Wowsers! As I step into my 12th day of quarantine from Covid-19 with my family, one thing that I’ve really found to be my saving grace through all of this, is the discipline I’ve developed for my self care practices. Truly, if I didn’t have those during this chaotic time of life being completely turned upside down in the world at large and within my personal world, I honestly don’t know where the F I’d be!
Here Are My Top 7 Self Care Tips That’ll Make You Feel Amazing
1. Creating Your Sacred Space: When your world is chaotic, you need a calming and supportive space that you can go to for respite and energetic nourishment.
It’s a fact that clutter can give you anxiety and that’s not just mental clutter, but physical clutter as well.
Find a clutter free space in your home that brings you joy and inner peace and claim it as your sacred space. Next, personalize it with items that will bring you serenity.
This will be the place you can go to when you’re feeling off kilter and have peace in knowing it will bring you back to center. It’s your safe space that just knowing it’s there, will help you feel at ease and going there to breath will be not only a relief, but exponentially nourishing to your mind and soul.
This may want to consider adding feel good items such as:
Aromatherapy scented candle
Essential Oil Diffuser with Oils
Natural Himalayan Salt Lamps
Incense burner
Incense
Gratitude jar
Present, Not Perfect: A Journal for Slowing Down, Letting Go, and Loving Who You Are
Smudge Kit with Abalone Shell, Feather, Engraved Palo Santo, White Sage and Floral Sage
Energetic balancing crystals
or anything that makes YOU feel at peace and like you’ve home to yourself.
2. Creating Mental Space: This is the most important self care practice to implement. I cannot stress enough how simple, but massively life changing meditation is.
We are experiencing an extremely high volume of inbound mental traffic right now and just like we brush our teeth daily to cleanse our teeth, it’s equally if not more important for us to get in the same practice of cleansing and resetting our minds. We cannot just let it continue to build up and expect that we operate from a centered, calm place.
We are so lucky to have the opportunity to create space through a simple practice of getting quiet and breathing.
Taking even 2-3 minutes daily, if this is new to you, can literally do wonders. I promise you, I can be swirling, anxious, sad, overwhelmed, or even just off, and after taking a few minutes to go inward and shut out the world, I literally feel like I just went on a week long vacation to the Bahamas. I’m literally not exaggerating. It truly relaxes my body and mind on such a profound level that I feel completely renewed and filled with optimism and peace.
If creating a mindfulness practice is new to you, I’ve created a step-by-step guide for you! It literally holds your hand and takes you step by step through your mindfulness practice so you feel supported, guided and at ease. (If you find it helpful, please share on social media tag me @mishavayner)
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I use the app insight timer to do my meditations daily. Depending on how much time I have and what my body needs, I select a meditation from their library and follow along. It’s free and truly amazing.
3. Hydration: Your headache, muscle cramps, dry skin, dizzy spells, sleepiness, lack or energy, confusion or irritability, fainting spells, rapid breathing, rapid heartbeat and sunken eyes could all be related to dehydration!
Aside from not wanting to feel crumby, water delivers oxygen throughout our bodies (basically giving us energy!), it boosts skin health and beauty, it regulates body temperature, supports our digestion & metabolism, maintains blood pressure, boosts exersize performance, aids in weight loss, makes nutrients and minerals accessible, prevents kidney damage, do I need to go on? I think you get the picture. Water is our freaking life line and we often are not getting enough of it.
“According to two studies, drinking 17 ounces (500 ml) of water can temporarily boost metabolism by 24–30%”, Healthline
Remember, any caffeine you’re drinking, depletes the water in your body & the more you move and sweat, the more you should be drinking. Also, when we’re sedentary, we often aren’t even inclined to drink, leaving us feeling more lazy and crumby.
What’s kept me on track with proper hydration, has been this adorable time marker water bottle that has this built in straw (that honestly makes chugging water so much easier) and also leak proof, closable lid. It’s also so comfortable to carry with it’s strap handle and the material isn’t super clunky and heavy like those glass and metal ones. I honestly love it so much that I got one for Jon too.
BHA Free, Non toxic, time marker water bottle with inspiring quotes
4. Movement: While “exercise” is great, just basic movement of our bodies to move stagnant energy out is very important. I may or may not want to do a full on fitness regimen, but it’s important that I find some movement that intuitively feels good to me that day to put me in my highest vibration.
