But what does self-care look like?
Well, when you glance over the hashtag on Instagram, you’ll notice photos of DIY face masks, aesthetically-pleasing floral bath rituals, posts discussing how to get clear, glowing skin and a ton of other eye-catching posts. Granted, all of these are examples of what to include in a self-care routine to help nourish yourself, but there’s so much more to a self-care routine that can sometimes be overlooked- your mental health.
As the old, accurate saying goes, “beauty is skin deep” and while it’s necessary to treat your body to a nice, warm bath or splurge on a spa facial to achieve baby smooth skin, it won’t do as much if your mind isn’t right. How you feel about yourself internally, reflects on the outside as well, so It’s important to check in often with yourself to make sure you’re doing okay. Whether or not you’re new to starting a self-care routine or you already have one established, here are some mental health necessities to implement into your routine so you can glow from the inside-out.
MEDITATE
I sincerely appreciate the practice of meditation. When Istart my day off focusing on the present moment through meditating, I’m better prepared for my sometimes hectic day ahead. I concentrate on tasks better, I’m calmer and I typically don’t feel as stressed or anxious, compared to days when I don’t meditate first thing in the morning. Since including meditation as apart of my daily routine, I’ve become more mindful and aware of the present moment and less stressed.
USE AFFIRMATIONS
There’s so much power in the words you speak. Depending on where you are in your life, the use of positive affirmations can be beneficial since they’re used to help encourage and motivate you, as well as serve as a reminder to be optimistic and positive. Affirmations shift your attention on enhancing what you are instead of focusing on what you’re not.
Create and write some affirmations such as “I am surrounded by loving and great people,” place them on a mirror in your house and practice saying your affirmations daily. The more you get into the habit of saying your affirmations out loud, you’ll begin to notice that you’re manifesting what you’re speaking.
KEEP A JOURNAL
Journaling is a great way to release daily stress. It’s believed that writing about stressful events helps you come to terms with them, thus reducing the impact of these stressors on your physical health. Additionally, it’s healthy to have an outlet where you’re able to express yourself and release any overwhelming feelings you may have experienced throughout the day with no judgment.
TAKE A SOCIAL MEDIA BREAK
One of the great things about social media is that it gives us the opportunity to connect with people from all over the world and has also created opportunities for entrepreneurs to start their own businesses, however, it certainly has its downsides, too. With daily exposure to deaths, rude or hateful comments and the lives of others constantly popping up onto your feed whether you follow people or not, social media can be a big distraction and can sometimes be mentally exhausting.
Instead of constantly checking and staring at your phone throughout the day, take a social media break for a few days or try setting a time slot for you to check your phone twice a day for a set amount of time. Try maybe once in the morning and once in the afternoon for 20-30 minutes each time. Of course, you can always adjust it to fit your needs but that’s a good place to start.
MIND YOUR BUSINESS
Thanks to gossip blogs and general interaction with different individuals on a daily basis, it’s easy to get caught up in what’s going on in everyone else’s lives. Sure, we all have our moments but remember, the more time you spend focusing on someone else, the less time you have to dedicate to you and your craft.
On the contrary, people will have their opinions about you and it’s important to remember that others’ opinions of you are none of your business, so try not to spend too much time reflecting on what you may or may not have done to someone that caused them to react negatively towards you. Read a book, go to the gym or occupy your time making yourself better.
Not only are these mental hacks easy to do, but they’re absolutely necessary to anyone’s self-care routine in order to help maintain a healthy mind, body and natural glow. After all, when you feel good, you look good.