We’ve all heard about the importance of self-care. But how do you actually practice it in daily life – especially when things get hectic and life gets a little cray cray?!
If you’re struggling to come up with creative ways to pamper yourself, here are 5 new ways to practice self-care — even when your life is full — so that you can fall head over heels with the most important person in your world… Yep – that’d be you!
1. Get In Touch With Your Physical Self
Give yourself a full body massage. Put a few scoops of organic coconut oil (or whatever oil is your favourite) in a bowl. Stir in a couple of drops of high quality essential oil (I love to use lavender, sandalwood or rose). Mix it all together and voila – your very own healing massage oil! Using your hands, rub this mixture all over your body, starting at your feet and working your way up towards your torso, arms and chest (avoiding any delicate areas). Use gentle circular motions to massage your skin. As you move over each body part, say a silent ‘thank you’ or ‘I love you body’ for serving you so faithfully and beautifully.
2. Explore All Five Senses
Self-love can be as simple as hitting all five senses with a burst of joy at once. Next time you get home from a rough day at the office, ask yourself how you can honour each of these different parts of yourself. Perhaps you could: (1) Wear a silky nightgown that feels beautiful against your skin, (2) Light your favourite scented candle, (3) Play an album that INSTANTLY relaxes you and puts a smile on your face, (4) Slowly savour a cup of your favourite organic herbal tea, and (5) Do all of this while looking out at the beauty of your garden… Boom – instant self-love.
3. Check Out Lady Lunar
As women, we have our own sacred cycle that we live by each month. So it can be very gratifying and fulfilling to tune in to the greater cycles all around us. Make an effort each night to observe where the moon is in it’s cycle and reflect on where you are in your own. Are you full of energy and wanting to go-go-go? Or is it a time for you to rest and retreat? Follow your heart and honour that instinct.
4. Nourish Yourself With The Best Possible Food You Can Find
One of my favourite forms of self-love is to shower my innards with as much nutritional goodness as I can find! To turn your nightly dinner prep into a self-love ritual, choose to let go of the hustle and bustle and let your mind enter a state of flow while you’re cooking. Oh, and always make sure you’re adding plenty of Vitamin L to your meals. Yep, that’s Vitamin Love — the most important ingredient of all!
5. Look In The Mirror
Most of us look in the mirror every single day – to check our hair, or scrutinise our skin, or to apply our makeup – but how often do you really see yourself? Next time you look in the mirror, take a moment to gaze deep into your own eyes. Acknowledge the wonder of who you are – a living, breathing human capable of infinite love and gratitude! Smile at yourself – and mean it! Soak up that warmth.
You’ll be amazed at how this simple 30-second exercise can completely revolutionise the way you feel about yourself!
Do you have any favourite self-care rituals? I would LOVE to hear them. Please share them with our tribe in the comments below. And remember your comment could radically inspire the pants off one of our sistas, so open your heart and share away.
As always thank you so much for being here. I honour you!
Ooh, I am working on really stepping up my self love and self care right now- your ideas are perfect for inspiration. Thank you 🙂
Every couple of weeks, when my husband isn’t home and I’m alone in the house, I’ll make myself a meal, watch my favourite guilty pleasure TV show, paint my toenails, and just switch off from the world. Whether it’s for an hour or a few hours – it’s so nice and calming and really recharges my energy!
It’s so important to be on when you are on and off when you are off. Enjoy your ‘you time’ beautiful.
xx
Ohh another fantastic article Mel. Bookmarking this one for my clients also. x
Thanks angel.
My favourite ritual is to put on some beautiful music and dance away!
Love it! Let’s have a dance party together one day 😉
For me at the moment self care is really acknowledging how I am feeling and what is going on for me. I feel like so often I seek reassurance from others to make sure I am doing the ‘right’ things, when I am the only one who truly knows what is right for me. Also tuning into my body, If I am tired then resting, If I have energy then I spend it doing things that fill me up, seeing beautiful people, yoga classes, maybe even PT. And then also having a really good stretch every night, it releases the tension from the day. I just light my coconut and lime candle, put on some halsey, and get down on my mat.. mmmm bliss <3 love to you always xx
Ps do you have an app to track your moon cycle? xx
Hey beautiful,
I like Natural Cycles and Period Tracker 😉
xx
I am a mum to 3 and I have 3 stepchildren, we have 3 businesses (oh,and a lot of 3’s by the looks of it) and 1 of the many things I have come to realise through my journey is that self love is SO important..a major difference for me between doing it and NOT do it! I think it was a huge part of finding myself again..now i do it just because i’m awesome!!…so, popping essentials on in the morning and enjoying it ALL day, body brushing is just amazing and I do it almost every night, coconut oil and lavender bath (yummo), giving my hair a thorough brush and doing a scalp massage and coconut treatment, writing in my journal (daily,even if it’s 5 mins)…there are so many ways to say to yourself ‘U ARE WORTHY’…..As always Melissa, thank you…
Well done honey for taking the time to fill yourself up. I bet your kids notice when you do and don’t 😉 Keep going my love, you’re amazing and I am so proud of you. I love that you haven’t let 6 kids and 3 business’s be an excuse for not looking after yourself. You’re awesome!
