Top 10 Self Care Tips

WHAT IS SELF CARE?

Self Care is the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health.

Self-care encourages you to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself so that you can transmit the good feelings to others.

Here are my Top 10 Self Care Tips:

1. SLEEP ROUTINE

• Develop a regular sleep routine - your body can function so much better after a good rest 

• Writing in your journal can help you express your emotions, thoughts and feelings. Try this:
• 3 things you're grateful for each morning
• 3 things you want to let go of
• what your dream life looks like - is it the car you've always been dreaming of? is it the house on the beach? having the most loving and supportive partner? having the dog you've always wanted? starting your own family? going for walks in the leafy streets of your favourite suburb? going on regular holidays? Write it aaallll out and envision it happening! Envision it being your life! and most importantly... FEEL IT!

• Create a good morning routine for example this is mine:
• Wake up at 5:30am (I'm trying to become a morning person to get the most out of my day, and I find I get the most done when the world is still asleep... there's something so peaceful about being up early)
• When my feet touch the floor I smile and think how grateful and appreciative I am of my life
• I then have my morning coffee
• Sit with my husband for 20 mins before he heads off to work
• Write in my journal (see the above step) 
• Go for a walk outdoors (if I have time)
• Read 20-30 mins of my book for the month (I'm trying to read 1-2 books per month to keep my mind active, and constantly trying to better myself, my habits, etc.
• Meditate for 5-10 minutes. This really sets me up for the day to create a positive, fresh mindset for the day! 

• Lighting a candle is known to instil peace and calm. I use it as a trigger to de-stress and unwind Ie:
• While having a bath to relax
• To set a mood while having dinner with my partner, or friends
• While you study to help concentration
• While working from home, also to help concentration (there's something sooo satisfying about a candle flame and that mesmerising scent through the air)

• Mind - I personally Read a book or Do a puzzle (Reading is said to expand vocabulary, and puzzles assist with problem solving tasks sooo much)
• Body - Go for a short walk, do yoga (at home or at a studio), exercise in some way, take a bath, have a skincare routine, and so many more.
• Soul - For me, I enjoy a chamomile tea with honey before I go to bed and I practise breathing exercises when I get into bed before I sleep. Think about it... breathe work is everything. If you're angry? you breathe. If you're happy, you breathe. If you're upset? you breathe! Breath work can be as simple as finding a guided breathing exercise on YouTube, or simply breathe in through your nose for 5 seconds. Hold for 5 seconds. Breathe out through your mouth for 5 seconds. I encourage you to try this and let me know how you go! It has been life changing for me!!!

• Drink enough water to keep hydrated and it can help you feel refreshed. I believe the recommended amount in Australia is 8 cups of water per day for the average adult. (approx 2-2.5L)
• There are so many benefits to drinking water, and it is said to boost skin health and beauty, affects energy levels, may help relieve headaches, and so many more great benefits. 

• As we have been working from home through a lot of 2020 and 2021, I have been trying yoga at home and I have been loving it. I found an app (on my iPhone) and it guides me through each sequence with a simple video demonstration, and I can choose how long I want to do the session for, whether it be 10 minutes, or 35 minutes.
• It has helped me gain clarity into my thoughts, and made me slow down instead of rushing out the door, or to my home office like a mad woman who is always running late.

• Exercise or take regular walks and breaks (especially if you work from home and/or on a computer screen all day long... it's needed to take regular breaks to rest your eyes every hour or so) 
• I personally like to go for a walk in the morning if I have time, if not then I take a little bit of time out of my lunch break to go outside into the fresh air and just breathe (seeeeee.. back to the breathing like I mentioned above). I'm usually a hermit indoors but I do enjoy going outdoors for a walk, it truly clears my mind, and helps me think so much clearer throughout the day.

• Prioritise and make time for your close relationships, friends and family and understand why they're important to you - human connection and interaction is so important, think about it. As is having a good support network around you so find those people that support you, that love you, your cheer squad, and keep them foreverrrrrr. 

• Make time for relaxation and wind down accordingly. This could be turning your phone off at 7pm and having no screen time for the rest of the evening to allow your eyes, mind and body to rest as we can be so caught up on technology or on social media 24/7. 
• Take time to de-stress from the day to allow your mind to sleep peacefully at night time. Some nights my mind runs wild and I can't fall asleep because I've been go go go all day long that I forgot to wind down before bed time and its so important to take time for you. YOU are most important, and a good sleep at night can make all of the difference.

That's all for today lovr's. Leave a comment below if you found this helpful, and or what you have implemented that you find useful 😍

I hope you enjoyed my Top 10 Self Care Tips as these truly are beneficial to me, and if you only take 1 thing out from the above, then I'm a happy girl! 

On a side note, it's taken me sooo long to create a good morning and night routine so don't stress if you can't do it all in 1 go, believe me it took me months of trying to build up habits to find what works best for me! All of the above may look completely different for you, and that's totally okay! Self care is all about what works best for YOU!

Have a beautiful day my loves!

Much love,

Stephanie - Co-Founder 

LOVR Designs

*Noting you are free to make your own decisions. This is purely my own recommendations that work for me and I understand that this isn't for everyone and thats okay. You can do or not do, whatever works best for you.