I will be honest, the term 'self-care' does make my eyes roll a bit. I mean, I LOVE self-care and all that it is, but I feel like the term is so overused it's painful. However, even with that in mind, I think that self-care is incredibly important especially for our mental health and well-being.
Have you ever found though, that actually practicing self-care can be more stressful than it's worth? You want to do it, you decide from Monday you're going to 'be better' and look after yourself more, but it seldom happens. Then because it's never at the forefront of our habits and routines, we forget about it and then feel guilty about not doing it! It's like a vicious cycle where we end up feeling worse instead of better.
After quite a few years of really working on building self-care into my schedule (which is exactly what I do), I have found these are the best ways for me to stick with it and really reap the benefits of it.
SCHEDULE IT IN
Exercise, meditation and healthy eating are so important for our health, but for some reason we don't put them at the top of our list when we plan our day. I am one of those people who live by their diary and so I schedule in all my workouts and meditation classes so I can't say "I can't fit it in". It's in my diary and so I have no excuses.
SACRIFICE A LITTLE BIT
We can't always have our cake and eat it too unfortunately. For those days when I know I'm going to need some extra mental or physical support, I will either get up around 15 minutes earlier and do a meditation or yoga practice. The same goes with sleep. It's super important for us and yet somehow we end up staying awake until late watching another episode on Netflix or scrolling through Instagram (don't get me started on how much of a vortex Tiktok is!) Switch off the TV a little earlier, sacrifice another episode and instead put yourself into bed earlier. You will be so grateful you did the following morning.
PLAN YOUR MEALS AND MEAL PREP
Eating well will make you feel better. Period. If you find yourself consistently grabbing a sandwich from the petrol station on your way to work, maybe look into carving out some time on a Sunday (or your day off) and prepping your meals for the week. Either write a meal plan (or find one online) that you like and either prep the meals in advance, or at least buy the ingredients so you have them to hand. Then you don't have to stress about going to the shop on your way home, they're already in your pantry ready to go.
MULTI-TASK
This is super easy and gives me no excuses. I love my Exfoliating Face Mask as it's a 2 in 1 product (exfoliating mask and hydrating treatment in one!). Don't feel like you have to do a face mask whilst soaking in the bath tub for an hour, build it into your lifestyle.
Pop one on while you're in the shower. WFH? Put a mask on and keep your camera off (or on if you want to inspire others!). Watching TV? Do a gua sha massage. Cleansing your face? Use the Cleansing Beauty Balm to incorporate a face massage at the same time.
SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND
Having healthy relationships with our friends and family is so important. It also plays a huge part in how happy we feel. Speak to some of your friends and make a plan to meet each week. Go for a walk together and grab a matcha or green juice. Maybe plan a healthy lunch or dinner once a week, you could go to their home, they could come to yours or even go for a healthy meal out.
You are then all responsible for each other's self-care. You could create a WhatsApp group and inspire each other to do better and post positive affirmations, healthy meal ideas etc.
DON'T LET IT STRESS YOU OUT.
If you don't fit that run in, miss a yoga class, have a fast food lunch, just LET. IT. GO.
Don't feel guilty all day about it either. If you have an unhealthy start, that doesn't mean the day is a write off. Have a healthier lunch, try and fit in some exercise later on in the day... just do what you can. Self-care should never make us feel worse, guilty or bad about ourselves. It's there to IMPROVE our health and mind. Learn to let go of that negative self-talk and stay on the wagon.
Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you found this useful.
Lots of love,
Emmaline x