5 Ways to Practice Self Care
I know I’m not the only one who hears the term “self-care” and thinks about lighting candles and taking a warm bath. Yes, that is absolutely self-care and a way to relax but baths and massages aren’t the only ways to practice self-care. Sometimes self-care means doing things that we don’t necessarily want to do in order to maintain a healthy way of living. Now don’t think you can’t go and pamper yourself every once in a while, please do so, but pampering yourself is only one of the numerous ways to practice self-care.
The kind of self-care that I am talking about in this blog may be some unexpected and seemingly unpleasant ways to practice self-care but I promise you they are all ways that help cleanse the mind and promote healthy living.
Healthy Eating & Exercise
This may seem like an obvious way of taking care of yourself. We all know that a nutritious diet and working out lead to a healthy life. However, as life gets busier and more chaotic it can be difficult to eat the way the beauty bloggers do and exercise like a Victoria’s Secret model.
When my life gets crazy, I am all about convenience. Especially when it comes to food. Any types of granola bars, rice cakes, and other grab and go foods become my meals. Yes, they are better options than the fast food that is out there but it is still not a full meal to enjoy. Because I live alone and live an active lifestyle I don’t typically cook for myself. I always use the excuse “Well, I’m not going to cook a meal just for myself.” But why not? Fueling your body is self-care and so is cooking a meal. Take the time to take care of yourself. Buy some veggies, proteins and even something sweet. Just because you are not entertaining for others doesn’t mean that you can’t entertain and treat yourself.
We all know that exercise is the key to healthy living. If your like me, when you’re at home you live in those yoga pants but some days (or most days) you would rather chop off your own arm than step on a treadmill. The kiss of death when it comes to exercise is monotony. I’m one that is guilty of doing the same workout every day then I get bored with it and don’t want to continue. Don’t be afraid to shake things up. Go take a kickboxing class, take dance lessons or find another fitness class that sparks your interest. Find a way to make exercise fun! That way you are more likely to stick to a plan and feel better in the process.
Getting to Work
I think everyone on the planet is guilty of this. Procrastination. Especially as someone who has run a business and is in a business where my schedule is constantly changing, it can be easy to fall behind and procrastinate. Even though working doesn’t sound like a self-care method it is one of the best ways (in my opinion) to promote a sound mind and relieve stress.
We always have those little unfinished tasks running through our head. The papers that are due, deadlines that are coming up, appointments that need to be scheduled and etc. The only way to take those tasks off ourselves is, I know this is a shocker, to buckle down and do them. Turn into that Nike ad and “Just do it.” It’s not going to help you any to just sit around and worry about the tasks at hand. So set aside time in the day to put on a timer or pick a specific time to take on all of those little tasks that have been on the back burner and get them done. Once those tasks are over and done with, you will instantly feel that weight off your shoulders and be able to have a clearer mind.
Cleaning
We’ve all been there. It’s the end of the week and the garbage is overflowing, the dishes are piling up in the sink, you have no clean laundry left, and there is clutter everywhere. If you’re living in a chaotic space, you are going to have a chaotic mind. I know personally that as the dishes rise in the sink, so does my stress level. So what I do is I pick a day of the week where I dedicate an hour or two to cleaning my apartment. I turn on some tunes, put on my sweats and get cleaning.
Again this is one that seems like a horrible way to unwind and de-stress but I promise you it is one of the most effective. When you finally sit down in your clean apartment/house and are ready to settle down for the night it’s nice to know that there aren’t dishes to be done or garbage to take out. You can just sit, relax and binge watch that new show on Netflix.
Alone Time
If you’re like me and have a job that requires you to interact with people regularly, you know that at times you need some time for just yourself. After a long day of speaking engagements, presentations, events or other appearances I am drained. All I want to do is put on some comfy clothes, turn on a good movie and snuggle with my cat Pringles.
Don’t ever be afraid or worry about taking time for yourself. Take some time at the end of each day to do something just for yourself. Write in a journal, watch a movie, do whatever it is that you like to do and enjoy the peace and solitude.
Try New Things
I am absolutely a creature of habit. I love a good schedule and sticking to my ways but sometimes schedules and old ways can become monotonous and stale. Life is full of new opportunities and experiences around every corner, don’t miss out on them because you’re afraid to put yourself out there. Don’t allow yourself to skip out on a new experience because you think you won’t be great at it or it’s something you haven’t tried before.
As Eleanor Roosevelt said “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Now don’t go a swimming with the sharks if your deathly afraid but if you’ve been interested in a new hobby, go give it a try. If you’ve been wanting to travel to a new place, save up some money and go. Life is short so take on new challenges and live for new experiences every day.
