Self care felt like a huge trend that exploded in 2018 and I was one of those people who got caught right up in it. After sharing my journey to how I got into self care (plug for my first post here), I want to share a self care routine that makes me so happy, I don’t think I could ever go back to living without it. And, honestly, I’m not sure how I ever survived without this routine.
One of the most important things I did to get myself into a self care routine was identifying what I felt was missing for me – what did my brain and my body need? At the time when I was stressed, I identified 3 things I needed the most:
- Alone time – and to not think about anything
- Skincare routine – my face was breaking out more than usual
- Organization – although I keep things tidy, I wanted to get in a rhythm of cleaning and organizing to hopefully bring that energy into other aspects of my life
Once I identified those 3 things, I immediately knew the actions I was going to take that would eventually result into my self care routine.
Alone time – and not thinking about anything
Since I share an apartment with my boyfriend and my dog, alone time isn’t a thing I get very often (mostly because I don’t like being alone). But, I knew I had to at least find some space where I can relax, be quiet and let my mind rest. The bathroom was the best place to start. Of course I shower everyday, but once a week I make that time more relaxing by dimming the light, lighting a candle, playing “Quiet Hours” on Spotify (I highly recommend this playlist even when working) and doing a face mask. This makes my showers feel more special and the “Quiet Hours” playlist allows my mind to enjoy the sounds I am listening to without words; allowing me to not think. Recently, I have been going to the gym in the mornings, which has become another great way for me to spend some time alone and follow a workout without thinking.
Skincare routine
I normally wash my face, use toner, eye cream and put on a moisturizer twice a day everyday, but once a week I like doing a face mask in the shower. My favorite is a black charcoal scrub from Freeman. Depending on what my face needs though, I will do a sheet mask or clay mask once I get out the shower. I also do my regular skincare routine more slowly, massaging the products into my skin to take the extra alone time in the bathroom.
Once I leave the bathroom, I feel relaxed, refreshed and since I do this routine at night, ready for bed!
Organization
To me, organization means everything is clean and put away in a neat place that makes sense. I knew the best way to start organizing was to do a big clean day once a week. Cleaning for most people is the LEAST relaxing thing ever, but taking care of my home is taking care of myself. One day during the weekend, mostly Sundays, I will start cleaning right after eating breakfast. I start in the kitchen and work my way through the living room, bathroom and ending in the bedroom. Once I’m done cleaning, I will light a candle depending on what mood I’m in. I’ve been loving the Macintosh candle from Yankee Candle, the smell of fresh apples after cleaning gives the apartment an extra boost of cleanliness. When I see how clean my apartment is, I fall in love with my apartment all over again and take a moment to be grateful. This energy that I feel afterwards pushed me to be more organized at work.
In order to maintain this self care routine, I wrote all the steps in my planner on the days I wanted to follow this routine to hold myself accountable. Once I followed this self care routine for a few weeks, it naturally expanded into a full Sunday routine, which definitely deserves it’s own blog post!
I want to mention that not every week is the same and things come up (like happy hour or Sunday Funday), but the important thing for me is to make sure I at least do some part of my routine once a week, even if it’s not all on the same day. This routine has turned my mood around and I look forward to all of these steps. I feel like it’s a great way to hit the reset button, especially after a particularly hard day or week!