It’s the last weekend in July already and also my last week as a full-time work from home employee as Monday I will be going back into the office for my new work position. While I am excited to return to the office on a part-time basis, I will for training purposes be there for Monday-Friday. Learning a new job as well as establishing a new routine can be a stressful time, even if you are looking forward to it. With any life transition comes some stress as our mind is not used to being out of routine, so it can make one feel uncomfortable until we can reestablish a routine again. That is why I am dedicating this week’s curated post to our self-care. Also inspired by my trip to the spa last Saturday as well, self-care can be something that we easily push off as not important when things get busy, but I believe that this is when self-care should take more of a priority. When things are out of routine, new, or stressful, it’s important that we find the time to incorporate things to care for ourselves on a physical and emotional level to balance out the sympathetic nervous system that control’s our body fight or flight response. Let’s take some time to incorporate some exquisite self-care into our days and listed below are many ideas that you can look through for inspiration.
SHOPPING, books, MEDIA, ETC.
To start off this week’s self-care curated is a fluffy robe because after a long day of work or errands, it’s nice to just come home and wrap up in something full of soft and cozy comfort. You don’t need to break the budget either for this small luxury as Amazon has their Amazon Essentials Women’s Mid-Length Plush Robe for only $30 or less. I have this exact robe in white and have had if for years, so the quality is also very good too.
And if you have a plush robe, you also need a good pair of fluffy slippers to go with it. These Paris Crossband Faux Fur Slippers are so soft to walk around in, especially if you have hard floors like I do. It’s nice to walk around the house with soft slippers on and the opened top creates a nice airflow so that your feet don’t get too hot while wearing them.
Whenever we are going through something that may be a little stressful such as a new job, a house move, etc., there may be times when you are not getting your best sleep and that is where a good eye patch can be helpful. I like to use these Pixi Dream-yeye Calming and Replenishing Eye Patches. I use these a couple times a week as part of my at-home facials, but whenever I don’t get a good night’s sleep and my eyes seems a little puffy, I will use these to help replenish them and sooth the puffiness. I leave them on for about 10-15 minutes and my eyes instantly look so much better afterwards.
You already know how I love to journal, and journaling can be so helpful when trying to create new routines. You can read more about my journaling practice here, but I use my journal as a way to create my life and future and bring out new ideas for what I truly want to incorporate into the details of my daily life. But like all things I do, I try to make the routine a beautiful practice with beautiful supplies such as pens and journals. I shared my favorite pens on the last Curated post, and today I am sharing my favorite journal which is the Eccolo Medium Lined Journal Notebook. I love their saffiano cover with gold embossing and that it also comes with a ribbon bookmark as well to keep my place.
One thing that I like to do after a long day is to light the scented candles around my house. I like to use candles with a luxuriously soft and comforting scent and my favorite is the Masala Rose Candle from Target. They came out with this scent about two years ago and it has been my favorite to use since then. You can buy candles in whatever scent you find relaxing too and some other soothing scents to explore are scents such as white tea, lavender or wood scents like those of a fireplace.
And speaking of soothing scents, it’s a great tool to use to help us relax, especially before going to sleep and a great way to incorporate that into our routine is to use a scented hand lotion right before bed. I purchased this bottle of OUAI Hand Lotion to use before I go to bed every night and while it is a small investment up front for $32, I can confirm that I have had this same bottle since October, so it does last a long time. The scent is so luxurious with notes of Magnolia, Citrus and Rose and it’s formulated with avocado, jojoba and rose hip oils to keep your hands soft and moisturized throughout the night.
One of the best things that I invested in inadvertently for my self-care is noise canceling headphones. I originally got the headphones to use for my work when I am taking phone calls, but the noise canceling works so well that I use them so much more than just for a work. I will use them when I am doing a hobby like reading, coloring or a puzzle, I use them at the gym to block the sounds of the treadmills, and on the airplanes to block the airplane and/or any kid sounds, etc. I am sensitive to loud noise naturally and these have been worth every penny I have spent on them. There are many headphones on the market like this including BOSE and Apple, but I love my Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Headphones. They are lightweight, sounds great on phone calls and provides outstanding noise-cancelling. I would pay the $348 price again and again if I had to, but these headphones are so well made that I believe they will work for many years to come.
