Wellness
Over the last year, I have been more intentional about my spiritual journey, which led me to develop a self-care practice. Every morning I would meditate, read Scripture, and work out. I would also make time to read self-help/ inspirational books to learn more about myself and the woman I want to be. My self-care practices had become so important to me that I even made it a part of my writing business, The Posh Writer. But little did I know that it would all come to a halt.
After a somewhat uncomfortable conversation I had with a guy that I had been entertaining for a while, I felt something was off with myself. Why did I feel the need to force things? Why must I always have to be in control? Well, I decided that it was time to try energy cleansing.
To sum it up, energy cleansing is when you remove blockages that may keep your energy from flowing throughout your body. In my experience, I went to a Black-owned wellness studio in Atlanta and worked with an energy practitioner who used sound healing and crystals to rebalance my chakras. After the process, she recommended some affirmations, crystals, and some new self-care practices, such as journaling, to incorporate into my routine.
While the actual energy cleansing was a beautiful experience, for me, the real eye-opener was afterward as I began having revelations about myself that left me stunned. However, one of the things that it taught me was the importance of changing up your self-care routine every now and then. Below, I listed three signs to look for when your self-care routine is no longer working.
Anxiety
I’ve always dealt with anxiety, but over the last couple of months, it was coming out in ways that I didn’t always expect. I would have days where I would get so overwhelmed and emotional out of the blue, and then I would get anxious about dating. (I later realized that I also deal with anxious attachment, but that’s another story for another time.) My energy practitioner suggested that I do some meditation that focuses on my root chakra.
Muladhara aka root chakra is the first chakra in the body and it's located at the base of the spine. It represents grounding and stability. She also gave me a journal prompt to use, and I ended up buying their frankincense essential oil roll-on as aromatherapy that helps with anxiety.
Routine Ain’t Routine-ing Anymore
I’ll admit, my routine did become a bit…routine. I began to find my mind wandering off a lot during meditation, and a lot of times, I didn’t even bother to refocus. I use the audio version of the Bible, so when I was reading, I wasn’t always paying attention. Everything had become so mundane and ineffective, and it was like I was in a daze for a long time and didn’t realize it. However, I am glad that I woke up out of the daze. One of the new things that I have incorporated into my self-care routine, which usually takes place in the morning, is saying affirmations.
The energy practitioner gave me an affirmation to use, and I also found others that I like, such as the Feminine Energy Morning Affirmations on YouTube.
Reverting Back To Old Habits
I started my spiritual journey last year and had already begun seeing some positive changes. However, because my routine had become stagnated, some old patterns began to creep back into my life. One of those patterns was my need for control. Not having control leads to anxiety, and the next thing I know, I’m left questioning what is wrong with me. The fear of not being in control (inability to let go) is also related to the root chakra.
Some of the other self-care suggestions by the energy practitioner were to get massages, do grounded yoga or hot yoga, and listen to binaural beats, which is the music that is generally used during meditation.
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