My Self-Care Essentials

For today’s post, I thought I’d keep it short and sweet, and share all of my self-care essentials while I’ve been practicing social distancing.

What does self-care mean to you? 

For me, it means taking care of my body and my mental health, and those can look like two very different sets of needs. For example, taking care of my body might look like eating a nutritious and veggie-packed dinner. But taking care of my mental health might mean having a piece of grain-free carrot cake for breakfast.

It’s all about balance. Self-care is not just face masks and beauty products (in fact, I’d argue it’s mostly not these things). But for me, these beauty essentials still have a place in my self-care practice. It can feel really validating, and healthy, to say “I’m taking time to prep my skin before bed” or “I’m allowed to be girly and paint my nails without guilt. That doesn’t make me vain”.

Do you often feel like that? Guilty for caring about your appearance? Or how about taking a selfie? I know that makes me feel like such a narcissist. Somehow, women are supposed to look young and beautiful and fit, but without noticing that they have those qualifies. They should work to fit into this mould of perfection, but they shouldn’t relish in it. They shouldn’t take pride in it. They shouldn’t be vain.

(It’s all bullshit.)

Self-care can look like a lot of different things: a workout, a nap, a sweet treat, reading a book, a glass of wine. Whatever it is, it should fill you up. It should make you feel empowered and good about yourself. If it’s not doing that –if your workout is fuelled only by the thought of getting thin, or your makeup is done only to hide the slant of your nose–it won’t feed you, it won’t empower you. It will leave you feeling drained or less than.

SO, with that said, here are my self-care essentials right now–some of them might surprise you!

1.Drink some water. Of course I had to start with the most annoying one–because I never want to drink water. But I have the time (to run to the bathroom every 30 seconds to pee) so I’m prioritizing hydration!

2. Take a walk around the block without head phones. This happened by accident: by headphones stopped working on an hour long walk. But I completely forgot how nice it is to have silence sometimes, to hear the birds, to hear my thoughts. It’s become a regular part of my routine, and it’s been pleasantly relaxing.

3. Prep my skin before bed. I have always held weird guilt about being “high maintenance”. About being someone who takes care of my skin, or spends money on my hair, who gets my nails done. (Which is why the last haircut I got, I did myself, and I only get my nails done for work.)  So I’ve been trying to prioritize my skin health, to remind myself that yeah, I’m actually worth taking care of. My skin care basics haven’t changed too much. I’m still lovingWildcraft Clarify Face Cream, Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid and Herbivore’s Phoenix Cell Regenerating Facial Oil.

4. Do a home workout (or don’t). It’s great to move your body, but a workout because you feel pressure to be productive during this time, or think you need to change your body will probably take the joy out of working out. That being said, it’s been great for my spine (and scoliosis) to schedule in daily movement. Either in the form of long walks, or a workout on Aflete.

I’ve also been loving my new Acta Wear–because they donate a portion of all proceeds to the charity of your choice. In fact, now they have one for Coronavirus! You can save 15% with the code NOURISHMIND on your first order!

5. Put on a little makeup even though I’m at home. I mean mostly, I wear pyjamas and don’t brush my hair, but on the odd day I need to feel a little bit more like myself? Why not put on a little makeup. Even just a tinted lip balm, like Clinique’s Chubby Stick in 07 Super Strawberry, makes me feel fresh and more awake.

6. Sleep in for an extra hour (or two). I usually set an alarm and get up at the same time every day of the week–even now that I have nowhere to go. I’ve always felt guilty sleeping in: like I’m wasting the day. So I’ve been trying, especially on the weekends, to abandon the alarm clock and just wake up when I want to. It’s felt very indulgent.

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7. Get a sunless tan. If you follow me on Instagram, then you know (you know) how much I’ve been digging Luna Bronze lately. I don’t tan–my skin is forever milky white–and usually that doesn’t bother me. But being trapped in the house, has made me wish I could be out in the sun, feeling those warmer weather vibes. This self tanner is all natural (which is cool), doesn’t smell like self tanner, and looks so natural. I’m obsessed. So much so, that after buying it, I reached out and asked them for a discount code. I’m not a sponsor for them (although I wish I was)–I just love their products. So if you want to give it a shot, you can use the code TISHASGLOW15 for 15% off your order!

8. Silk Sleep Mask. My apartment lets in a lot of street light which really disrupts my sleep and keeps me up. Earlier this year I went out and got a sleep mask, and what a game changer! I get to feel bougie AF, and fall asleep so quickly. So if you want to feel fancy, I highly recommend. This one is similar to mine.

9. Clean out the fridge. I do not like to clean. But I actually do feel so much better when I open the fridge and see everything is still alive and organized and not emanating gross smells. So far I do not have the urge to tackle other problem areas (like the pantry or my book shelf), but a little bit of house cleaning can really boost your mood!

 

10. Green & Black’s White Chocolate. Cause what’s life without chocolate? This stuff is seriously addictive. Also it’s fair trade and has vanilla specks.

11. Break the rules. Life is short, and also kind of nonsensical right now. So why not lean into it? Break the rules. Do what you want. For me, that includes taking a walk in my pjs and staying in my towel for more than an hour after I shower. Oh, and carrot cake for breakfast.

12. Call a friend. Cause self-isolating is hard.

13. Deepen your financial literacy. Being in the midst of a global pandemic and dealing with unemployment has made me really want to understand my personal finances all the more. Earlier this year I opened a WealthSimple account and started taking cues from Jessica Moorhouse. Have any recommended reading? Send it my way!

14. Binge watch The Magicians (and be annoyed that no one else is watching it).  Please watch it so we can chat about it. Please.

Okay, friends! That’s all she wrote. Lemme know what your self-care essentials are in the comments below!

With love,