Self Care At Home

What does Self Care mean?

Self care is what we do to improve our health. We have different aspects of health including; physical, social, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. We need to think about what each of these aspects means for us. When we prioritise self care, we are better able to handle life, and enjoy it!

What works as self-care for one person, may look different for another person. Therefore we need to think about who we are as individuals, our passions, our values, and so on. Also, we may have different needs at different times, for example you could be feeling low because one aspect of your self care needs is not being met. This could be something like not having the chance to socialise.

It can take some practice to identify what our body needs and when, but the more we practice, the better we will get at taking care of our needs.    

Importance of Taking Care Of Yourself

It is always important to take care of ourselves. There are certain people who may find it harder to take care of themselves, such as parents, or people with particularly demanding jobs. This is because they have less time for themselves. A research study which looked at the benefits of self care for therapists, found that therapists who took part in self care had significant declines in stress, negative affect, rumination, state and trait anxiety, and significant increases in positive affect and self-compassion.  This demonstrates how essential self care is, especially for people who are always caring for others.

I don’t believe that our lives are supposed to be purely about being productive, I think we owe no one but ourselves time to enjoy, and just simply be! as a bonus, this means we are better for our friends, families, and jobs.

Self-care should be a part of our daily routine.  Some of the benefits of self care are: reduce stress, improve concentration, reduce frustration, increase happiness, improve energy, etc. Not only does self-care bring us closer to feeling physically and emotionally healthy, but it gives us the chance to learn more about who we are. And what could be more special than learning to live life as our most authentic selves?

Ideas For Self Care At Home

Here are some self-care ideas for the days and nights you find yourself at home 

Set the scene

• Create a beautiful and calming room in your home
• Have a bath with candles, ocean sounds, favourite smells
• Use oil burners with your favourite essential oils, aromatherapy can bring psychological and physical benefits
• Create a relaxing corner in your garden to sit in
• Put a bird feeder or bird bath in the garden and watch your garden come to life
• Get some real or artificial plants for your home, being around plants help us to feel calm, and some plants help reduce anxiety
• Bring a restaurant to your home by setting the kitchen table with flowers and a candle, find a new or fav recipe, and make an evening of it, either alone or with family
• Have breakfast lunch or tea in the garden (if the weather permits)
• Watch the sunrise while listening to the calming sounds of birds, or watch the sunset

Get it out

• Journal about everything that is on your mind
• Journal about self-discovery, you can find some inspiration for self discovery with these questions
• Write post-it notes of inspiration and positive quotes and put them in places you see every day
• Watch or read something that makes you laugh!
• Put on your favourite song and sing loud!
• Listen to someone on youtube speak about an experience you resonate with so you feel heard
• Watch a tedtalk or watch a feel good film
• Listen to a positive and inspiring podcast
• Join groups on Facebook and contribute to the comments by having your say (keep it positive so you can feel good)
• Find images on pinterest that you feel expresses who you are and save them

Get moving

• Find a yoga or meditation on youtube and practice in the living room
• Clear out old toys or clothes and donate to charity, decluttering can boost mood, sharpen your focus, energise you, and relieve anxiety
• Do a DIY project at home you will enjoy
• Change around a room, a change of scenery can lift our mood
• Organise your creative space, if you have a space where you get creative, then you’ll feel great organising it and you’ll feel happier when you next come to use it
• Put on your favourite album and dance!
• Play with your pet if you have one, research shows pets can positively influence mental health
• Plant something in your garden (scientists found that mycobacterium vaccae found in the soil, helps produce more of the “happy” hormone in our brain)
• Make a plan for the day ahead, or week ahead, which includes time for self-care

Love your body

• Exfoliate and moisturise
• Soak your feet
• Try a new makeup style on youtube
• Try a new hairstyle on youtube
• Make a smoothie with fresh fruit and veg
• Sip a herbal tea in the garden or while looking out the window, they are high in antioxidants and calming!
• Buy yourself something nice, if you’re on a budget then grab something preloved, I love using vinted for a bargain!
• Lay down! honestly when I’m feeling overwhelmed with two children, sometimes I just go and lay down for 10 minutes in my room, I let my bed totally support my body and I allow my mind to wonder about all things positive