Six Ways to Promote Self-Care in your Life

What is self-care, and why should we practice it?

Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it's a simple concept, in theory, it's something we very often overlook. Good self-care is vital to improve our mood and reduce anxiety.

If we do not take the time to take care of our selves, then how are we suppose to take care of our families. When we take care of our selves physically, it makes us feel good, and therefore, we also practice mental healthcare at the same time.

I get it, we are busy individuals, and we might think we do not have time for self-care, but it does not have to be a whole day dedicated to it.

Here are a few self-care tips that you can start incorporating into your daily lives little by little.

1. Read a self-help book for at least 15 minutes.

It is hard to get back into the routine of reading when you have not done it in a while. Growing up, I was always a reader. I loved mysteries and fantasy literature, but I grew up and had less and less time to read.

As one of my new year resolutions, I decided to start reading for 15 minutes before bed. Instead of spending those fifteen minutes on my phone, I decided to read something that it is going to awaken an interest of mine or help me in some way. I am currently re-reading The Joy of Living by Yongey Mingyar Rinpohe because it is going to help me in my meditation journey.

For you, it does not have to be a meditation book; it could be a business book, an emotional self-help book, a relationship book, or anything that is going to help you become a better you.

2. Start your day with 10 minutes of meditation/gratitude.

Meditation and gratitude is something that has helped me in the past month. I usually would spend the first ten to fifteen minutes of my day on social media, but now I spend that time trying to meditate for a few minutes and the rest on gratitude. Gratitude can be a prayer if you are religious or just vocalizing the things you are grateful for that morning.

Meditation is a whole other ball game that people have written books for centuries to understand it better. For now, you can start by using guided meditation, which has definitely helped me. There are tons of short YouTube videos on Guided Meditation that you can definitely use.

3. Do some physical activity.

The time that you want to dedicate to this is entirely up to you and your goals. I will suggest anywhere from 30 min to 1 hour, at least three to four times per week. There are tons of short yoga and HIIT workouts on YouTube that can help you with your daily physical activity.

I choose to do yoga daily for 30 minutes because that works for me. And to be honest, those 30 minutes don't always happen. Sometimes I walk my dog for 45 minutes, and that counts as my physical activity because it makes me feel good. When we do any type of physical activity, it makes us feel good, and that counts as self-care.

4. Do a facial.

There are tons of different ways you can incorporate a facial in your skincare routine, and they are all probably going to make you feel good about yourself. But wouldn't you rather do a facial with a natural product that is also going to do wonders to your skin?

Cleansing Essentials has a Dry Facial Masks Trio that you can mix with water yourself and apply it as a face mask. This trio has a Charcoal Mask, Greens Detox Mask, and a Pink Clay Mask so that you can try all three on different self-care occasions.

5. Use a daily sugar scrub.

This one is pretty easy for me because I keep it in the shower, and every morning when I shower, I scoop a little bit of my organic sugar scrub, and I scrub it all over my body. Using a scrub is something that will honestly take you less than five minutes in your shower. There are tons of DIY scrubs online, so you can make your own and keep it in the shower. If you are going to make your own, I recommend using a citrus essential oil to make it because it really does uplift you.

I love to start my day with my Lemongrass Sugar Scrub from Cleansing Essentials. This scrub puts me in such a great mood that it has become such an essential part of my morning routine, so much that it is right next to my morning coffee.

6. Talk to your best friends.

Relationships are an essential part of our lives, and it is hard to upkeep them sometimes. Part of self-care should be investing time in your relationships because relationships make us feel good. So take the time to go out to lunch with a good friend, or if that is not possible, at least have that long conversation with them. Nourishing a good friendship, especially one that makes you feel good about yourself and motivates you, is important.

I know that these are pretty basic self-care examples, but I guarantee you that the simpler they are, the easier they are to incorporate in your life. It is the little things in life that add up to the bigger picture.