Some days it may be taking myself through some yummy stretches, some days it may be having a dance party with my kids, some days it may be a walk and some days it may be jump roping, it could be chasing your kids for a game of tag, or walking your dog, for example. It doesn’t really matter, as long as you don’t stay sedentary and stagnant. That stuck energy can become toxic and turn into feelings of malaise and anxiety.
My family going for a neighborhood walk
Don’t overthink it or worry about it being perfect. Just tune into your body and move, in whatever way feels right. If you’re kids are around, have them join.
If you aren’t feeling it, put on some music and let the music guide you!
Yesterday, I was feeling pretty down and out and I couldn’t get out of bed. I literally told my husband to draw the blinds, rip the covers off of me and push me out the door for a walk. It was at that level. And guess what, I came back re-f’ing-born!
Just move!
When you do, share on instagram and tag me and use the #keepmovingwithmisha
5. Face masks: When I’m feeling lack luster and a little down, I often will resort to feel good pampering to give me a fresh look and feel.
It’s true. Face masks can really make me feel like a new person. I think it’s partially the psychological effects of completely removing old skin and the old me and leaving me afresh, but also, the health and beauty benefits in how I look and feel after make a huge difference for me.
I recently learned about the incredible health and beauty benefits of a bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar mask and became obsessed! I’ve been doing them weekly for the past few weeks and have to say that I already see a difference in the clarity, texture and complexion of my skin.
Here are some of the benefits of the Bentonite Clay & Apple Cider Vinegar Mask:
- Purifies pores
- Absorbs access oil while balancing sebum levels
- Detoxifies skin & draws impurities, heavy metals, toxins & chemicals out of the skin
- Reduces swelling & inflammation
- Remineralizes skin with minerals, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, and silicon
- Gently exfoliates without damaging or over-drying skin
- Clarifies skin
And the list goes on and on! Is this not ah-mazing or what? Nothing better for a pick me up than feeling like you’ve completely cleansed your pores of toxicity & having glowing skin too, am i right?
It doesn’t have to be a clay mask – any mask that makes you feel fresh and new!
6. Self Massage & Acupressure: Hitting those pressure points and alleviating tension in our bodies can literally transform your mood and energy. It’s so important for us to release that tension and toxicity before it starts to really affect our system and make us feel shitty.
Acupressure and massage relieve stress, tension and anxiety, improve sleep, relaxes muscles and joints, soothes muscle pain, reduces digestive issues, minimizes headaches, improves circulation, enhances sleep, enhances immunity, eliminates toxins and more.
No, you don’t need to go to a person to do it. You know how I do, guys? All my tips are stress free for you busy bees, like me!
For massage, I’m obsessed with this $35 neck massager that literally works magic! I had immense back and neck pain yesterday and I literally set it on my neck while I watch TV for like 30 min and it was 100% GONE!
Shiatsu Neck and Shoulder Massager with Heat
For acupressure, I have been using this acupressure mat and pillow. You literally lie on it for like 20 minutes, give or take, and it works its magic!
Acupressure Mat and Pillow Set
7. Nature: When you need energy or to feel grounded, nature is the place to go! Being in nature makes you feel the abundance of the life force around you, lifts your mood and reduces stress.
In fact, there is something called grounding, where you stand with your bare feet directly on the ground, and you reap tons of benefits from being in direct contact with the soil. While that is not necessary, the point is, the more exposure we have to nature and fresh air, the better it is for our mood and health.
Being in nature strengthens your immune system, alleviates stress, enhances mood and much more. Truthfully, don’t you just feel the difference when you’re surrounded by greenery versus concrete?
Do your best to try to incorporate nature walks, parks, hikes or doing something outdoors with nature as often as you can.
So there, you have it! I guarantee that if you work these 6 self care tips into your lifestyle, you’ll feel drastically better! None of this requires much time, energy or monetary commitment, so you should be able to manageably work them in.
If you use any of these self care products or tips, please share and tag me on instagram @mishavayner so I can see what you’re enjoying and share with my tribe!
If you need any support or have any questions, please comment below!
xo
Misha
For more insight and support, these articles:
Misha these are fab. I am going to go down this list over the next few days and make sure I start practicing more of these – they are so necessary right now! The one that is really new to me is to have a sacred uncluttered space with the right “props” like the crystals and candles. I’ve never had that or done that before but I am definitely going to try! xoxo Sara