Holy smokes, we made it.
We made it to 2021.
We crossed the threshold from 2020 into a new year.
And we know it’s all been a pretty rocky ride to get to this moment. It’s been horrific and frightening and endlessly shocking, but also abrim with hope, change, community, beauty, and a consistent, indefatigable drive to imagine and strive towards a new day, a new dawn . . .
And so here we are, in a new year while still adhering to the health and safety protocols mandated by a global pandemic and taking care of each other the best we can. We’ve found that taking care of one another first begins with taking care of one’s self. Unfortunately the term “self-care” has earned itself a real douchebaggy reputation in recent years, but we maintain its relevance in keeping our collective metaphorical heads above water and swimming rather than sinking.
That said, we think one of the best ways to feel “cared for” is to surround yourself (metaphorically, of course) with the people you love and respect and who love and respect you in return. It’s the age-old energy equation of how you feel around certain people and how it impacts both your physicality and psyche. Do they enervate you or energize you? Do you feel downtrodden or inspired? Do you feel the beginnings of a migraine in their presence or do you feel like you could take on the world? (This could go into a whole new age-y spin, so we’ll stop here, but it’s worth looking into this because WOWEE, is it ever true.)
To start 2021 on a positive note, we decided to revisit some of our incredible clients’ testimonials, which mostly made us a bit teary with love for how sincere and amazing they all are (and YOU are, if you’re a Lily Spindle client reading this! We love the heck out of you) and also simultaneously filled us with true elation in realizing how much our services made their lives better. That is an enormous responsibility we do not take lightly and we will never stop being grateful for people entrusting us with that mission.
Below is a particularly amazing testimonial from one of our #projectsunsetbark clients, whom we adore and miss and can’t wait to share cocktails with once it’s safe to do so again. Thank you so much for being everything you are, Bill (and Jennifer)! Halleloo!
Here we’re sharing a list of SEVEN of our top tips for “self-care” to assist all of us in getting through the darker times, whether they’re a blip on the radar or an entire year’s worth of what the HELL IS EVEN HAPPENING.
#1 – GET OUTSIDE
Taking a walk has immediate positive effects on your body and psyche. See this:
Huffington Post - Five Ways Walking Helps to Relieve Stress
It restores and invigorates your inner energy, reduces fatigue, and shifts your brain into a calmer mode. Bonus points if said stroll is on the beach or in the forest. Speaking of moving your bod . . . check out our number two tip.
#2 – TURN UP THE TUNES
Dancing and singing increase your endorphins and lower your cortisol levels which is a cerebral way of saying it makes you feel good. And you need not be talented at either, which is a real load off that stress pile because heaven knows we’re not all Adele or Gregory Hines. Revisiting some old music that holds nostalgia and reminds you of a time when things weren’t quite so anxiety-inducing is a PRO TIP, in our book. We’ve been getting through some of the more stressful moments of 2020 (and 2021, if we’re being completely honest) with the soundtrack accompaniment of old Liz Phair, The Police, Kate Bush, The Housemartins, the Big Chill soundtrack, and Mondo Cozmo, Rebirth Brass Band, and Andrew Bird.
#3 - WATCH THINGS TO MAKE YOU Laugh
(AnD MAYBE cry a bit, too)
Just like revisiting music you held dear from your past, re-watching movies made twenty, thirty, forty-plus years ago can bring ineffable comfort, especially when they’re hilarious or touching or ridiculous or just so perfectly cast and scripted, they never fall flat. Something about watching somewhat modern-day movies (meaning, from the 1990s or 80s) with their questionable sartorial and coiffure trends and no cell phones, no laptops, no internet (!) is oddly satisfying, particularly if you’ve lived through it. Here are some of our recent viewings and recommendations, all of which have made us laugh, cry, and, for a few brief moments, forget about the shitstorm that was 2020.
“Planes, Trains, and Automobiles”
“Best in Show”
“Almost Famous”
“Baby Boom”
“Moonstruck”
“Rushmore”
The Thin Man Series (with Myrna Loy and William Powell)
Most anything with Simon Pegg
And, sorry, not sorry – is there ever a time when “Dirty Dancing” isn’t awesome?
#4 – LIGHT IT UP
Burning sage and incense not only improves our moods and elevates our inner sense of calm, but it actually removes bacteria and allergens from the air, too, which is nutso crazy awesome, especially when we’re in the midst of a pandemic, right?
There’s a long history of sacred rituals performed by indigenous people using sage-burning as part of the process in clearing spiritual impurities, as well as actual pathogens. Just the experience of smelling the burning sage or incense is enough to impact our overarching sense of anxiety and worry and there are multiple benefits affecting sleep and energy levels, as well. Read about it here:
Healthline - 11 Benefits of Burning Sage, How to Smudge, and More
Be sure to light up safely, open a window or two to let the negative energy escape your space, and wave “Namaste” to your stress.
Visit Steadfast Flowers on Etsy to see their beautiful urban farm and plants with intention.
#5 – CHANGE YOUR BULBS, BABY
We realize it may sound daft, but switching out your old lightbulbs from a creaky, sad, yellow-y light to a crisp new LED can be a seemingly-subtle-but-actually-enormous gamechanger in your everyday life, particularly when it’s your updated bathroom or kitchen lighting. We recently traded out incredibly dim 4” recessed lights for new LEDs throughout a client’s entire home, for instance, and they were gobsmacked by the difference in how they now viewed literally everything within their home, aglow in this glorious new light.
#6 – REHANG YOUR COLLECTION
Moving art around is a way to induce an immediate shift in your home’s energy AND it gives you the opportunity to see and experience some of the pieces in your collection kept hidden away in storage for likely far too long. If you don’t have a ton of pieces to pull from in storage, no worries whatsoever - just switch out the locations of the current art on your walls – move the black and white photograph from the living room into your bedroom, the abstract work on paper from the hallway into the office, and so forth. Before you know it, your home feels refreshed and you’re loving your art pieces in their new places of prominence. And, hey, if you don’t already have a collection of art, perhaps now is the time to start?
Check out our Sunset Park interior design project for some art-arrangement inspiration
#7 – PAINT IT BLACK (OR FADED BLOSSOM OR MOUSE GREY OR CRESTED WREN . . .)
Never underestimate the power of paint. It can make a room sing or make it scream, it can elevate a space to energizing joy or center it to a steady thrum of peaceful calm. And it’s a relatively fast and inexpensive means to altering your baseline mood and restoring a sense of love + adoration for your home, which you’ve no doubt grown all-too-familiar-with during 2020. You don’t like the color once you’ve painted the entire wall (or two or three)? Easy peasy. Paint over it. Its accessibility is considerably more alluring than wallpaper (especially these days, when everything is on a Covid-19 delayed timeline and that includes wallpaper production, shipping, and delivery) and the price point for the labor is definitely more appealing, to boot. Not to disparage wallpaper in any way whatsoever – we LOVE wallpaper in its endless iterations and patterns and colors! But variations of an unbelievable sort can exist within paint, as well. Just look at these amazing British boutique paints:
Remodelista - 7 Favorites: British Boutique Paint Companies
and hop over to DWELL to check out their suggested paint colors for 2021, too:
