Introducing Self Care Sunday

Confession: though I've built a business around helping others enjoy self care, I'm really bad at making time for it for myself.

But over the past couple of months I've learned a lesson about the importance of self care. Though I've ridden the ups and downs of autoimmune disease for many years now, a few months ago I suddenly became severely hyperthyroid. Overnight, I went from being able to work a 14-hour day without breaking a sweat, to struggling to read an article for 20 minutes. Tremors, intense anxiety, heart palpitations, insomnia, hyperactive reflexes, and more completely knocked me off my feet. With help from my doctor and functional medicine practitioner, I'm doing somewhat better now, but still, if I don't take impeccable care of myself, I can barely function.

So since self care is now my second full-time job, I thought I'd share with you some of what I'm learning along the way. And since we're all busy people, I'm making sure my tips are bite-size - something you can fit into 10 minutes at a time or less.

This week, a super quick one: Make a list of five things that fill you up and give you energy.

I've been working so hard for so long, I'd almost forgotten what some of these things were for me. So sitting down and making a list was my self-care starting point. My five are (in true introvert fashion): solitude, bike rides, listening to music, reading a book, and time in nature. What are yours? Comment below and let me know!

Debra Purdy is the owner of ShopEco, a voracious reader, and a bona fide skin care fanatic.