up. It’s not selfish, it’s a renewable, fabulous energy source! Here are some ideas to get you going.

1. Bath with bath salts or oils

2. Hire a cleaning crew – even once a month to deep clean your house

3. Massages – even 10 minute neck massages at the mall or the airport

4. Pedicures during the summer months

5. Reading books we love, even if they aren’t productive or literature, or they are books we have read before

6. Protecting ourselves from relationships that drain us or make us feel bad (even making that relationship smaller)

7. Buying and wearing luxurious pajamas and robes

8. Spending a little extra for fresh flowers, or the expensive cut of meat we favor

9. Sleeping in or napping on the weekends

10. Taking ourselves out to a movie, or play, or the ballet, or the theater.