Hey, I’m Julie.
I’m not sure if we’ve met before but I’ve been blogging and making videos for Goodwill for years now.
I get to visit a new store location in the Akron area every month and focus on different aspects of the store, including fashion trends, or how to pair items. It’s a really cool gig I have because it combines my love for finding interesting pieces and clothing and my passion for hunting down a deal. Working with Goodwill has been really awesome. Love it!
I don’t know if you are anything like me, but if you are…you tend to put a lot of things in front of yourself. Work, other people, family, relationships, always
staying busy. This often leads to exhaustion and burnout for me. I dont know if you notice when I sometimes am super quiet on social media; it’s usually
because I have jam-packed my days and am struggling to find the time to post.
I think most of the time, the term “self-care” gets a bad rap. Society can sometimes think it’s too self-focused or selfish, but some of us need an opportunity to
slow down and woolgather. Btw, ‘woolgather’ is one of my favorite new words as it means “to indulge in aimless thoughts or daydreams.”
Others who are wise encourage me to find little opportunities for self-care. Maybe it doesn’t look like a retreat weekend at resort, but maybe it could look like
standing up to stretch or taking a few minutes to go outside and gaze at the clouds. It’s little moments like these that can put life back into perspective.
Next time you go into a Goodwill store, do what I did and take your time on purpose.
Be extra kind to yourself.
Some of the ways in which I woolgather:
I snag a cart.
This allows me to put my bags in it and alleviate my body of having to carry anything while I’m shopping.
I touch fabrics I love.
This helps me to ground in my own likes and styles; better making me more enthusiastic when other’s share their preferences.
I browse media.
Between movies and books, I truly always find gems at Goodwill. The departments are stocked with classics and popular titles. I spotted many of my
faves, including “Beauty and the Beast” which made the little girl inside me smile.
I think about creative projects.
The furniture department is a place for me that can spark so much creativity and inspire me to repurpose. So symbolic to me of life.
I play.
I love browsing the game and toy aisle. When I see something I used to play with or could use for an upcoming gathering with friends, it helps lift my
mood and tunes me into having fun.
I hope this article enables you to see several ways that you can incorporate self-care in a non-selfish way. Doing what we can to best take care of all sides
of us is essential and it doesn’t have to be extravagant.
I hope you search for and find opportunities for self-care.
Have a great day!
Julie