SELF-CARE EDIT: THE ART OF SWITCHING OFF

How to self-care

I’ve often spoken about what beauty means to me. From the beginning it’s been that one thing that kept me alive & happy. Recently I’ve been so on and off, I thought I owe you a bit of explanation & at the same time talk to you about the importance of self-care and what it means to me. 

Self-care & life update

If you’re not familiar with the term, self-care is simply taking good care of yourself. From 5 minutes to an hour, it’s important to grab the moments to take care of your soul and body. Physically and mentally, I’ve been pretty well until I wasn’t and it’s all on me. I often forget of my anxiety on a good day. I quickly forget times it made me physically sick or unable to get up. I try and live my life without a care in the world until something happens and even the smallest change pins me down. Be that happy, sad or angry the anxiety often rules out being able to breathe without panic attacks. Recently I was very happy, simply loving life and being a social butterfly until one day I wasn’t anymore. Both changes affected me in a way & I’m still dealing with the consequences. I knew then I needed a break even if it meant taking almost a month off. My mental health is important to me & it was just something I had to deal with outside of the little bubble I created myself in the world of blogging. Here I feel safe, behind the walls of anonymity. I feel I’m more ready to rejoin life as it is now and face the challenges thrown my way and perhaps stop crying my eyes out after a boy who was never meant to be. 

Self-care Sunday 

I’m a huge fan of Cult Beauty Instagram Stories where on Sunday they share real-life self-care tips. Evening skincare routine is my favourite time of the day. It’s when I finally relax and take a deep breath. Sunday evenings are often difficult anxiety-wise as my head decides to switch on and overthinks everything, especially the Monday to come. I have difficulties sleeping that night thinking of all things work, so it’s especially important to me to take the time and try & relax. I take a long bath, light some candles, try and meditate a little and totally switch off even if for a brief moment. I also practice breathing exercises in bed, deeply breathing in and out to bring my always too high resting BPM (beats per minute) down a little. 

Take a bath with me.

I love my bath time, especially on a Sunday. I start with lighting a candle and lately it's all about Therapie Pure Candle* which creates a feeling of tranquillity and rids me of negative energy. It's easy to forget all the troubles when the mix of essential oils energises and soothes at the same time. I add a little of Therapie Protect Bath & Body Oil* to my bubbly bath to rid myself of feeling run down, tired and miserable. Be that feeling cold or simply mentally down, the formula features a newcomer the Fragonia Oil which has strong antiviral properties and is responsible for muscle relaxation alongside Naiouli responsible for the invigorating and uplifting scent. Both are part of Heal Me Kit which is a fabulous gift idea for someone who’s health needs a little boost. While in the bath, I apply Pureology Strenght Cure Superfood* Treatment hair mask which smells incredible & keeps my locks nourished, shiny and oh so soft to touch! To help me with grooming, I use Aromatherapy Associates Refinery Shave Foam Gel which is packed with all the essential oils turning the choir of leg shaving into a luxurious experience. I got mine as part of Latest in Beauty subscription ages ago, but you can find it at your local M&S Beauty Hall too! I don’t know about you but knowing my basic beauty needs are satisfied makes me feel a lot better straight away!

The art of switching off

The time after my Sunday bath is precious to me. I switch off my laptop, put my phone on silent & pick up a good book. Right now I’m obsessed with Madeleine Miller Circe, which tells a story of ancient gods and the divine inner fight with humanity. The book gripped me from the very first few pages and I love the feeling of losing myself to the fictional life of Circe, the outsider nymph lost in the world of gods and exploring her power as an ancient witch. Switching your electronics usually helps with the switching off process, so I tend to finish my days with at least half hour of reading. There’s something magical about a quiet evening with a book, scented candles and a cup of Therapie Strenght Tea* which tastes like a dream, boosts my immune system and generally just relaxes my mind and body. I love it so much, I hope Therapie Rogues O'Neill comes out with a full-size tin as it’s only available in try me kits and I need it a back-up already! Glowing skin is always on my mind so while sipping tea and reading my book, I put Saturday Skin Spotlight Brightening Mask on and allow the bio-cellulose sheet to perfectly hug my face and infuse skin with bilberry, liquorice and lotus extract to brighten and reveal the healthy glowing complexion. I try and reduce my routine to basics on nights when stress levels are running high and tend to finish my routine with deeply hydrating treatment such as Skn Rehab Skn Drench Fix Actives*, a set of 7 concentrated hyaluronic acid shots for your skin. It contains a low molecular weight HA which is absorbed by skin more easily than water and not only deeply hydrates but it's proven to plump out lines and wrinkles. Perfect addition to any routine, you break the ampoule and apply the product evenly to face, neck and decolletage. The formula stimulates a cell renewal revealing softer and healthier complexion.

I hope you enjoyed my guide to switching off. I can’t stress enough how important it is to me to take care of myself especially on days when anxiety is kicking my not so skinny arse! I fell in love with Therapie’s Heal Me Kit* when I suffered from the flu and discovered it’s not only great to help relieve cold/muscular discomforts but also the scented products relax & put my anxiety at ease. I can’t recommend it enough that you take few minutes every day to take care of you. Be that a bath, a face mask or maybe a meditation session it’ll make all the difference, I promise. 

Thank You For Reading,

Love

*Disclaimer*

All products not marked by * have been purchased by me. Products marked with * have been sent to me for the purpose of review.  Some of the links used in this posts are affiliate.  What it means is that I receive a teeny tiny commission for any sale made through the link. I do not receive a commission for clicks alone. This does not influence my opinion in any way. I’ll always relay my unbiased thoughts to my readers.

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