Firstly, let’s address the first question, what is self-care? Self-care is NOT selfish or indulgent, let’s get that straight first of all; it is the act of providing adequate attention to one’s own emotional and physical health and well-being. It is imperative to function and deal with daily stresses and struggles rationally and without having a mental/emotional breakdown.
Self-care is not just for a ‘certain’ type of person. It is for everyone and, I bet, you will have practised self-care at least once today. Have you brushed your teeth today? That’s a form of self-care. Have you made yourself a cup of tea or coffee and perhaps had some breakfast? That’s a form of self-care too. Have you been outside and had a breath of fresh air? You guessed it, that’s self-care too! Our most basic functions are all forms of self-care.
We all need a lot more self-care than the basic functions and there will be certain times when you need to take time out to practise self-care, more than others. Times of great stress, for example. Or times when you are burning the candle at both ends, so to speak and need to give more of yourself and do more for others than you will get in return (welcome to motherhood, anyone?).
So, what can you do to incorporate self-care rituals in your life?
Physical self-care
Eating healthily and drinking water
Exercising and moving your body
Getting outside and getting some fresh air
Have an early night and get plenty of sleep
Physically relax and take time for yourself
Take a bath with healing bath salts
Exfoliate
Moisturise and nourish your skin
Emotional and Mental Self-care
Nurture your relationships with others and spend time with friends and family
Keep your mind sharp with puzzles or learn something new
Read a book that you find interesting or gripping
Talk about your emotions or try journaling
Try to find something to look forward to
Try aromatherapy to help you relax
So, if you are gifting a self-care package to somebody else, what could you put in it that would help someone to take the best care of themselves?
Here are 10 ideas of things that you could put in a self-care hamper.
- A reusable water bottle – hydration is key!
- A step counter or physical activity tracker - encourage them to get those endorphins flowing!
- Some beautiful products with sleep-inducing essential oils – see our collection of ‘sleep gifts’ here.
- A lavender eye mask
- Natural bath salts with essential oils – see our collection here
- A voucher for a local café so they can meet up with a friend
- A puzzle or an adult colouring book
- A good book that you have enjoyed or a book token for an independent bookshop so that they can choose their own. Bookshop.org is a great one as it supports independent bookshops whilst also being online only for ease.
- A journal
- Dark chocolate - it’s full of antioxidants and tastes bloomin’ great!
I hope that has given you some ideas on how you can gift a self-care package to someone or how you can incorporate self-care into your own life.