I was interested to see yesterday’s NPR article "The Millennial Obsession With Self-Care." I’m in the health & wellness field after all. The term self-care has become a trendy term, yet there is a reason for it - it is an important piece of every day life that we often ignore until we're whipped out and exhausted. According to the article, the new generation is focusing a lot of their time and resources on self-care.

Millennials aren’t the only generation to do self-care, though this article suggests they’re making it more of a priority than past generations. In fact, most of my massage clients are Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers. All the while, many of my yoga students are Millennials. Millennials approach self-care (as the article mentions) in a bit of a different way than generations past - it’s more phone and internet induced. While there are cool apps and internet self-care techniques that I know very little about, I still think I’m a bit old school in my self-care approach. It could be the Gen X’er in me but rather I think it is because of what I do. I teach yoga and give therapeutic massages for a living. Both of which are phone-free (with the exception of the music coming out of my phone during those sessions).

                “In 2015, according to the Pew Research Center, more millennials reported making personal                         improvement commitments than any generation before them. They spend twice as much as                        boomers on self-care essentials such as workout regimens, diet plans, life coaching, therapy                         and apps to improve their personal well-being. They've even created self-care Twitter bots.”

Taking time out for yourself is super important now more than ever. Our phones, social media, the internet, the news, our President/gov’t are huge stressors these days. You don’t want to burn out from social activism, your job, relationships, or even from your friend’s constant social media updates. A break from these things can help energize and re-focus on yourself. My suggestion is to go beyond a break. Be active in your self-care. Do something specific, thoughtful and intentional for you and your wellbeing. 

Self-care looks different to different people. I wrote about one of my favorite self-care techniques  (under the guise of mindfulness) last year here. My favorite well-being plan is a free one too! I bike to a park, take a walk and read a book, or set up a picnic with friends. There is no wrong way to do self-care. But what I will say before you suggest to yourself 2 bottles of wine while binge watching a TV show alone for 8 hours (I've done it many a time) as your self-care technique, make sure you’ll feel good about your idea/plan in the long run.

So, how do you find out what kind of self-care idea will work for you? Ask yourself a few questions before you decide what wellbeing activity might be the best:
Will I feel:

• Energized
• More positive (different than happier)
• Calmer
• Grounded
• Relaxed
• Decreased tension
• Lighter
• Healthier

How do you come up with a self-care plan or technique that works for you? I’d love to hear your approach. 

xo, 
​Liz

Desk sitting, driving & phone use often rounds the shoulders forward. This can cause pain in the upper back. When this happens, we often think we need to stretch between the shoulder blades. In actuality, those upper back muscles are OVER stretched and our chest muscles (the pecs) are crunched and shortened. 

Below is a simple body position I do 1-2 times a day to help open up the chest, and alleviate some discomfort in the upper back, shoulders and in between the shoulder blades. Not only do I start most of my yoga classes in this position, but I also often do this myself in the morning and at the end of the day when I feel all crunched and caved inward. I like to think of this pose as one of my favorite casual hangs where I can relax into it, close my eyes and breath for 1-10 minutes.

The first three pictures are all pretty much the same move but with variations and different props - depending on what you have available. Go for the bodywork position that is most comfortable and pain-free. In the first three positions listed below stay for 1-7 minutes. Take slow deep breaths in & out through your nose.  For the last doorway pec stretch, stay for at least 30 seconds to 2 minutes. You can also get wild, and go for this version of supported fish pose if those below don't suit you.