I don't know about you but I love taking care of myself, in all ways I can, big or small. I wouldn't mind carving out time to nourish my soul, even if it's only five minutes. I wouldn't mind spending sometimes to spoil myself with some simple pleasures.
With this, I think self-care is a must in this path to authenticity. You get to know what brings you pleasure and joy. You get to know what you want and don't want, as well as what you need and don't need.
Try to discover what makes your soul feel nourished and happy by exploring a variety of things. Here are some of the lovely things I do to care for myself:
READING BOOKS
I love books that I can have lessons about life from. I read mostly self-help or self-improvement books. I said this so many times to the closest persons I have, but reading books has changed me so many times for the better than all of the previous years combined. With every page turned, I change a little bit better. With every book I finish, I feel my life a little bit transformed. I think it also became some sort of meditation for me whenever I read books. It helped me shift my mindset on so many things. It helped me become a better person overall.
DOING INTUITIVE EXERCISE
In the past, I would be so hard on myself for not being consistent with my workout routine. But when I came across the term "intuitive exercise" from Simple Happy Zen, I became kind with myself. Intuitive exercise is not having a strenuous workout routine every single day. It is about listening to your body on what movement it wants for the day. Be it a hardcore workout, a yoga session, just walking around, cleaning around the house, or playing sports. That is what intuitive exercise means and it helped me become more consistent in moving my body in any kind of way.
DOING YOGA
I'm still a beginner and my posture still sucks, but the art of doing yoga really makes me feel relaxed and at ease. I bought an affordable yoga mat online and I just browse on Pinterest some beginner poses and copy it while listening to some peaceful meditation songs on Spotify or sometimes, nothing at all. I also tend to become more present while breathing mindfully. I plan to enroll to some yoga classes when I come across an affordable one so that my posture will become better.
JOURNALING
Journaling has become a habit of mine since so many years ago, but there were years that I’ve been inconsistent. From 2015, I’ve kept physical journals, but in 2022, I switched digital and started journaling in Notion. I really love this app, it’s my life-organizing app. Back to journaling, I journal at the end of the day. I just input what happened during the day, what I felt, what I learned, my random thoughts on that day, and at the end of it, my gratitude during the day. With journaling, I became more aware of my emotions and how to handle it better next time. I also became more grateful for each day that passed.
DRY BRUSHING
I only started dry brushing this 2023 when I came across a post for its benefits. I bought my dry brush online. Since I’m still a newbie, I only do this once a week to moderately allow my skin to get used to it. Dry brushing exfoliates your skin by removing dead skin cells and it also helps regulate your blood circulation. I watched a Youtube video on how to dry brush properly (Dry Brushing for Lymphatic Drainage - Shown the Best way by a Lymphedema Physical Therapist - YouTube). It makes me feel good knowing that I do something for myself.
HAVING A SOLID SKINCARE ROUTINE
I’ve started doing skincare in 2019 when I finally managed to afford it. Over the years, I’ve tried out many products and finally, I was able to establish my solid skincare routine, something that I think won’t change even in the future, or if the products will be phased out in the future, I have alternatives for them. Having a solid skincare routine, I developed a sense of gratitude, for not being able to think again because I now have products that works for my skin. If you want to know my skincare routine, let me know and I'll write another one solely for this topic. I always say to the closest persons in my life that when you have a skincare routine that works for you and you consistently do it, your future self will thank you for taking care of yourself. By the way, in my skincare routine, I just lack an eye cream that actually works, so if you know anything that works and is affordable, let me know!
LIMITING SOCIAL MEDIA CONSUMPTION
In the past, I would always be updated with social media gossips and issues because I was always lurking on social media feeds. Since I began reading books, I started limiting my social media consumption because I now have something more worthwhile to do. I noticed that when I did this, I now don’t compare myself with others. I now love my pace in life. I appreciate everything that I currently have. Limiting my social media consumption also enabled me to limit the negative perceptions I have with myself. I only use social media whenever I post my simple adventures because I treat it as my diary. I also use social media when I have calls with the people I love. I also use social media for tips or suggestions of good places or things that interest me. I also use it sometimes for entertainment, but other than that, I stopped using social media for the sake of trends, issues, and gossips.
LISTENING TO GOOD MUSIC
I listen to different kinds of good music depending on what I’m doing. But, my favorite of all is listening to lo-fi music. Who doesn’t feel calm and relaxed listening to it? Another favorite of mine is listening to the band wave to earth because of their relaxing music. Try listening to them and you’re welcome. Those two are my all-time favorites, but I also have other favorites depending on my mood. I listen to upbeat songs when I do strenuous workout. I listen to peaceful meditation music when I do yoga. I listen to natural sounds when I meditate. I listen to relaxing music and peaceful jazz music when I am doing something creative. I listen to my OPM favorites and other favorites when cleaning the room or going on a roadtrip. I love listening to various kinds of songs and I make playlists of the ones I love and play them depending on my mood.
MEDITATING
I still suck at this but I love how I feel whenever I do this. Being present while mindfully breathing. I only do this for 3 minutes since I’m still a newbie, and I will gradually increase the duration once I made it a habit. For now, I really love the calm and relaxation it gives whenever I do this.
TAKING MYSELF OUT ON DATES
I take myself out on dates. This is what I call creative excursions (I came across this term from the Simple Abundance book by Sarah Ban Breathnach! - one of my fave books!) where I explore various things that interests me or just be with myself for a few hours. I sometimes go to a cafe and read a book or go to a bookshop to look for the next books I’ll read, or watch movies alone, try out new restos, or browse clothes and try them if they fit me, and if they did, I will add them to my to-buy list and save up for them.
DECLUTTERING
I know, it might sound tedious, but it really isn't. Physical clutter might make your mental space get cluttered as well. So for me, I declutter at least once a week or once a month (when I really get busy with other things). I determine what's essential for me and what's not, as well as what are the things I really love and make me happy. I either sell them, give them to my loved ones, donate them, or throw them away. In the past few months, I've decluttered way too much and I am still happy with what I have. If I am not sure whether or not to keep the item, I list them in my "Maybe" pile in Notion, and come back after a week or a month, and decide whether I should keep them or not. It instilled in me appreciation for the things I currently have as well as the urge to care for and treasure all of them.
OTHER SELF-CARE THINGS I DO:
Spraying lavender scent on my pillowcases
Lint rolling my beddings after making my bed
Making matcha or coffee whenever I read books
Listening to podcasts
Browsing Pinterest for inspiration and ideas
Organizing my ideas and thoughts through Notion
Watching youtube videos that make my heart happy (I can write another blog for my favorite Youtube channels!)
Staring blankly at the nature around me, breathing in fresh air.
These are just few of the things I do for myself and I know that I’ll explore more new things along the way. It’s important to prioritize ourselves, to make time for ourselves every single day, to listen to what our body wants, and to nourish our soul. Doing this will help us become the happy and authentic version of ourselves. It doesn’t matter how big or small your ways are, what’s important is you’re doing something for yourself day in and day out. How about you? What are the self-care things you do for yourself?
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