There’s a lot of hoopla about “self-care,” but what does taking care of the self mean? It looks and feels different for everybody. Self-care is an all-encompassing thing. It’s important to carve out time for feeding our minds, caring for our skin, and preparing ourselves for a good night’s rest. Plus flowers are always nice.
Image Credit: ID 193768457 © Nikki Zalewski | Dreamstime.com
Caring for the Skin of the Body
My self-care routine includes Skincare Regimen Thursday. After I clean my face, I exfoliate it. I’m still on the lookout for a face exfoliant to fall madly in love with. Then I shower and give myself a body polish with a sugar scrub. My current affordable favorite is Peach Sorbet from Tree Hut. Seriously, sugar scrub doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to work. Having said that, EmerginC Ginger-Lime sugar scrub is a luxurious high end option that’s worth its weight in gold.
If my muscles ache, I’ll opt for a soak in Dr. Teal’s Epsom salts – citrus during daytime or lavender if it’s bedtime. Seriously, I got that way wrong and soaked in citrus at night. Citrus is stimulating, and I woke up every two hours like clockwork. Granted, my muscle aches went away and I felt like Wonder Woman, but it was the middle of the night.
Another aspect of my self-care for sore muscles is a massage. Whenever I want one but can’t get one, I’ll use a self-massage gun from Calibreeze. It’s on par with high end professional massage guns, but it’s a fraction of the price. Joyful Rising’s stock is low, so if you want one for yourself for in-between sessions, you should come get one before I run out.
Caring for the Skin of the Face
Then comes a DIY facial, which might be a purifying clay mask or vitamin C mask. While the mask is on, I hydrate my body with Neutrogena’s hyaluronic acid body gel cream. I follow that with a body moisturizer. My favorite affordable choices are Jergens Sweet Citrus Triple Butter Blend and Raw Sugar’s Body Butter.
For the high end of the market, nothing is better than EmerginC’s Grapeseed Stem Cell body butter. Hands down nothing. It’ll leave your skin so smooth, you can slide between raindrops.
Roomie calls me “soft-bodied bitch,” which I’ve come to love as a term of endearment even though it’s laced with a bit of envy.
After I remove the mask, it’s time for overnight skin renewal, and I started using Mary Kay’s Timewise Night Time Recovery Serum. Serum comes before moisturizer. There’s a ton of science in today’s skin care products, so if it’s labeled for night time, use it at night time when your skin is in repair and renewal mode.
Feeding the Mind
I might curl up with a book. Currently, I’m reading Barbara Claypole White’s The Promise Between Us, which I bought directly from her at the WFWA 10th Annual Conference in Chicago last September. Reading fiction is my way of exploring another world and leaving this one behind for a little while. It also helps me wind down mentally for bed. Reading is solitary, so it’s something I do exclusively for myself. That is self-care.
Sometimes nonfiction or self-help books are what I’m craving, so I’ll reach for Proverbs From Around the World or something about running a massage business.
You’ll notice from TiffanyTV’s podcast on YouTube that she has fresh flowers and a scented candle burning. I have a collection of candles to suit my moods. One of my all-time favorites is Bath & Body Works Black Cherry Merlot. It smells like cherry candy – but for adults.
Aside from the loving touches she graces herself with, she mentions a concept called emotional self-regulation. Given that I don’t always know what I’m feeling, I was curious whether I was emotionally regulating or suppressing. Healthline has a great online article about HOW to do it in a healthy way.
Caring for Our Rest
If it’s bedtime, I found a tea at Sprouts Market from Numi that’s more effective at knocking me out than my Trazodone. Sweet Slumber is a blend of lavender, chamomile, and valerian root. The story of how well the tea worked for me is too embarrassing to share, so please just take my word for it. If you only sleep two to three hours at a time, this tea will get you to six hours. It’s like a whole new lease on life!
Conclusion: There are too many things we do from sunup to sundown that count as self-care. I couldn’t possibly write about all of them, so I selected weekly and bedtime routines that work for me. I do encourage finding a podcast of real-world advice and buying enormous bouquets of flowers for yourself.
What’s your favorite part of your self-care routine? Reply in the comments.
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