Self-Care is something we all know we need. But what is self-care, anyway? Does it have to involve a lot of time or money? Massage, vacation, meditation?
No, self-care can be as simple as tuning in to yourself and noticing what you need from moment to moment.* Even pausing for one deep breath gives you a mini-break, and a tiny “breather” from the focus and pace that may be getting the best of you.
You know you need a break, so let’s start small.
Here is something you can do in 6 minutes or less, wherever you are!
Watch the birds
Just stop everything else and notice the birds. You don’t need binoculars. Just simply locate birds, watch their flight, notice their legs or feathers or beaks if they’re close enough to you. Observe what they’re doing. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes if you’d like.
You can even do this indoors, from the right window.
Notice what the birds are doing, and just watch them come and go.
I tried this the other day, and it was so refreshing and expansive to watch 11 vultures circling high above the hills. Yes, they’re scavengers, and a bit scary looking, close up! But they are a necessary part of the ecosystem, and looked so majestic soaring slowly against the sky in smooth, arcing circles. So completely at home in the air.
Normally if I’m in the yard I’ll be puttering or reading something. Without this intention to watch birds and only watch birds, I would have been distracted for sure! I really enjoyed this different focus; it was so refreshing.**
Closer to me, I noticed several birds in my elderberry tree. The titmice, a couple of birds I wasn’t sure about, towhees, hummingbirds and mockingbirds.
You’ll see more birds in the earlier morning or toward evening. Mid-day is not the best time. They’ll come and go with the seasons, too. Sometimes we have an abundance of swallows, but they’re not here right now.
The crows are ever-present, and even though they can be annoying (to humans and other birds!) I love to watch them fly silently, high overhead at sunset, back to their resting place for the night. It’s like an evening ritual; a closure for the day.
Birds have erratic behavior. We can’t predict it; we can just give ourselves over to it, watching it and being relieved of the disciplined, orderly mental focus that comes from looking at a screen, or attending to an endless to-do list!
If you try this, share below or email me about what you saw, and how you felt as you did it! I’d love to know.
*Renee Trudeau’s definition of self-care
**I was inspired to take these birdwatching breaks by Tammah Watt’s book, Keep Looking UP; Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching.
