how to PRACTICE self-care WITHOUT GOING BROKE.
Self-care is one of those overused phrases that sparks ideas of ‘goopy’ wellness practices, pretentious yoga classes and skincare regimes that only the elite can afford.
Despite what Instagram has led many of us to believe, there is much more to self-care than its most unattainable extreme.
As explained by Psychologist Breanna Sada in our recent wellness webinar, self-care is a practice that differs from person to person and it’s about much more than spending a bucket-load on expensive bits to keep us zen and self-focused.
It’s about finding what recharges and re-energises you, and making it a priority to implement those practices in our lives on a regular basis.
To help you out, we collated our top tips for nailing self-care without breaking the bank:
Draw a bath, light a candle and ease yourself into the water while reading your favourite book or enjoying a new TV show.
Get a little bendy with Yoga with Adrienne and immerse yourself in one of her incredible online classes. They vary in length and difficulty, are completely free and will leave you feeling mellow yet energised, all in the time it takes to say namaste.
Lose yourself in the podcasts and music you love and pair them with a gentle walk. Our poddy-picks are After Work Drinks, Bobo & Flex, The High Low, How to Fail and Table Manners (and She’s on the Money but we may be just a little biased).
Get your heart rate up and clear your mind. For the daring, go out for a run and push yourself further every time you venture out.
Cook something nourishing or delicious to pick yourself up. Vodka Rigatoni is a SOTM fave that is so very decadent but so very worth it.
Tidy your space. You don’t have to go full Marie Kondo, but tidying up your space, clearing your wardrobe (maybe sell a few things and pop your earnings into savings!), and putting things in their place can fill you with an immense feeling of calm. Try it and we promise you’ll know what we mean.
Keep a gratitude journal noting everything you are thankful for in your world. Gratefulness is one of the key differences between happy and unhappy people, so make a conscious effort to be grateful every day and sit back and watch the difference it will make to your world.
Write down your intentions for the day before you dive into it. Live with purpose.
Ditch the tech. There’s a strong correlation between social media use and our mental health – when we’re very active on social we can become more anxious and in need of self-care, and the same goes in reverse when we are feeling more anxious we can turn to technology. By detoxing a little, we can focus more on ourselves and less on the noise of what everyone else is doing.
Have some ideas you’d like to add to the list? Send us a message on Instagram or Facebook and we’ll add them to our blog!