Moving on to books that we can read to inspire us to incorporate more self-care into our lives, the first one I am going to recommend is 100 Ways to Enjoy Self-Care for Gentle Well Being and a Healthy Body by Fionna Ferris. You already know I love Fiona’s books and this one has so many great ideas on how to create more self-care into your everyday life. Described as, discover easy, fun, and free ways to practice self-care in your daily life, with no extra time needed. Find out how to pamper and care for yourself as well as you care for others, without guilt. In this book you will find 100 ways to enjoy self-care and increase your self-esteem. You owe it to yourself as a human being!
A book that is a quick, but effective read for self-care is Good Vibes, Good Life: How Self Love is the Key to Unlocking Your Greatness. This little book is full of ideas on how self-care and practicing positive lifestyle changes can help us create a better life. Described as, ideas to practice self-care, overcome toxic energy, and prioritize your well-being, cultivate positive lifestyle habits, including mindfulness and meditation, change your beliefs to invite great opportunities into your life, manifest your goals using tried-and-tested techniques, overcome fear and flow with the Universe, find your higher purpose and become a shining light for others.
And for us busy ladies who may be working, parenting and trying to keep up with everyday life, look into anxiety and stress through self-care strategies you can easily incorporate into your day. Described as, women take on many roles throughout the day, long gone are the days when women were expected to be solely homemakers. Nowadays, in a 24-hour time span, you are expected to be a childcare provider, cook, maid, financial planner, chauffeur, teacher, lover…the list goes on and on. But the truth of the matter is that self-care is vital to maintaining your mental health, and there are ways to quickly incorporate it into your busy schedule. In this book, you will discover: How anxiety and stress turn into overthinking and negative thought patterns, and how to fix these negative cognitive distortions to improve your mindset, The powerful effects of boundaries — why setting and maintaining healthy boundaries in all areas of your life is an important aspect of self-care, Why mindfulness matters, including 10 separate quick exercises in breathing and meditating, Reminders on physical self-care — how sleep, diet, and exercise all contribute to stress and anxiety, and ways to use all three to improve your overall wellbeing, A 6-step plan to get you back on track when you have gone off the rails with your self-care and much more.
And if you’re looking to enter your homebody era of cozy as a form of self-care, then give this cute book, The
One of my favorite YouTube channels that I subscribe to is Pick Up Limes. While this channel is mostly a vegan cooking channel, Sadia also has many other videos on lifestyle, minimalism and health & wellness. Saida’s voice is itself a calming thing to listen to, but in this video, she gives some great tips on decreasing stress and finding calm and patience too.
If you’re looking for some cozy escapism, then watch this lovely video of a Slow & Cozy Rainy Day in the English Countryside from Poetry of Slow Life.
Malama Life reminds us to approach self-care mindfully and not just as a to-do list item to check off. Her approach to life in general is always so thoughtful and that is why I appreciate her videos on the different subjects that she covers.
If you are one who wants to do some workouts as a form of self-care, but you’re not really a “gym” type of person, then check out this segment of cozy cardio from the Today Show. All about getting some low impact, but effective workouts in, but in a cozy way in your own home that you’ll enjoy.
articles of interest
Since we are still in the summer months and have a few more weeks of summer heat ahead of us, here are 7 summer self-care ideas to take care of yourself in the heat.
If you’re looking for some self-care items, but on a budget, then visit Target’s self-care shop full of little luxuries to help you relax starting at $5.00.
And because I am a hobby enthusiast, I wanted to be sure to provide an article all about hobbies for self-care. Here’s a nice article on 23 calming hobbies to restore your energy.
Tonya Leigh is such an inspiration, and I loved her Podcast episode, Why Every Woman Needs a Royal Treatment where she emphasizes the importance of treating oneself like royalty and prioritizing self-care
If you are looking for ideas for self-care, then be sure to read 11 self-care practices that you haven’t thought of (that are completely free).
I am always looking for ways to be more environmentally friendly in my day-to-day life and I found this article on 6 eco-friendly swaps for your personal-care routine that was a good read.
Where I live now, I do not have bathtub, so I can no longer buy bath bombs to enjoy, but I do have a standing shower and found this list of Bath & Body Works shower steamers to help you achieve peak self-care for under $20.
Thank you so much for mentioning my book, Katie! I am in wonderful company 🙂 I really appreciate it! x
You’re so welcome Fiona 🙂 All of your books are so wonderful, so I have no doubt that I will be mentioning even more of them in future Curated posts.