I never used to be big on bubble baths. I thought they were boring and tedious. I didn’t understand soaking in a vat of fluid for an extended period of time. I just didn’t get it. After a long day, I’d usually take a hot shower and keep it pushing. 

It had been a particularly rough day. We’d gotten quite a few new calls, and between scheduling those families, plus the services that we had to complete, it was a whirlwind. To top it off, I’d had to have a difficult conversation with a family about a ball that we’d dropped. The day sped by in a blur, and it was 4:00pm before I even realized that I hadn’t eaten all day.  It was so incredibly draining, and I felt like crap. 

So I went home. I was venting to one of my friends (who also happens to be a kick ass doctor) and she asked how I unwound at the end of the day. It seemed like like such a simple question, yet I had no answer for it.

I wasn’t unwinding. 

“Tonight , I want you to take a bubble bath.”

So, I tried it. I got home, and took my standard hot shower (Because, I’m not sitting in a tub of scented dirt. I’m just NOT doing it), and then ran a tub of water as hot as I could stand it. 

I poured in some Epsom Salt, and Lavender Bubble Bath. I even dropped in a bath bomb for flair, because that’s what people on social media were doing, and they looked relaxed. I poured a glass of wine, lit a candle, and turned off the overhead lights. Then, I got in. 

There it was, perfect silence. 

I immediately found exactly what I didn’t know I needed. I sunk in, and felt myself start to relax. The tension was leaving my body. 

I wish I could say I soaked for a while, sipped my wine and then got out feeling refreshed. What actually happened, was that I fell asleep and woke up in freezing cold water. It’s not a perfect science yet, but I’m new to the self care game, so please, cut me a little slack. 

These days, I do this at least once a week, sometimes more.

It’s okay to just be still. To allow yourself time to decompress and release yourself from your day. 

I get it now.