5 Easy Self Care Ideas To Try
I’m a Mum to two absolutely amazing young children. They’re fun, bright, energetic and sometimes incredibly demanding. Like many other Mums out there I need to constantly balance looking after my little ones with running a business, keeping up our house, cooking etc. For years I felt that self-care was just one more thing to add to my long to-do list until I realised that some of the things I was already doing actually fell into that category and that in appreciating those little moments I was taking was quite good care of myself and it was probable that I could squeeze in more of these moments to the day to help me feel happier and healthier.
Self-care I have learnt doesn’t have to take a lot of time or be super elaborate. Just taking a few minutes to slow down and be mindful throughout the day can work wonders. Making a herbal tea for yourself, taking a short walk, calling a friend, hugging your spouse, reading a book on a topic that interests you. All these things will help to feed your soul and give you a little boost.
5 Easy Ways To Carve Out Some Me Time
1. Start the day with body brushing before your shower. It only takes a minute or two. It gets your lymphatic system and circulation going and also exfoliates your skin. After listening to quite a few podcasts with Wim Hof, I’ve also started extending the cold blast at the end of my shower from 20 seconds to 1 minute and I hope to get up to 3 minutes. If you’re brave enough to do this it’s a brilliant way to wake up and energise in the morning.
2. Anytime you have a spare minute (in bed before the house wakes up, in the car, while the kids are watching a programme, in the evening…) sit quietly and still and draw your attention to your breath. Meditate if you like to, but even just becoming aware of your breath and focusing on it for a minute or two works wonders. The more times you can remember to do this in a day, the better (especially if you start to feel stressed). I like to go outside the house first thing in the morning when everything is still and quiet and just breathe and think about how I want the day to go. Even better if I can bring a cup of herbal tea with me. It helps things to feel a little less rushed in the morning. I also love the idea of waking with the 3Ms – move you body, meditate for a few minutes and repeat a positive mantra to yourself – if you can get into the habit of this.
3. Listening to uplifting podcasts while making dinner. I love cooking but this used to be a time that felt very busy and a little stressful until I learned to always have an activity (or a programme!) ready for the kids and then pop in my ear buds and listen to a favourite podcast while making dinner. I love Deliciously Ella’s Podcast or Mark Hyman’s The Doctor’s Farmacy to leave me feeling uplifted and motivated. By the time dinner is ready I feel like I have done something I enjoy, usually learned something too, and I feel more relaxed and ready for the bedtime routine.
4. In the evening curl up with a favourite programme or book. It’s so easy to do and most of us are probably doing it already, but sometimes we forget that that’s a moment of self-care – just taking that half hour or so to do something that’s relaxing and enjoyable counts. Make yourself a hot drink or a smoothie bowl, light the fire if you have one and really enjoy that time.
5. Cleansing your face in the evening. It was Nicola Connolly of Nunaїa who really got me seeing this night-time ritual in a new, self-care sense. It is something we all have to do anyway each and every evening and instead of seeing it as a chore it can really become a few moments to unwind and relax before bedtime. Take the time to really work your favourite cleanser into your skin. Double cleanse if you wish, or if you wear a lot of makeup. I like to really massage my skin with my cleanser before taking it off with a warm cloth and then massaging in a great serum slowly and while taking a few deep breaths (Nunaїa’s Superfood Cleansing Balm and Nourishing Radiance Serum are ideal for these kind of restorative, mindful moments).
These are just a few ways that help to keep me feeling not just sane but happy too throughout the day. You may already be doing some of these too, or doing the small things that work for you. The trick is to appreciate these little moments as good self-care and ways to feed your soul and connect with yourself in a loving, joyful way. The more I delve into health and well-being the more the idea of ‘Primary Food’ resonates with me. Where I used to be all about the benefits of clean eating and clean living now I am coming around to the concept that self-care (and finding joy and things to appreciate in areas such as relationships, career, spirituality etc) is also vital to our overal wellbeing. It’s not enough just to eat well, to truly be healthy we need that joy and fulfillment in our lives too. It’s worth focusing on, even if it’s just for a few minutes here and there throughout the day.
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