A Self-Care Tips
A guide to Self-Care
Wax Melts + Self-Care Candles + Handbar Soaps
Let’s face it, self-care can be difficult and this is why we have pulled a self-care tips guide together to help you get by.
We get you self-care at home can be tough and we can easily fall into daily routines which do our mental and physical health no good.
We all need a little help or inspiration and that is why we are here. We care about self-care and we want to help make you feel good.
Self-care doesn’t need to be expensive or time consuming, it can be making little tweaks to daily living to help you feel happier.
We hope you enjoy our self-care tips guide
.1.
Get Active and Get Moving
Self-Care Tips
How much are you moving?… Honestly?!
Many of us have needed to adapt to not moving a lot. It is very easy to sit in one place for a long period of time without realising that we haven’t really moved much, and this really isn’t good for us and its why it is a self-care tip.
Movement matters and our health depends upon it! As humans our bodies are designed to move. Movement helps our bodies to:
* Lower blood pressure
* Lower resting heart rate
* Combat Body fat
* Improve our immune system
* Improve our mental state
* Improve our quality of sleep
Our bodies contribute not just to our physical health, but to our mental health as well. Our bodies play a vital role in all our thought processes, understandings, emotions and decision making. Supporting your body with movement is vital to your self-care, wellness and sanity. This is why it is a vital self-care tip from us.
Keeping moving every day and make it a habit:
* Plan to exercise at least once a day if you can. If not, once a day make time a couple times a week.
* Wake up and have a stretch. Get your muscles working and release those endorphins and start the day on a positive upbeat note.
* Find fitness channels on YouTube. At Soapfullness we love:
Madfit
Joe Wicks
PsycheTruth
Yoga with Adriene
Plan a class into your day or a couple times a week. If you struggle to exercise at home, then how about going for a walk, run or cycle at lunch time or after work?
Make a commitment to join a fitness club such as running clubs and make that commitment every week. Make it your non negotiable commitment for self-care.
Get outside, get some fresh air, listen to the birds singing, smile at the people you pass (socially distanced of course), it really can change your state of mind alongside supporting your physical health.
Movement matters and so does self-care, which is why moving is our first self-care tip.
.2.
Plan Healthy Meals
Self-Care Tips
Whilst self-care can be about a bit of indulgence, watching what we eat is also important for our wellness and a vital self-care tip.
It is incredibly easy just to go and snack on some chocolate, crisps or some other hyperpalatable type food (for example foods which are extra salty, fatty foods, sweets) as they are easy to reach for and they can be a quick convenient snack which doesn’t require much input to make.
However, hyperpalatable foods help take over the brain as they release pleasure chemicals such as dopamine and making us want to eat just a little bit more. They don’t provide much nutritional value and we aren’t often left a feeling of fullness.
It’s too easy to reach for another soon after and then you are left with the feelings of shame, regret, disappointment and frustration to name but a few. Whilst there can be times for comfort eating, it isn’t sustainably healthy for your body or mind and having a meal and snack plan can really help reduce or remove these easily formed habits.
Setting aside a bit of time each week to plan your meals could also help to keep your shopping costs down, keep you semi organised, it will let you plan meals and snack which actually have nutritious values and it might even make you fall in love with cooking. Certainly a worthy self-care tip.
.3.
Indulge in a Bath
Self-Care Tips
Is there anything more relaxing than a hot shower or bath? Feeling the warmth surround you as you listen to the sound of the water is very soothing and relaxing.
It provides a place of stillness to unwind and switch off. A place where you can hopefully have a bit of peace and quiet where you can reflect, think, read or simply have some mindful moments.
Make a little time each week to fit this into your routine. Take a look at our candles as they are beautiful smelling and look great too..
Feeling stressed or anxious? Then have a good read into the benefits of a cold shower.
Whilst it doesn’t sound the most inviting or relaxing thing to do, it has such a huge range of health benefits that it will certainly help to promote well-being, mood control and reduce anxiety to name a few.
The Wim-Hof method is certainly an interesting concept to read, learn and practice (and it will make you feel amazing)! Please read up on how to practice this method safely before doing it. It is one of our favourite self-care tips.
.4.
Plan some Quiet Time
Self-Care Tips
Having a healthy balance in the household is vital. Our to-do lists can feel very long as we balance working life and family life, which is why it is a self-care tip.
Planning a little quiet time whether it is reading a book, listening to a podcast or music, taking a bath or shower, to doing some yoga, you will need to develop some self care strategies at home.
It is so easy to get caught up in with the to-do lists, which can feel never ending, but some down time can really help provide a fresh outlook and hit that refresh and reset button.
.5.
Stay Connected
Self-Care Tips
Getting caught up in daily routines can become a bit of a habit and we can neglect those that we care about. Take some time to check in on others as it could help your mental well-being too, which is why it is a self-care tip. Here are a few suggestions to help you stay connected:
* Make a phone call or video call
Check in on a family member or friend. Video call if you can so that you get some visual communication which can make you and the other person feel more engaged, involved and connected.
* Text, Whatsapp or Email
The ease of modern technology allows people to stay connected, so even if you don’t want to make a phone or video call you can easily just check in with family and friends. Send photos of your walks or your food, looks for reasons to speak to each other and lift each other up.
