Investing time in self-care has never been more critical for our health and wellbeing. Busy, hectic ‘always-on’ lifestyles can leave us feeling frazzled, drained and out-of-sync. It’s vital to take time to tune into ourselves and develop a toolkit of self-care techniques to boost wellbeing.
We share a few ideas to you to try out on your journey to cultivate your self-care practices.
Make and create
You may not consider yourself to be creative - but chances are, you are. In fact, we’re all inherently creative. It’s part of what makes us human.
If you don’t already have any creative outlets, why not try something new today? You don’t even have to invest in any special materials - take a look around your home and see what materials you can find to make and create with.
If you’re already a practising artist or creator - you may be a baking extraordinaire, skilled at sewing or perhaps nifty at knitting - continue to tap into your inherent creativity.
Take the opportunity to experiment with your practice and take yourself out of your usual realm of experience. It may open up new creative avenues for you to explore - perhaps you’ll experience a ‘Eureka’ moment in your artistic endeavours.
Be a tourist in your own backyard
We don’t always take the opportunity to explore the places where we live. Is there a little day trip or diversion you can make to explore somewhere new? Perhaps there’s an eatery or arts venue in your neighbourhood that’s piqued your interest, but for whatever reason you’ve hesitated to go, or just never got round to visiting?
Make a date with yourself, invite a buddy – just go and enjoy a novel experience.
Or if people watching is more your thing, enjoy a walk without a particular agenda and amble around. Take in the sights, the sounds, the conversations you hear, the people you see.
Take some photos for your socials if that’s your thing, but you could also try jotting down some thoughts and observations in a notebook. It might bring you more into the moment and tune into the details that you may have otherwise missed.
The change of scenery may be uplifting or inspiring or lead you to new discoveries in your own backyard. It can certainly take us out of our own heads for a while and benefit from the exercise too.
Move and find your groove
We weren’t built to spend so much of our time seated, using computers, driving a car, or binge watching the latest Netflix show (although who doesn’t enjoy a good box set?). The benefits of exercise are well-documented, including the heart-pumping, endorphin high.
Yet most of us face barriers to getting up and moving regularly. For many of us, that barrier is in our own head.
‘I always hated sports at school!’
‘I will look stupid and people will laugh at me’
‘I’m too embarrassed to wear sports gear’
Lots of us have moments of self-doubt like this.
That kind of negative self-talk is powerful. We often listen to that and it shuts us down to the idea of trying out something we’d actually like to do, be that to hit to the gym, go for a run, or embrace the serenity of yoga.
The thing is, the majority of people are focusing mostly on themselves and their own experiences. So turn your focus onto yourself too. Give yourself permission to go for it. Run-walk round the block, dance in your living room, hit the mat and enjoy some light stretching – start simply and build up to achievable goals.
To complement your chosen activity, whether that’s to help post-workout recovery or to bring a new dimension to your relaxation at the end of your yoga session, boost the benefits with an acupressure mat or pillow from Spikeology.
Mixing stress-melting effects with unfold-and-go ease, it’s a game-changing solution for those looking to maximise their post-workout recovery. The range comes in a beautiful palette of fabrics that are serene and calming on the eye and bring a spa-like sense of calm to your room.