With the concepts of self-love and self care being used more by younger generations (including my own), I think it’s important to realize the difference between what’s healthy and what’s toxic. I’m not going to get into too much detail with that here, but what I will say is that it’s okay to reach out for help, or to give yourself time to breathe and not do anything. One person can’t be everything or do everything alone.
So now that we’ve covered what self love is, I want to share some of the things I do to help implement self care. One thing that I’ve found through impulsive decisions and behaviors over the years is that less really is more. Decluttering has definitely helped me to gain some clarity, but only in a sense that my space is no longer cluttered or stress-inducing. My mental health journey was (and still is) rocky in places, so one thing I’ve been doing for the past couple years is seeing a counselor. I think that seeing a counselor has been beneficial not just for my mental/emotional health, but also for that sense of accountability with the other parts of my self love journey.
I think one of the biggest ways I like to implement self-care is through my senses. I love the smell of lavender (and eucalyptus) , so sometimes, I’ll use a linen/room spray in one of those scents as it helps me to feel calm and relaxed. I also am a big fan of scented lotions. There’s just something calming and relaxing about applying a body cream or lotion that has a lightweight scent to it. I don’t like anything that has a heavy, perfume type smell, and so finding more natural/organic options is something I’ve been getting into in the past year or so.
Truth be told, I’d say that I’m a complete night owl by nature. Even then however, I’ve found that without having a proper evening routine, I’ll end up feeling groggy the next day. The latest I’ll typically stay up is until midnight on a work night, with 12:30 being the latest if I’m working a night shift. I personally find it fun and relaxing to watch something after a long day at work, but I try to not make it a continuous habit.
This last tip is something I’ve been doing for years, and that’s taking a warm or hot bath. And whenever I take showers, I’ll sometimes use shower gel as a way to rejuvenate and relax myself; it’s one of those things that just makes a boring, essential task feel a little more luxurious.
One bonus tip I want to add is guided meditation or some other breathing technique. I’ll usually resort to this if nothing else helps, or if I feel like my mind or body needs it. Checking in with my body is a habit I’ve been trying to get better at, but I wouldn’t say it’s something I’m perfect at. It’s been a learning process for me when it comes to dealing with stress, and whenever there’s a situation that’s out of my control, releasing that tension doesn’t always come naturally. What’s important though is that I’m trying, and the more I try, the better I’ll get at it.