Have you ever felt so stressed that even the most simple tasks feel like a big effort?
This is common when you put everything else before yourself and neglect self-care. Women often put the care of others before their own needs. In addition, professional caregivers are at an even greater risk since they are constantly tending to the needs of others.
When you board an airplane, the flight attendant gives you instructions to put your own oxygen mask on first before helping others. Self-care is the same idea. To take care of others, you must take care of yourself first. So think about the last time you really pampered yourself. When was the last time you did something just for yourself? If you can’t remember, it’s time to turn that around and show yourself some love.
At their core, self-care and pampering rituals are integral to our well-being. The benefits of self-care include improving your outlook, enhancing your self-esteem, and improving rest and relaxation. As a result, you can improve your overall health and even balance hormones like cortisol, the stress hormone.
If it has been a long time since you have indulged in self-care and pampering, I’m sharing some ideas below to help you get started showing yourself some self-love right away.
1. Clean Your Space
Before you can truly relax, unwind, and feel pampered, you must have your surroundings support relaxation. Decluttering and clearing your space can lead to a tidier space and a clearer, calmer mind. A decluttered environment gives us more mental space for clarity and creativity. It also clears out dust laden with toxins that have settled in our homes. Start with one area rather than tackling the entire home and giving up from being overwhelmed. Choose your pantry, desk, bedroom closet, or bathroom cabinet as a starting point. When you have one success, it’s easier to have more. To get motivated, close your eyes and visualize the end goal of your clean area. Then create a space where you can feel relaxed and unwind.
2. Simplify Your Life
Now that you have your space all set, choose one thing to simplify. What can you simplify to revitalize your body, mind, and soul? Consider your daily routine and create a schedule that helps you save time and increase efficiency. You may find there are things in your life that are drawing more of your energy than they deserve. Are you over-committed? What can you take off your plate so you have more time to relax? Take a look at your to-do list and remove what is unnecessary, drains your energy, or takes up too much of your valuable time. When you let go of something that you no longer need and simplify aspects of your life, you allow space to bring in something new that nourishes your mind and lifts your spirit.
3. Get a Massage
Now it’s time to get into some other ways to pamper yourself that can be done in or outside of the home. One of my favorites is massage. Massage elevates our oxytocin, which helps us feel more connected, appreciated, and loved. Different types of massage target specific issues and areas of the body where you may need relief from muscle stiffness or tension. Massage also improves circulation, energy, and alertness and increases feelings of well-being.
4. Enjoy a Self-Facial
Learning to take care of some of our beauty needs at home is a great way to get pampered on a regular basis. Home facials are a relaxing form of self-care and facials are an essential part of a healthy skin care routine. Click here for my perfect recipe for an at-home self-facial.
5. Try an At-Home Facial Steam
Steam your face with a hydrating mask or cleanser. A facial steam is relaxing and soothing, especially when you apply a soothing natural face mask or cleanser to your skin before doing a facial steam. Try it out by applying The Spa Dr.’s Step 1 CLEAR Gentle Cleanser to your face and then complete an herbal face steam with dried herbs, such as rose petals and rose essential oil. You can find facial steam recipes in my book, Natural Beauty Reset.
6. Create a Bedtime Ritual
Think about how good it feels to get a long, restful night of sleep. You wake up refreshed, restored, and ready to take on the day. If it has been a long time since you felt well-rested, it’s time to make sleep part of your pampering routine. Sleep is essential for hormonal balance and to support overall well-being. Creating and personalizing your bedtime routine is a great way to unwind and indulge in some self-care. At least an hour before bed, turn off the electronics, dim the lights, listen to soothing music, read a relaxing paperback or hardcover book, stretch, enjoy some calming breathwork, pray, meditate, pamper with soothing skin care, or take a bath with muscle-easing bath salts. These are some of the many ideas for your bedtime ritual.
7. Take a Walking Meditation
Take a walking meditation in a garden, forest, park, beach, or mountaintop. Many people think meditation has to be done sitting still. However, walking meditations are just as impactful – especially when you do them outdoors. As you move, notice the sights, sounds, and scents of life. You may find during your walk that you want to pause and observe your surroundings by simply sitting in nature. You can also enjoy forest bathing (immersing yourself in the forest), which has been shown to help reduce cortisol and blood pressure and improve mood.
Treating yourself with love, care, and respect is essential if you want to feel confident, energized, and radiant for years to come. You don’t need to do all of these things at the same time, but instead ease into a routine that will help you feel refreshed over time. After all, you only have one body – and you deserve to take care of it!
The Spa Dr.® Approach
At The Spa Dr.®, our approach is to help shine the light on the skin and health care information and offer our guidance to support you on your journey.
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My new book, Natural Beauty Reset, provides an in-depth look at how you can nourish your body and support your health and hormones through the seasons. You can order my book now on Amazon.
The Spa Dr.® offers natural skin care products that are safe and free from chemicals and toxins that can harm your skin and health. Our products are formulated to contain key nutrients in their pure and active form to provide optimal results. In addition, our products are pH balanced towards mild acidity to promote and protect a healthy skin microbiome.
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