* Family Time
Isn’t easy just go get into the habit of getting by every day? Family time is so important, you could:
Make time to have fun together, create memories which will last. You could:
* Get baking or make snacks for the week ahead
* Get your children to create a dinner plan and make it with them (dangerous idea but fun!)
* Have a popcorn and movie night
* Have a picnic at home either indoors or in your garden
* Do some puzzles or bring the board games out
* Create a reading cave
* Post on social media or create a social media group for your closest friends and family
Social media is very easy to use but if you don’t like your publicly sharing things, then why not create a group for you and your friends and family?
Facebook groups and messenger, alongside WhatsApp are great ways to share posts that might make people giggle. If you don’t want to share things about what you then perhaps share silly things which will lift over people up and bring a smile to their faces.
* Virtual Book Club
Getting caught up in a good book can be blissful. It can take you mind to wonderful places as you escape as you switch off from everyday worries and the hustle and bustle. Create a virtual book club with family and friends, pick a book that you are all excited about and then grab some nibbles and chat about the book together.
* Fitness classes with friends
Focus on getting fit and healthy. Plan a couple YouTube classes or take a fitness membership out with friends. Plan exercise into your week and then stick to it. Having an accountability partner will help you stay focused and motivated whilst achieving your goals.
* Plan to watch a Netflix, Disney or Amazon Prime series with friends and family
Relax and switch off together with some delicious snacks and watch a good series or film. Netflix, Disney and Amazon prime have a huge variety to chose from and IMDB is always a great guide.
* Send surprise cards and letters
Brighten someone’s day with a thoughtful letter or card. Whilst technology is so convenient for sending quick messages.
Connecting with others is good for our mental health as it can improve your quality of life, boost your mental health and help you to live longer and a vital self-care tip.
.6.
Learn to Meditate
Self-Care Tips
Meditation is a wonderful skill and self-care tip to have whether it is by yourself or guided. It can help you to become more peaceful, focused, feel more content, relaxed and much more aware which is why it is the perfect self-care tip.
Meditation also helps to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, improve circulation, lower blood pressure. It can help provide clarity, focus and give you time to reflect. Meditation is a wonderful habit to form.
At Soapfullness we are huge fans of Andy Puddicombe at Headspace. When starting out with meditation it is easy to question whether you are doing it correctly and it can be really easy to give up.
With guided meditation it helps keep you on track, it gives you focus and motivation, it gives you another person’s soothing voice to listen too, which can be a big break from daily living.
Headspace allows you to keep track of your meditations too which is great motivation to stay on track. Obviously, there are plenty of other apps and ways to meditate but to us this is a firm favourite of ours and why we personally recommend it in our self-care tips.
.7.
Declutter Your Space
Self-Care Tips
It is really easy to let clutter build up.
Be proactive and think of it as a self-care tip because the more it builds, the more work it becomes to tidy up.
Getting organised and creating a clutter free space is a great way to help clear your mind and reduced any unneeded stress. Take a picture before you start clearing/cleaning and then again after cleaning/tidying. Pop a bit of music on and get in the zone.
It’s a little feel-good self-care tip that will make you also appreciate the work that you have put into tidying the space.
.8.
Start a Gratitude list
Self-Care Tips
Declutter your mind and focus on the things that you are grateful for. It can help turn a negative or low mood into feeling happy and content, something which we all need and the reason why it is on our self-care tips list.
It helps create positive thoughts, creates greater awareness, a greater feeling of appreciation, it helps provide perspective, it gives you hope and it can help orientate you. Gratitude grows the more that you use it. Of course, there are aspects of life which will challenge us but:
“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”
— Anthony Robbins
Starting a gratitude list is a great way to help your mental health and wellness and a great self-care tip.
.9.
Plant a Plant
Self-Care Tips
Nature has a huge impact on our health and you don’t need a garden to get started. There are many wonderful indoor plants which can bring about the outside inside, which is why it is a great self-care tip.
With many of us working from home, having indoor plants is a great way to help to uplift a space whilst providing several well-being benefits.
Indoor plants that we Love:
♥ Syngoniums
♥ Caladiums (please note that these go dormant in winter)
♥ Philodendrons
♥ String of Hearts
♥ Monstera Variegata
♥ Alocasia
For example, in 2009 a study found patients that had plants or flowers in their hospital rooms had lower blood pressure, anxiety, fatigue and a higher pin tolerance compared to patients who stayed in rooms without plants. This great study supports the therapeutic value of plants.
If you have a garden why not start thinking about growing your own vegetables?
Stay happier and healthier and try growing some plants.
.10.
Learn and Develop a New Skill
Self-Care Tips
Not feeling particularly challenged or not enjoying your job? Learning is a life long self-care tip.
This could be the perfect time to learn a new skill or gain a new qualification. With great course providers such as Creative Live, Skill Share, Udemy, Coursea, YouTube, and the Open University, so if you are thinking of a career change do check these out.
Alongside learning new skill, you could incorporate it into sending someone a gift which would brighten up their day for example if you learn photography send them a print, if you learn to knit, knit something that they would love, if you learn to sew ask if anyone needs anything fixing or get creative or make them a unique and thoughtful gift.
We hope that you have loved our Wellness at home article and that you can take some inspiration from it to help you have a happier and healthier lifestyle.
Wishing you Health + Happiness
Soapfullness
