Over the course of the past year, it seems like death swept through our family. Covid hit our family hard in 2021. After the loss of my dad, I realized that I needed to focus more on self-care. First off, let me start by explaining what self-care is. According to Google, self-care is “the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health”. Self-care should be something you enjoy not something that feels like an obligation. Taking care of our bodies is an extremely important element of self-care. Physical self-care is all about catering to our physical body and its health. These types of things can be done by focusing on eating & sleeping well, exercising, increasing your fluid intake (WATER!!) and taking care of any ailments you may have.
Now that we’re past that, I want to share some of my favorite ways to unwind and treat myself on the regular:
1. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
The most vital way to practice self-care is to listen to your body. This means resting when it feels tired, taking things slow when you need to … and most importantly, not pushing yourself when you’re not 100%. Physical self-care is about being intentional in how we take care of our bodies, which means listening to them and giving them what they need. Sleep is extremely necessary for a healthy mind and body, yet many people don’t get enough. If you don’t get enough sleep, you are making yourself vulnerable to stress and illness. Too little can make it difficult to make decisions, solve problems and control your emotions and behavior. Everything seems worse when you don’t get enough sleep. You may feel more anxious, agitated, depressed. Whatever symptoms you typically experience are amplified. Additionally, even though you may feel like you are functioning fine with little sleep, you aren’t! Lack of sleep will eventually catch up with you. Of course, having kids back-to-back my sleeping routine was waaaaaay out of wack! It only took me 5 times to get to where I am today. Now instead of staying up to “get stuff done”, I go to sleep when Zahra clocks out. My body is now naturally tired by 9PM. There are nights that I’m in bed by 8:15pm and awake by 4AM. That allows me time to get the proper rest AND I get to have time to myself or complete different tasks around the house. I’ve actually managed to read during the early hours of the morning.
2. Make Your Own Sugar Scrub
My go-to way to unwind is a goooooood 5-minute body exfoliation. There are a lot of nights where I would like to take a nice long sit-down. But let’s be honest, I’m usually extremely too tired or I just don’t have the time to do so. If you’re not a mom, you’ll never understand! But if you are, you feel where I’m coming from. You always have time to shower though! If you have the time & energy to shower, then you have the time for a quick 5-minute body scrub! Finding a legit body scrub can run you $20-$40! Exfoliating your skin does not have to be that expensive. With a few simple ingredients, that you may already have in your pantry, you can whip up a big batch of “clean” refreshing scrub!
Here’s what you will need:
1 Cup of brown sugar
1 Cup of white sugar
Almond oil or vegetable oil
Essential oil or fragrance oil (vanilla, lavender or rose)
Directions:
- Mix both the brown and white sugars in a medium size mixing bowls.
- Add the almond or vegetable oil to sugar until it becomes a thick paste (I personally like to use grapeseed oil)
- Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil or fragrance oil
- Jump into the shower and mix the mixture all over your body
Disclaimer: Make sure you aren’t allergic to any of the oils you want to use!
This process can be done 2-3 times a week. Pay close attention to typical dry areas like elbows and feet. Make sure you hydrate your skin with some sort of body cream or body butter after exfoliating your skin. I like to follow-up my exfoliating treatments with Kiehl’s body lotion and Shea nut oil.
3. Exercise
Regular exercise is essential for your physical health. It helps preserve your mental acuity. Aerobic exercise helps get the blood flowing throughout your system and it also carries oxygen and glucose to your brain. These are two substances the brain needs in order to function. Doctors say that exercising for at least 30 minutes a day, two to three times a week, will help prevent heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity and now, Alzheimer’s. If you don’t do anything else, a brisk walk every day will do wonders for your brain.
Even if it’s just 30min of exercising, find a way to move your body. You don’t have to train like you’re entering the Olympics. But something as simple as a quick morning walk is perfect! You can take this time to mediate and prepare for the day ahead. This is a great way to allow your mind to relax. That can leave you feeling refreshed and centered. You will also find that you have more energy throughout the day. Be sure to eat a healthy meal after completing your morning exercise. You should also take the time to lengthen your muscles in some way. Try practicing a variety of stretches after exercising.
4. Eat More Nutritious Foods
Eating foods without pesticides, hormones, and fertilizers is better for your body and for the earth. Organic food has become increasingly popular in the past 10 to 20 years, as people are becoming more conscious of what they feed themselves and their families. Organic foods tend to cost a few dollars more, but it is worth it! You know what you’re putting into your body, and you don’t have to worry about anything unnatural. There are numerous grocery stores that sell organic products, like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. While doing your weekly grocery shopping, be mindful of how different foods can affect your mood.
Cooking is considered one of the ultimate forms of relaxation. It puts the world behind us by allowing us to get into a rhythm of following the directions, sticking to a precise schedule, and anticipating a delicious meal to come. Even if you’re too busy to cook every night, try to set aside one night a week for some kitchen time. Experimentation in the kitchen can be wonderful, but it does not have to be a new thing each & every night. Most of us love to try new dishes and eat at new restaurants to avoid getting bored with the same old thing night in & night out. But sometimes that results in forgetting our old favorites! The old favorites are just that for a reason. Change up your schedule a bit by resolving to cook your favorite dish once in a while. I often tap into my personal childhood favorites when I’m clueless on what to cook. I also like to piggy-back off of my sister for ideas. Check out my recipes tab for some of my family favorite recipes.
5. Practice Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a big deal within our house. Aromatherapy is the practice of using aromatic plants to treat various conditions and maintain your well-being. Modern day aromatherapy uses essential oils. It is practiced by using aerial diffusion, direct inhalation and topical application to the skin. Popular medical herbs used in aromatherapy (and are my favorite) would include:
Lavender – used for anxiety, insomnia, mild depression and hair loss (alopecia)
Chamomile – treats insomnia, anxiety, indigestion, skin infections, wounds and inflammation
Eucalyptus – a natural decongestant, expectorant and headache remedy
Peppermint – relieves indigestion, coughs, nausea and headaches
You will find a bottle of each of these essential oils in almost every room within our home. I would highly recommend purchasing essential oils that do not have fillers in them.
Now that I’ve share some of my favorite self-care activities, I challenge you to tap into one of the examples I listed above, try it out for about two weeks and let me know how it goes in the comments below! Be sure to connect with me on Facebook and Instagram and tag me in your posts! I would love to follow you on your self-care journey! I hope you spend sometime this summer caring for yourself, and feed your body with things that it needs because you deserve it! Until next time …
