If you haven’t noticed, self care has been the ultimate buzz-term this year. It seems like everywhere you turn on Instagram, gals are posting about face masks, baths with rose petals, homemade celery juice and meditation corners in their home.
While I wish I could say that self care is a regular practice for me, the truth is that it can tend to fall to the end of my priority list. As an entrepreneur living in New York City, the hustle is real. Don’t even get me started on trying to maintain a social life, dating, a consistent exercise schedule, etc.
And then, if I’m being honest, there’s always a little part of me that feels a sense of guilt for dedicating time completely to my own self care. I find myself thinking – isn’t there a way I could be using this time more wisely/responsibly? But the older I get, the more I’m realizing that practicing self care regularly is actually crucial to me being my most productive, joyful, authentic self.
After a whirlwind of a year so far, toward the end of this summer I decided it was time for me to take some time to slow down and invest in my own mental, emotional & spiritual wellbeing. I was already planning on visiting some friends in different parts of California, so I figured that would be the perfect opportunity to get my self care on too.
Some of the top things I was looking for when searching for where to stay in during my getaway was: near the beach, a great pool, good amenities, and overall feeling of relaxation meets fabulous-ness. I remember checking out the lobby of the Pasea Hotel & Spa last time I was in Huntington Beach and loving what I saw, so I reached out to them and they were kind enough to offer me some bartering options for my stay in exchange for social media coverage. With that being said, I truly LOVED my stay so much and all opinions herein are my own.
Highlights of my stay at Pasea Hotel & Spa
1. The room. If I could live in this hotel room, I probably would. It was big, bright, clean, and so conducive to the relaxing “me time” I needed to have during this getaway. I gave myself permission to chill in the room as much as I wanted to, which definitely meant a couple of in-bed-by-8pm, eating dinner in bed kind of nights 😉 I also had a bit of an obsession with the bathroom – it had a huge beautiful shower with Fresh products – every shower felt like I was at a spa.
2. The amenities. Even though I ventured out quite a bit, there was so much at Pasea I could’ve stayed there all day and been just fine. They have a beautiful pool area with food/beverage service, towels, and a hot tub. I spent time almost every day laying out there getting my sun & reading on. They also have an incredible (huge!) gym, a full service spa, cafe, free bike rentals, and fun inclusions like a made-to-order beach picnic.
3. The food. Obviously this was an important one for me. Tanner’s is a restaurant attached to the Pasea Hotel, which I enjoyed lunch and a couple of poolside meals from. Their food was very good, and they also have a great upstairs bar (Treehouse Lounge) that’s perfect for happy hour to overlook the ocean and watch the sunset. I loved their new “Power Lunch” option that includes an appetizer, entree and house-made cookies to-go.
I also enjoyed in-room dining a couple of times, because what’s self care without getting straight out of the shower, hopping on a robe & eating in a big hotel bed?
4. The location. As I mentioned, I loved that Pasea was located so close to the beach – literally just a block away. My room had a lovely view, and it was so convenient to get other places as well. The hotel is located right next to Pacific City, which has a ton of great shops and restaurants. It’s also just a few blocks from Main Street in Huntington Beach, and just a few miles away from other great Orange County towns like Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, which I visited a couple of times during my stay.
My Self Care Getaway Agenda
While it’s always a priority to me to live a healthy lifestyle, my wellness getaway was *not* about any sort of cleanse or detox. I continued to eat as I normally do, practicing my same Food Freedom/Intuitive Eating principles. This freed me up to focus on the other, more important things I wanted to get out of the time away.
While I originally did plan on doing daily exercise, I actually ended up barely “working out”…intentionally, at least. Instead I took a ton of long walks on the beach (how romantic of me, ha), and did venture to a Corepower Yoga Sculpt class one day.
One of the biggest things on my agenda was avoiding time on the computer, and especially on my phone. I found that putting my phone on airplane mode really helped, so I did that for a few hours (or longer) each day.
That freed me up to do the things that truly gave me the “meat” of the getaway – spending at least an hour every morning journaling about my intentions for the remainder of the year / going into 2019, as well as a ton of reading. I ended up reading 2 books in 6 days!
Reflections on Dedicating Time to Self Care
These are a couple of the biggest things I got out of the time away, which is exactly what I was hoping for (and then some).
- Life in New York doesn’t have to be as stressful as we make it. It’s ok to not glorify being busy.
- I’m basically addicted to my phone – plain and simple – and that’s a habit I very much want to break completely. I’m giving myself grace because it’s obviously a part of my job, but I want to do a better job of making the time on my phone intentional rather than constantly checking and rechecking my emails, Instagram, etc.
- I made some decisions I’ve been sitting on for a few months, some career-related, but mostly in my personal life. This is where I value my privacy so won’t go into much detail (sorry!), but basically I realized I wasn’t entirely happy with the person I was on the track of becoming, and I’m taking action to redirect my steps and become a woman I can be proud of. I chat a little more about that here.
And now here I am, back in NYC in the corner of a coffee shop, back to real life. I couldn’t be more glad I took the time away for myself, and I’m so excited to see what the rest of this year has in store. I guess I am a fan of the whole self care thing after all…
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You might also like:
What Food Freedom Looks Like In My Life
Practicing Food Freedom During The Holidays & Special Occasions
Maintaining Your Food Freedom When You Want To Give Up
HB Travels: Capri, Italy
