don’t neglect yourself!

when i was brand new to shui, i was beyond blessed and fortunate to have my mentor, Ellen Whitehurst. i re-visit my notes from our calls and conversations often, always discovering some gem of wisdom in her advice. and something she said to me the first time we ‘met’ – “if the universe sees you constantly busy taking care of everyone BUT you, she will keep delivering you opportunities to do more of the same. push PAUSE at least once a week to take a long, hot bath – schedule the time and keep it like an important appointment! when you start taking better care of yourself, the universe will interpret this as ‘i’m worth it’ and replenish you with more opportunities to enjoy your life now.”

truthfully, i don’t hit that PAUSE button consistently, but what i absolutely know is this: when i do, i begin feeling entitled to this indulgence because i realize (again and again) i am worth it. the other nugget i’ve discovered from this self-care first approach is it isn’t about proving my worth to anyone else. once i believe in my worthiness, i push past my own “perceived” limitations; and i open doors to bigger opportunities without letting my self-doubts (about what others might think) sabotage me.

so, here is the bath recipe Ellen shared with me that i now affectionately refer to as a “me, myself, and i soak”:

you’ll need 2 cups of Epsom salt and 9 quarter-size pieces of orange peel from 9 oranges (1 piece per orange). fill your tub halfway with HOT water. add the orange peels and Epsom salt, and let it all steep for 20 minutes before getting in. fill the rest of the tub, and soak for at least 20 minutes. you can use the peels 8 more times before discarding them. (they lose potency with each bath so if you feel really depleted, you might consider using new oranges more frequently.)

or.

cut to the soak more quickly with the Sweet Surrender Bath Salts included in the Sweet Life Feng Shui Starter Kit bundle, thanks to @moonmamaherbals. each bottle is layered with Epsom salt, pink Himalayan salt, and dried orange peel. when you finally get out of the tub, the one thing you won’t be taking with you is any negativity! xo