Self-Care Solution

I have to admit, although I can write articles on "how to achieve self-love" and "how to be a morning person", it has taken me a long time to take my own advice and start loving myself and caring for myself the way I care for others.

We are often told about self-care tips and tricks that can sometimes be disadvantageous to us. If you're feeling low and you haven't showered in a week and your neglected dirty dishes are now making a pile that's taller than you are, then "paint your nails and watch Netflix" isn't really a helpful self-care tip in that situation. In reality, you need to shower and tidy your house.

In my opinion, self-care shouldn't just be about beauty and creature comforts, it should be about the real and raw aspects of life. It shouldn't be sugar-coated.

I don't have a crazy ten step morning routine that involves yoga with goats, and nor do I make hair masks out of bananas every weekend, but I do have a set list of rules that help me take care of myself and relax in the best way I can.

1. Wake up early

If younger me could see that statement she would be like "OH GOD WHY", but nowadays I love being up early. Even on my days off work the latest that I get up is 8 o'clock. I get myself out of bed, make a cup of tea and get a good breakfast. That way I can ensure I can make the most of my day and keep myself well fed and energised before the day ahead.

2. Limit screen-time on social media

We're all guilty of scrolling on our phones for hours and thinking it's only been five minutes. It's addictive right? To stop myself from staring at my screen all day I have limited both TikTok and Instagram to thirty minutes each. I get way less headaches now, and I actually use my time consciously instead of numbly scrolling through videos etc. It's super helpful and I never want to see myself on TikTok for three hours a day again! (And yes, that is based on a true story!)

3. Do something I love

This one is so important to me. I work full time and so does my boyfriend. Although we love spending time together after work, sometimes we like doing our own thing and just spending time doing the things we love - for example he'll play FIFA for hours on end. We call this time "zonking". Sometimes it is my favourite part of the day; I either read, sing or play Club Penguin - the latter only started to happen during COVID-19 lockdown, but the nostalgia of my younger years makes me happy.

4. Use moisturiser and lip-balm

These are the only two products I use on my face daily and that's all I need for my beauty self-care routine. I moisturise in the morning and before I go to bed, and I apply lip-balm after brushing my teeth and whenever my lips feel chapped. It's the perfect little routine for me as I don't wear makeup so I don't need to spend ages on my face. It's simple and easy!

5. Reflection and journals

A couple years back I discovered the world of bullet journals and all the fun layouts that come with them. Although I don't do it as intensely as I used to, I still have a "Year In Pixels" chart and a "Question for Every Day" book. A "Year In Pixels" chart is where you create a massive grid of boxes, one for every day of the year, and you colour code how good your day was. For example, fantastic days are purple, and sad days are blue. I do this on a Sunday and review the week I had; I find this so therapeutic and it's so interesting to look back on.

Personally, I find self-reflection an important part of my self-care routine. I ask myself questions like "what went well?" or "what went wrong?" and "how can I improve?". Personal growth is one of the key reasons why I do this self-care routine, and reflecting on my week or month, or even just a particular day can help me understand myself better and learn how I need to take care of myself.

Thank you for reading, I hope you're all taking care of yourselves during these difficult times!