Unconventional Self-Care ...that Goes Beyond "Get a Massage"

I LOVE a good self-care routine, but it's not always easy to take the same-old suggestions people make, like getting a massage - or even a full 8 hours of sleep! Those things are GREAT, but if you simply can't do them, I'm here to tell you you're NOT outta luck!

Two self-care caveats before launching into the list:

1. Self-care doesn't have to be expensive. The tips below are all free or budget-friendly!

2. Sometimes self-care does have to be systemic. By that I mean, if you're in a situation where you feel like you need self-care urgently or all the time, it might be helpful to look at the bigger picture: what's causing the chronic stress, and is there something you can do about it? For example: if work is driving you nuts, can you talk with your boss about possible modifications to your workload? Another example: if a particular substance or recurring behavior is making your life unmanageable, are you open to talking about it with someone you trust, or a professional? (And if you do need help now, check this out.)

So! Even though self-care is super important and very often talked about - I wanted to share some FRESH ideas because seriously: how many manicures can I get and how many naps can I take? Well, the answer is: A LOT, but still - there are SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS that people rarely suggest!

Nail art, people. It's a form of self-care.

According to this article by local mental health professional Lauren Fabrizio, the main pillars of self-care are: hygiene, nutrition, and sleep. So I organized my list according to that:

Hygiene

• 5 words: AMAZING-SMELLING HAND SANITIZER SUGGESTION. (See photo) -->

• Random one for the ladies - did you know? Grapeseed oil is a great makeup remover: it costs a fraction of the fancy kind you'd get at Sephora (or even Walgreens!) and feels so luxurious on your skin.

• Meta tip (also for the girls) I got the above gem from my favorite health and beauty blogger: Lauryn Evarts of The Skinny Confidential! FYI, my only other fave beauty blogger is The Blonde Venture. So really, letting you in on my secret stash of those two beauty blogs is definitely a HUGE tip itself. Between the two of them, you'll find approximately 9 bazillion juicy tidbits of health and beauty info, as well as big picture lifestyle ish that's totally saturated with self-care.

...OK MEN YOU CAN COME BACK TO THE ARTICLE NOW...

• Make it a rule to shower every day. Is it embarrassing for me to admit that I had to basically make this a rule for myself as a full-blown adult? Yes. Am I sharing it anyway in the hopes that it benefits other lazy* mofos who are right now nodding their heads saying "the struggle is real?" Also yes. ​*Sometimes it's not laziness, but rather a symptom of a possible mental health issue. If you find you're having trouble with "regular" hygiene stuff, it might be time to check in on your mental health status.

• Mental health is just as important as physical health. <-- I seriously consider taking care of mental health to be one of the most important self-care actions anyone can do. So I try to care of my mental health as part of my general health/hygiene regimen. Whether that means seeing a therapist regularly, restricting my social media consumption to positive posts/people, or proactively working on myself in a variety of ways - I fully believe and try to act in accordance with the credo that "there is no physical health without mental health."

Nutrition

I'm not an expert, in fact, I do not even cook (to be totally transparent: any "cooking" I do takes place in the microwave) BUT... that doesn't mean I don't have a few tricks up my sleeve that help me get in my nutrients - in delicious ways, you guys! Here they are:

• TRADER JOE'S ALL DAY! I have no affiliation with them but you're about to think I do - get ready for a rant! First of all, if you live in Long Beach, it's right up Long Beach Road, as you likely know (let's just not talk about the parking lot though). Second, they are so affordable and typically have legit healthy options across all food groups. Third, lemme just tell you my must-haves from the place: riced cauliflower (PERFECT if you're craving carbs but actually need more veggies in your life) and pre-chopped veggies (yes I am that lazy). Also? "Everything But the Bagel" spice. Just trust me on that one. Seriously TJ's makes healthy eating SO. MUCH. EASIER.

• Surprise: coffee is involved in this list. Okay so this is not nutrition really but, if you know me you know I consider coffee a food group. And as someone who used to have a serious caffeine addiction - and you know I don't use that word lightly (I still shake to this day), here's my tip: DECAF coffee! Caffeine makes me (even) crazy(ier) and I had to wean myself off of it a long time ago. But I missed the little ritual of walking to Dunkin' before work, or taking a little breather during the work day, for some iced coffee. I seriously believe in the power of taking a brain break + having nice little rituals that feel luxurious. So decaf is my solution. All of the flave, none of the crazy.

Sleep

I know a lot of people who have major trouble getting themselves to go to bed - myself included! - so making it as EASY and ENJOYABLE as possible is my best strategy. For me it looks like this:

• Make use of those little luxuries! As trivial as it sounds - having REALLY comfy pajamas and bedding help me a lot. The more enticing it is to get ready for bed, the more likely I am do it - at a normal hour!

• Let that shit go: I am a planning freak so this may just be me but I absolutely need to look at my daily planner one final time for the day before I go to bed, so I know I didn't forget to do anything crazy-urgent (because wondering if I did or not would keep me up at night, literally.) Whatever I didn't get done, I move it to the next day (or week) so I don't feel like I have unfinished things hanging over my head. This seems to remove a significant amount of anxiety from the bedtime routine.

• Something I don't do, but aspire to: I've heard that keeping your phone on the other side of the room and not having that weird blue light shining in your face before you go to sleep can work wonders. Not that I would know, since I have yet to unglue myself from technology before bed, but I hear it's great. (Progress not perfection here people!)

I hope this list is helpful to someone. At the very least, we got beyond the common "go for a massage/do yoga/get a manicure" advice! To great self-care and healthy selves!

#selfcare #wellbeing