There’s a lot of stress in the world at the moment. I think we could all use some ‘me-time’ to relax and get rid of some tension. With Covid-19 still hanging around, it makes it a little more difficult as most of us are still stuck at home. Have no fear. I have created 10 ways you can give yourself some self care at home.
1. Bubble Bath and Candles
I know some people don’t like baths, but I do! It’s like a magical ritual for myself. Drawing the water, putting in things that will soothe my body or make me smell gorgeous, projecting good expectations and happy energy into the water for me to be surrounded by and immerse my whole body in.
I always have to have candles with a bath. It sets the tone. Makes it extra calming (and smell extra good). A part of self care is setting your surroundings for yourself. Creating an atmosphere makes it easier for your subconscious to relax while giving yourself the full experience. This leads me onto my next idea.
By the way, this is the candle I use. It smells amazing! Like a warm cinnamon and white chocolate!
2. At Home Spa Day
Whether it’s for yourself or you and your kids, a home spa is always fun. Face masks are a must and you’ll find even your local grocery store will have a good selection of them! My personal favourite are the under eye masks because I get serious dark circles under my eyes (thank goodness for concealer) when I haven’t slept properly. Get fancy and pop some cucumber on the eyes too!
After your face mask, you can head over to the foot spa. Or your bath tub/washing up bowl. Run some warm water and dissolve some Epsom salts (or pop in your favourite moisturising bubble bath) and soak your feet/troubles away. You can also take this time to polish/paint your toenails!
If you’re one of those people that have dyed your hair in Lock Down, then I highly suggest a hair mask! After showering and washing your hair, apply a hair mask to replenish your damaged hair (or if you just want to show it some love).
Other ideas include: manicure, back massage (if you have someone who’s willing), body scrub, crack out those lotions and oils you got for Christmas and treat yourself!
If you haven’t got the essentials for an at home spa day, then I have the perfect woman to tell you about! Her name is Lucie.
Lucie runs a business called Boss Beauties and sells products from The Body Shop. I absolutely love The Body Shop products because they do not test on animals and they have so many products for everyone’s needs. I actually used to work with Lucie and since, she has become a Mumma! She started her business to earn some money for her family and make her little girl proud. She is very kindly offering YOU 10% off your first order with her that is over £4.50. Just use the code: Lottie10 when you order your products. Click here to join the Boss Beauties (for free) and order your goodies while supporting a fellow Mumma!
3. Meditation
I’ve recently started picking this back up again. I have meditated for a few years on and off and I love it. I especially loved doing it through my pregnancy and it really helped me to sleep better. I’ve picked it back up again because I’ve noticed that little things are making me unusually irritable. Like a loud car going past the house, a particular baby toy constantly singing, the dog barking. All this usually annoys me, yes, but I don’t normally get an internal bubbling rage from it. So I thought I might have some underlying stress building up.
I’m so glad I did pick this back up because it just reminded me that I need to take some time out for myself. I use an app called Headspace (not sponsored or ad or gifting, just an organic recommendation). It’s an amazing app that will guide you through meditation. Prefect for beginners. Once you have completed the beginning meditations, you can explore a huge library of different guided meditations specific to your problems. They have guided meditations for: sleep, depression, anxiety, stress, work, kids, anger,walking. There’s so much to choose from and it’s the perfect ‘quick way’ to practise self care at home.
4. Write
This is an obvious one for me as it is one of my main hobbies but I’ve always loved writing. As a child, I kept diaries and found it so therapeutic and it’s a practice I still do to this day. Not only is it beneficial at the time of writing, I find myself very grateful reading back on my entries. Whether it was good times that I am grateful for having or bad times. In fact, I am so glad I wrote diary entries during bad times because it almost acts as proof. Proof that I survived that, when at the time I wasn’t sure I was strong enough, brave enough or good enough. But I’m there reading it after getting through it, reminding myself that actually, I was strong enough, I was brave enough and I am good enough. And I will get through anything life throws at me because, well, I have before!
5. Early to Bed
You tell your kids this, so why not practise what you preach? Since becoming a Mum, I love going to bed early. Doing my before bed routine is so much easier when you aren’t already knackered and really can’t be bothered because you just want to go to bed. Getting an early nights sleep means that even if you take a while to drop off, you will get a decent amount of hours in slumber land.
Going early to bed means you can set yourself a wind down routine and ensure you have a good quality of sleep as well as quantity of sleep.
6.WINE!
An obvious one. I’m not encouraging you to turn to alcohol to make you feel better but, for me, it’s a treat. And like all treats, you should savour them. Once my daughter is asleep and I’ve cleaned the kitchen, I love to sit on the sofa with a cold glass of Rosé as a reward. With every sip, I relax and let the day wash away, looking forward to a new day tomorrow. Now this is my kind of self care at home!
In case any of you are wondering, this is my favourite wine:
7. Stretch
Stress can cause physical tension in your body. Stretch your muscles to relive some of that physical tension and help your body to relax. Try some yoga! There are so many free yoga tutorials on YouTube and they can cover many specific issues. Yoga for stress, better sleep, anxiety or even indigestion! There’s something for everyone.
Check out my recommendations for Fun and Free at home work outs. Exercise is really beneficial to your mental health so this is another way to practise self care at home.
8. Go For a Walk
I walk the dog everyday. Sometimes I don’t want to or can’t be bothered but I push myself to do it anyway and I never regret it. Not only is it good for your heart and your body but it’s good for your mind. I know it’s not technically self care at home but it’s still very beneficial and something you can do within Lock Down restrictions. Being one with nature can calm your mind and make you think of things in a new way. Fresh air can blow away the cobwebs and it can distract you and give you something else to think about. Not to mention, research has shown that vitamin D can play an important part in warding off depression and boost your mood!
9. Mindful Project
When we all have more time on our hands, why not pick up a project? One that soothes your mind but keeps it busy. Puzzles, painting, drawing, mindful colouring or even baking. Creating something that soothes your mind can lift your spirits and fill the void.
Link to the watercolour pallet I use:
10. Sing and Dance
Whenever I’m in a slump, one sure thing that boosts my mood is music. I love to put a song on full volume and dance to it. You can do this with your kids too! Or if they think your crazy, embarrass them and do it anyway. My kitchen is my daily dancing place. While I make dinner, I put on my favourite song and I dance and sing as I cook. Is it pretty? No. Would I do it with guests in the house? No but when it’s just me and my family, who cares?
