10 Ways To Practice Self-Care
Let’s face it, living in modern times such as right now can be incredibly busy. You may have a full-time day job you go to Monday through Friday, in the evenings you may come home and immediately start on dinner for the family and homework with the children, or you may be a busy entrepreneur with long days and late nights of working towards making your dreams come true. Whichever one of these scenarios you may be in, you need to take some time for self-care.
Now you may be saying to yourself, “But Natalie, I don’t have hours and hours of free time to take off of work and go on vacation, I don’t have money to spend on massages and going to the spa.” Well, luckily for you, you don’t have to spend hours and hours or a large amount of money on massages and spas to make sure that you take a little bit of time for yourself. In order for us to be able to help others, we must first take a little time to help ourselves. We cannot pour from an empty cup! So here are 10 simple ways that you can practice a little bit of TLC and spend some time on yourself so that you can better help others.
- Listen to some music. Spotify is my favorite source for streaming an endless library full of my favorite artists. I love that they have a multitude of pre-built playlists that you can save and download for offline use. Spotify is available on computers, tablets, and phones and offers free/paid versions.
2. Watch The Clouds. Watching the clouds roll by is one of my favorite ways to decompress a little bit while working on projects and assignments. Try and see if you can remember all the types of clouds and their names!
3. Use A Scent You Enjoy. Many people lately enjoy implementing essential oils into their self-care routines. Try adding lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil to a room diffuser or diffusing jewelry to help relax. Or, you can use your favorite cologne or perfume and spritz it on yourself.
4. Read Poetry. Getting my hands on some wonderful poetry is one of my favorite things to do. I currently have a copy of The Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson on my desk that I have been working my way through recently.
5. Just Breathe. Taking a few moments to breathe can help us feel refreshed and revitalized. Practice taking four or five long, deep breaths. If the weather is permitting, I highly suggest that you do this outside.
6. Do Some Coloring! There are so many awesome adult coloring books available on the market now, even at the local dollar stores! If you don’t have time or the money to make it to the store, you can find many free downloadable PDF coloring pages online that you can easily print out yourself.
7. Put Your Feet In Some Water! Filling a bowl with water and putting my feet into it and wiggling my toes is one of my favorite things to do. You can either do nice cool water, maybe with some cucumber and orange slices. Or you can even do a hot water foot bath and add in some herbs or essential oils. This is one thing that you can totally customize however you please.
8. Do Some Yoga. Practicing yoga doesn’t have to be at a studio, or in fancy yoga clothes, or with a fancy yoga mat. All you need is some comfy clothes that have room for flexibility and yourself. You can even practice it anywhere!
9. Enjoy Your Things! Got a new watch? Wear it! Got a new bow tie but not sure how other people will react? Who cares! Go out and rock that new bow tie! If you’ve got things that you like and they make you feel good, wear them! Sometimes all it takes is putting on your favorite shades on the way to work, or putting on those really nice earrings that you keep saving for the “right day”. Wear it! Enjoy it!
10. Write It Out In A Journal! Get a nice journal that you really like and know that you will use. Think about if you are wanting it to be small and compact or a bit larger. What size do you want? Take a few moments to write out how you are feeling at the moment. This can help you to organize your thoughts and look at them differently.
