Get our best content

~max once a week~

Self-care in the post-‘Roe v. Wade’ apocalypse: 7 top tips From the Breathe Bubble to taking yourself out on a date, these are the self-care tips that will get you through these troubled times.

I have made a decision. From now on I’m going to actually be kind to myself. This may sound ridiculous, but keep in mind that we’re living in an age where the literal bad guys are telling us we’re nothing more than breeding vessels. Yes, the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade abolition draft is no longer a draft, and women’s basic human rights have been stripped away from sea to shining sea.

Some commenters have opined that we here at AFRU should take partial blame for not organizing better opposition to the SCOTUS decision. We told you to dance on TikTok as part of a broader campaign to raise awareness for the cause.

Still, it’s important to remember everyone is their own worst critic. We’re the ones who hear our voices 24/7 and have to live in our own bodies. Naturally, we tend to criticize ourselves because it is easy to pick yourself apart when you’re feeling down on yourself.

But it’s not enough. These troubling times require top shelf self-care service. Here are 7 easy self-care tips I’ve been doing lately and that have already given me a marked improvement in my mood and self-confidence. Let’s learn to be kinder to ourselves together.

#1. Do a 2-minute Breathe Bubble at least twice a day

If you think meditation is for hippies, or that it’s some kind of snake oil, or that you need a yoga mat, special training, and lots of time — think again! You only need two minutes.

The most bang for your meditation bucks is something called the Breathe Bubble. Simply make sure you have two minutes of privacy, and follow the breathing instructions of this youtube video:

Don’t you feel relaxed and refreshed? Now that’s self-care. Do the Breathe Bubble meditation at least twice a day, preferably during its most stressful or depressing parts. Did you read a nasty tweet? Pull out the youtube.

Now that you know meditation works, here are some more advanced materials on the topic:

Related: Access the healing power of nature from home with nature meditation

Related: 8 things Reddit taught me about how to meditate

#2. Sleep that extra hour

Because we’re all striving to be the best people we can be, we rarely allow ourselves to be fully rested. We greet the day and hit the ground running, even on the weekends!

But we need to allow our bodies enough rest so we can be at our mental peak and feel physically well.

The easiest way to treat yourself is to allow yourself that extra hour of sleep when you can. I’m not suggesting being late for work in order to do this, but its okay to sleep until 10am every weekend if your body feels like it. We punish our bodies for the sake of success but we forget that sometimes it is better to listen to your body and feel well-rested.

#3. Give yourself at least two days off each week

Do you remember the good old days where you only had to work 5 days a week? Lol, me neither. Millennials live in another universe where normal work hours don’t exist. We burn the candles at both ends, hoping that working late into the night and on weekends will finally get us to the place we want to be in our life.

And while this is all well and fine, you need to give yourself a break. Take one day a week to just literally do nothing but sit on the couch, or go hiking. Whatever it is that you truly enjoy doing, carve out one day a week to do it without excuses.

#4. Try the 8-step Blessed Morning cycle

Ever notice that our morning moods tend to set the tone for the rest of the day? If we feel well-rested and inspired, our day tends to unfold far more positively than if we were to wake up sleep-deprived, rushed and cranky. One way to make a truly effective self-care investment is to start our mornings fully aware of the present moment.

This 8-step Blessed Morning cycle is a list of easy morning activities specially designed to create a mindset of present awareness that will give you the mental and spiritual alertness to truly appreciate the beautiful fleeting moments each day offer us.

#5. Compliment yourself

This is probably one of the most difficult things you’ll have to do, but it also has the biggest pay-off.

By looking in the mirror and vocally saying one thing you like about your appearance, you’re reminding yourself that you’re gorgeous and that you are enough. You can also leave encouraging notes for yourself in your purse, on the lock screen of your phone, etc.

Maybe your hair looks really awesome that day. Maybe your outfit perfectly matches. Whatever the compliment may be, it is important to remind yourself that you’re beautifully you and no one will ever look just the way you do, so embrace it!

#6. Stop comparing yourself to others

Comparison is the thief of joy, so don’t do it! Every time you find the urge to compare yourself to the hot girl in your office with the perfect hair or the guy in the gym with a ridiculously nice body, fight it. You’re completely and beautifully unique and the more you remind yourself of this the happier you’ll be.

#7. Take yourself out on date-night for one

Screw Tinder and screw going Dutch. Treat Yo’ Self. Once every two weeks take yourself out to that sappy rom-com no one else will see with you.

Go out to dinner. Order a drink. Order desserts.

Hell, order two desserts. You deserve it. Bring a magazine or a book with you if you feel self-conscious about eating in a restaurant alone. Or, order in seamless and do a face mask and watch Netflix.

Date night isn’t just for couples, and the sooner you realize this the happier you’ll be with pampering yourself. Because no boy or girl is worth your money more than yourself.

Sorry, Afrunauts! While 85% of you are wonderful people, the other 25% were far too frequently brigades and troll farms. Their abusive comments have traumatized our moderators, and so we can't allow comments until we have built an ethical way to address the troll problem. If you feel the calling and you have familiarized yourself with what is and isn't free speech, you can still email us your scribbles. If your feedback is excellent, we may manually add it!
PS. The A Black Woman Is Speaking mug is a standing invitation to sit down, shut up, and engage in the wisdom shared by Black women. Lord knows the world needs it right now.

20 thoughts on “<span class="entry-title-primary">Self-care in the post-‘Roe v. Wade’ apocalypse: 7 top tips</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">From the Breathe Bubble to taking yourself out on a date, these are the self-care tips that will get you through these troubled times.</span>”

  1. I did all of these and I’m still literally shaking and panicking weeks later. The government has NO RIGHT to decide what I do with my body. Unless it’s vaccines, then they should mandate those for everyone because we’re in a pandemic!

    Reply
  2. You need tips for self care because you’re not allowed to murder an innocent life inside you by dismembering it?
    That is a tiny human baby, which you created by the way.
    I’m 57 and when we didn’t want to have kids, we used condoms. Nowadays, you just murder the babies. Shame on all of you who support that.

    Reply
  3. “Nine people in robes shouldn’t get to choose what we can do with our bodies.”
    – Random american woman
    “We agree, so the majority of us believe the right to decide this should be returned to the people.”
    – Supreme Court

    Reply
  4. Is this website exclusively run by fresh-into-middle-age Karens who believe in astrology and mindfulness?
    Because self serving egotism doesn’t do shit to solve the problem, but makes a Karen feel really good about herself.

    Reply
  5. Your articles are being noticed by misogynist chuds, keep up the great work!
    https://twitter.com/RampCapitalLLC/status/1541135282703147008

    Reply
  6. MILENNIAL WOMEN ARE GARBAGE. EASILY THE MOST NARCISSISTIC AND FRAGILE BEINGS ON GOD’S EARTH.

    QUIT YOUR JOB. HAVE A FAMILY.

    Reply

Say your thing

Get our best content

~max once a week~