There’s been a lot of talk about self-care recently, and what it really means. Some use it as an excuse to have cheat days calling it #selfcare, others think self-care is a luxury they can’t afford or don’t have time to dedicate to.
In this day and age, self-care is actually one thing — essential. If you’re overwhelmed and stressed out, your loved one will see and feel it. You won’t be able to give them your best if you’re only focusing on giving to them, and not to yourself as well. Dedicating some time to yourself through some self-care rituals will be good for you but also for the people in your surroundings.
Showers are all well and good, but true relaxation comes from a warm bath, preferably with some candles, light reading and a glass of your favorite wine. Just let any stress you might be feeling or worries you might be carrying wash away. There’s nothing quite like a bath for relaxing your body and muscles, as well as your mind. Use some bath salts or bath bombs to enhance the relaxing experience and you might just wish you could become a mermaid and stay in the bathtub for good.
Essential oils come with their own list of health benefits for your body & mind. There are different scents that can induce different feelings such as lavender which is great for relaxation, and orange which is good at detoxing the body. It’s all about what you’re looking for and which scent relaxes you the most. Combine it with some soothing music, or meditation and it will be a small spa retreat in the comfort of your home.
You’ve probably been listening about yoga and meditation for the past several months, maybe even years. But did you really give either a shot? If you did and found out it just wasn’t for you — that’s more than fine! You can still do your own version of meditating by playing some of your favorite relaxing music. It would be best if the music choice was one without lyrics, so as not to get distracted. Give it a try, this might just become your new favorite ritual.
You don’t have to be J.K. Rowling to write! Journaling is the perfect way to put your thoughts, worries or ideas on a piece of paper and sometimes that’s all it really takes to make some big life changes. Whether it’s just getting stuff off your soul or trying to organize your thoughts, journaling is an excellent way to dedicate some much needed time to yourself and your thoughts.
Giving yourself a little pamper treatment every now and then can make a big difference in your overall mood. Whether that means treating yourself to some hair and face masks, getting a massage (or convincing your partner to give you one), or spending a night sipping wine and enjoying your favorite TV show — do something just because it feels good for you. The only rule you have to make is that guilt goes out of the window when it’s pampering night. You can’t be sipping that wine and thinking about how you could have cleaned the bathroom instead of watching a show. You deserve to have some R&R and catch up with your favorite show. It’s not a waste of time if it makes you happy and relaxed.
In your hair. For your teeth. To cook your food. On your skin during a massage. Coconut oil is the healthiest, most natural substitute for many expensive self-care items you might have at home. You can use it for almost anything — we could spend the rest of this blog describing all the diverse uses for coconut oil, but we won’t because there’s still more to be said on the topic of rituals. In case you’re not as familiar with coconut oil and how to use it, you’ll find all the information you need spread across the Internet.
Honestly, what good comes from checking your phone early morning? All you get is news articles of the new crisis that seemed to happen overnight, a notification that your ex is now engaged, and your uncle decided it’s time to come out of the misogynistic closet with the worst status update ever. In conclusion, nothing good happens early in the morning, and checking your phone first thing will only make you start your day on a sour, stressed out note. Additionally, the light from your phone isn’t exactly the best thing to wake up to — or go to sleep with! Spending as little time with your phone as possible is probably the best thing you can do for yourself, though for most of us it’s seldom possible. Since we can’t exactly stop using our phones, what we can do is promise ourselves we’ll spend as little time as we can on it. Instead of scrolling mindlessly through Facebook or Instagram, crack open that book you bought 2 years ago and still haven’t gotten around to reading. Your mind will thank you for it!
A few compliments can go a long way towards repairing any bad mood. We all have bad days sometimes, so it makes sense that we should really cherish the good days. When you hear a nice compliment or a comment that makes you happy, write it down! You can use a notebook for it or just separate pieces of paper and a nice colorful folder you keep them in. When you need a motivation or mood boost, just read through those comforting words and you’ll feel much better.
Does collapsing into your favorite chair after work relax you? Maybe you feel better after an afternoon walk with your dog? Or playing your favorite meditation from the Bellabeat app? Whatever it is, do it. It doesn’t matter how big or how small if it helps you relax and makes you happy it is 100% worth doing.
There’s something to be said about a messy environment and most of it isn’t that good. While some of us have, what we like to call, a creative mess — where while everything might appear to be in a complete mess but is actually exactly where you want it to be — it’s not actually a good thing. If you’re surrounded by a mess you’ll have trouble focusing, your attention will dissipate easily, and overall your productivity will be less than ideal. Clearing out your desk, your room, your apartment will in a way, ‘clear out’ your head as well. You’ll feel more fresh, energetic and eager for new challenges, plus you won’t have to drink 5 cups of coffee a day just to keep your focus.
There are many other things you could do as a self-care ritual, most of them are individualistic — what works for some might not work for others. That’s why we always recommend giving things a try, it might just surprise you when you find joy in doing something you wouldn’t have normally done. We hope you’ll find your new favorite ritual on this list and add an extra dose of love and positivity to your daily life.
Read related topics:
