Imagine sitting in a bathtub with your favorite candle lit. You have a glass of wine (or whatever beverage you like.) You turn on a movie or read a book as you sit back and relax after a very productive work week. I know it sounds amazing right? What if I told you this could be your reality. We deserve a day for ourselves or even an hour to not have any care in the world. We deserve to take that bath and read the spicy book. We deserve to spend 45 minutes on our skincare routine without guilt. It is so important to take care of ourselves. We only get one body in this life and we need to take care of it physically and mentally. I feel like it’s so easy to get caught up in life that we forget to take a moment and really get in tune with ourselves. I am notorious for running myself to the point of exhaustion and emotional instability. But not anymore, I have figured out the ultimate selfcare activities to keep ourselves in check. It is not just a trend to take some selfcare time it is actually beneficial. So if you do it once a week or once a month, don’t forget to put yourself first sometimes. Here is some ideas and the things I do to show myself a little extra love. You can do them all or just one or two. Whatever works with your schedule.
Starting off with the beginning of your day, when you first wake up try not to reach for that phone. I know it is so tempting to see what you missed while you were away dreaming of Zac Efron. Don’t even deny it you know you dream about celebrities.
It is very crucial to spend the first hour of your day on yourself. Plus it is really bad to look at blue light in the morning. Girl, I’m guilty of it too. So when you wake up go and get your coffee or matcha or tea, whatever drink you like and take some time to enjoy the silence of the morning. Take this time to journal or read a book. One of my favorite journals to use is the 5 minute journal. It puts you in that positive mindset for the day. It has you write 1 goal for the day, 3 things to look forward too and 3 things your grateful for. Then at the end of the day you can write down your highlights for the day. I also love reading a chapter of the bible or a few chapters just to learn something and once again, get my mind in the nice relaxed, positive state. How we start our day and the first thoughts we have in the morning set’s the mood for the rest of your day. So on my selfcare day I really like to get in tune with my thoughts. So do a calming activity in the morning because you don’t want to stimulate the brain too fast. We do that everyday with work or our everyday life that our brain is always working it deserves a break just like we do.
Next we are going to talk about the physical health. It is so important to take care of our bodies even if it’s just little workouts. If you only do it once a week, hey at least your doing it. This can be outside going for a run or walk. This can be going to the gym and lifting. Maybe taking a Pilates class, anything that will get your body moving. I am someone that goes to the gym or at least tries to go 4-5 times a week so on my selfcare day I stay away from intense workouts and just use my dog’s walk for the day as my exercise.
Going along with the exercise, make sure you get outside in nature. Make sure you wear sunscreen of course, but the sun can actually be very beneficial, it provides Vitamin D which is crucial to maintaining healthy blood levels. Plus it makes you happy and can provoke creativity. When done correctly you may even get a nice golden tan in the process. You only need about 10-30 min in the sun. Make sure to drink lot’s of water because I will not allow any of my girlies to get heat stroke.
Next we have the selfcare bath… or shower if you prefer them or don’t have a bath. I switch up whether I do a bath or shower depending on my mood. This is the time to find your Zen and relax.
Starting off with the bath make sure you use a bath bomb of any color and scent that you like. Next turn on some music or a movie/show you want to watch. Now is the time to watch 2000’s Barbie movies without judgement. Now find a candle in a scent that you like and light it. When I take a bath I dim the lights and turn on my ocean projector. Well to me it looks kind of like water reflecting and it changes colors to whatever you want. I feel like it makes the place very moody. Of course you can’t forget about the bubble bath. Grab that scent that you love and make it bubble.
When I take a shower I do the “everything” shower. This includes exfoliating, hair wash, hair mask etc. I do this about once a week anyways but when it’s the selfcare shower I make it moody with the candles, music, and lights. I will also add a shower steamer. This is a very similar effect to a bath bomb it’s just for a shower. Do it without regret and be an advocate for yourself. You work hard you deserve to enjoy that bath/shower without guilt.
Moving on to skincare everyone’s favorite part of the day. Or at least my favorite part of the day. On my self care day I usually use this day to do everything to my skin. Of course I have my everyday skincare but then I have my selfcare skincare. This entails of doing all the extra things. I start off with a face exfoliation. Is that what it’s called? I think so. This helps me get all the dry skin and it really opens up the pores for deep cleaning. Then of course I do normal face washing and lotion. I also always do a face mask. I only do them once a week. I will also do some under eye masks and if I’m feeling like I need it I’ll do a foot and lip masks as well. I usually watch YouTube while I’m doing this and catch up on any videos I missed during the week. Speaking of YouTube go subscribe to my channel if you want because we have fun on there hehe.
Here are some of my favorite masks:
Next we have activities because of course selfcare isn’t all about being couped up in your house all day. Unless that’s what your feeling. I’ll let you in on a secret…when I have my selfcare days I hide in my house. That’s not everyone’s cup of tea though. So get out and do something fun whether that’s shopping or going to the movies, maybe even treating yourself to a fine dining experience. No I’m not talking about grocery shopping I’m talking about fun shopping. Buying stuff you want but don’t need. I do that all the time anyways….I’m just a girl.
Ok let’s talk outfits. Girl you better wear that 3 year old t-shirt from your ex boyfriend that is still really soft and those comfy sweatpants. There isn’t anybody to impress this is your time. Or if getting dressed up makes you feel like your having a you day then do that.
Lastly, go get your hair and nails done. Maybe even throw a facial in there. This is girl maintenance yes… but if you enjoy it then it’s also self care. When we feel confident physically, then we feel confident mentally too.
Basically what I’m trying to say is do whatever makes you happy and at peace. Whatever gives you a break from the everyday hustle and bustle of this thing called life. It doesn’t always have to be about skincare and what you wear. Sometimes selfcare comes from hanging out with family and friends. If it distracts your mind and clears your thoughts from the stressful activities of life and makes you feel good about yourself then do it. Comment down below your favorite self care activity. Mine is taking a shower and listening to music. Talk to you soon beautiful humans xoxo.