Beautiful always Melissa. So many gorgeous ways to look after yourself.
I also love to do some gentle yin yoga, go for a walk on the beach (or go for a swim), or sometimes just sit and do nothing especially when I have been very hectic. I used to say this was lazy time, now I see it as essential to sometimes do nothing, or it is for me and I don’t call it lazy as this is negative so its now restorative time!!!
xoxox
I love that Pip. Let’s all change it from lazy to restorative time. Nice one! 😉
Hello Melissa:) i love all your posts and they always come at the right time!
Since year 2015 I’m trying to adopt all good habits and improve myself but i get caught up in the hustle & bustle of life! I lose my motivation & I’m quite hard on myself! I’m having so much difficulties in waking up and exercise in the morning & get to sleep late as i exercise at night and thus have dinner alone…
how should i overcome these obstacles?
Hey Than,
Thanks for your question.
Firstly, have you read my book Mastering Your Mean Girl yet? I think it will be perfect for you.
Secondly, if I was in your shoes I would start going to be earlier and moving my body first thing in the morning. Let’s change that around for 3 weeks and see how you feel. Give that a go and let me know how you feel honey. Remember you can make little tweaks each day and they will add up to big results.
Keep me posted with your progress.
xx
Hi again Melissa:) I already ordered your book Mastering your Mean girl and waiting for it to ship in April 2016.
I bought all your meditations, your books,and hopefully one day i will be able to buy Get your Glow! I’m planning my budget to subscribe to Goddess on Demand in Feb 2016!
Thank you for your advice and positive vibes! I will start right away and post again in 3 weeks:)
Get me posted angel.
So proud of you.
xx
Love this post, thanks so much for the tips. It is one I will be sharing with my clients. Beautiful xx
Hi Melissa 🙂
I very much appreciate your tips. Here is what does wonders for me:
– give myself a body peeling with coconut oil and brown sugar; it smells fantastic and your skin gets so soft
– just be silent (lay in the grass or sit at the window) and watch the sky and the clouds passing by and changing forms.
– go into nature where I am alone (maybe in the woods or sth.) than close my eyes and just listen. Listen to the trees, the birds, the wind, the water and whatever there may be. That way I feel connected to myself, to the world around me and to our ever so loving mother earth.
Love
Julia
Beautiful honey. Thanks for sharing these with us.
I love to look at the sky too and watch the clouds changing – so calming and unspoilt.
Thanks Melissa – I really enjoy reading every oneof your posts and all the comments too x
Thanks angel. I love that you love them 😉
I recently became a mum for the first time to a beautiful little boy and the journey was very tough as he was born premi. Like you say a lot of in your book my life was fear and only fear it has been since I was about 8 battle severe anxiety of yes the Unknown. After really what feels like a lot (I’m only at page 45! Haha) I can honestly say that I have never known how to love myself. I picked up your book to not only learn to love myself but to mend past pain learn forgiveness and become the best person I can be for me my son and my fiancé who I am to marry in 2 weeks! All that aside when I did find time I would play Tracey chapman and dance whilst making dinner, it made me feel alive. I’m going to continue reading your book as I have never yes never read a book and finished it and I want to stop being a gunna and be a doer. I believe your helpful inspirational words of love wisdom will help me find myself again. Thank you
Hey Mikayla,
Thanks for your kind words.
I can’t wait to hear your ‘aha’ and insights when you get to the end of the book. Mastering Your Mean Girl is going to be super powerful for you. Keep me posted with how you go. I am super excited to hear your thoughts 😉
xx
I am so grateful that I came across your “Mastering Your Mean Girl” book while waiting for my photos to be developed. I felt an instant connection to your book, both personally and from a teaching perspective. I make a conscious effort to read it regularly, and share snippets with my nearest and dearest so it manifests deeper within my life, and spills into theirs. I recently signed up to to your on-line program, and notice my thoughts are starting to shift from fear/angst/stress, to peace/love/calm.
My self-care Sunday now includes a range of items to work on me physically, mentally and socially. I enjoy taking long walks in nature and paying attention to my surroundings as they pass me by, sipping on herbal teas while rugged up in my favourite blanket, listening to podcasts and writing down so key information to keep with me, and finally sharing your seld-care Sunday ritual with my family and friends on my social media.
Thank you for warming my heart, and helping me to warm my own. You’ve taught me to lead the life I love, and leave the one I don’t.
Sara
x
So proud of you Sara. You’re amazing! Keep going angel. You got this 😉
Beautiful. I love them all and I do honour myself with these practices, but not enough or consistently. Which is now my goal after reading this 🙂 Thank you gorgeous xo
Nice one Kate. You are such an amazing mum but make sure you fill yourself up too 😉