There are many methods and ways of practicing self-care and these are just a few that have helped me. I hope that you all take time to yourselves to ease your minds and relax. You can’t work at your best and excel if you are running on half empty. We all need time to recharge and prepare ourselves for new phases. “Self-care is giving the world the best of you, not the rest of you.”
Have courage and always be kind!
Ava Hill
Miss International 2019
The kind of self-care that I am talking about in this blog may be some unexpected and seemingly unpleasant ways to practice self-care but I promise you they are all ways that help cleanse the mind and promote healthy living.
Healthy Eating & Exercise
This may seem like an obvious way of taking care of yourself. We all know that a nutritious diet and working out lead to a healthy life. However, as life gets busier and more chaotic it can be difficult to eat the way the beauty bloggers do and exercise like a Victoria’s Secret model.
When my life gets crazy, I am all about convenience. Especially when it comes to food. Any types of granola bars, rice cakes, and other grab and go foods become my meals. Yes, they are better options than the fast food that is out there but it is still not a full meal to enjoy. Because I live alone and live an active lifestyle I don’t typically cook for myself. I always use the excuse “Well, I’m not going to cook a meal just for myself.” But why not? Fueling your body is self-care and so is cooking a meal. Take the time to take care of yourself. Buy some veggies, proteins and even something sweet. Just because you are not entertaining for others doesn’t mean that you can’t entertain and treat yourself.
We all know that exercise is the key to healthy living. If your like me, when you’re at home you live in those yoga pants but some days (or most days) you would rather chop off your own arm than step on a treadmill. The kiss of death when it comes to exercise is monotony. I’m one that is guilty of doing the same workout every day then I get bored with it and don’t want to continue. Don’t be afraid to shake things up. Go take a kickboxing class, take dance lessons or find another fitness class that sparks your interest. Find a way to make exercise fun! That way you are more likely to stick to a plan and feel better in the process.
Getting to Work
I think everyone on the planet is guilty of this. Procrastination. Especially as someone who has run a business and is in a business where my schedule is constantly changing, it can be easy to fall behind and procrastinate. Even though working doesn’t sound like a self-care method it is one of the best ways (in my opinion) to promote a sound mind and relieve stress.
We always have those little unfinished tasks running through our head. The papers that are due, deadlines that are coming up, appointments that need to be scheduled and etc. The only way to take those tasks off ourselves is, I know this is a shocker, to buckle down and do them. Turn into that Nike ad and “Just do it.” It’s not going to help you any to just sit around and worry about the tasks at hand. So set aside time in the day to put on a timer or pick a specific time to take on all of those little tasks that have been on the back burner and get them done. Once those tasks are over and done with, you will instantly feel that weight off your shoulders and be able to have a clearer mind.
Cleaning
We’ve all been there. It’s the end of the week and the garbage is overflowing, the dishes are piling up in the sink, you have no clean laundry left, and there is clutter everywhere. If you’re living in a chaotic space, you are going to have a chaotic mind. I know personally that as the dishes rise in the sink, so does my stress level. So what I do is I pick a day of the week where I dedicate an hour or two to cleaning my apartment. I turn on some tunes, put on my sweats and get cleaning.
Again this is one that seems like a horrible way to unwind and de-stress but I promise you it is one of the most effective. When you finally sit down in your clean apartment/house and are ready to settle down for the night it’s nice to know that there aren’t dishes to be done or garbage to take out. You can just sit, relax and binge watch that new show on Netflix.
Alone Time
If you’re like me and have a job that requires you to interact with people regularly, you know that at times you need some time for just yourself. After a long day of speaking engagements, presentations, events or other appearances I am drained. All I want to do is put on some comfy clothes, turn on a good movie and snuggle with my cat Pringles.
Don’t ever be afraid or worry about taking time for yourself. Take some time at the end of each day to do something just for yourself. Write in a journal, watch a movie, do whatever it is that you like to do and enjoy the peace and solitude.
Try New Things
I am absolutely a creature of habit. I love a good schedule and sticking to my ways but sometimes schedules and old ways can become monotonous and stale. Life is full of new opportunities and experiences around every corner, don’t miss out on them because you’re afraid to put yourself out there. Don’t allow yourself to skip out on a new experience because you think you won’t be great at it or it’s something you haven’t tried before.
As Eleanor Roosevelt said “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Now don’t go a swimming with the sharks if your deathly afraid but if you’ve been interested in a new hobby, go give it a try. If you’ve been wanting to travel to a new place, save up some money and go. Life is short so take on new challenges and live for new experiences every day.
There are many methods and ways of practicing self-care and these are just a few that have helped me. I hope that you all take time to yourselves to ease your minds and relax. You can’t work at your best and excel if you are running on half empty. We all need time to recharge and prepare ourselves for new phases. “Self-care is giving the world the best of you, not the rest of you.”
Have courage and always be kind!
Ava Hill
Miss International 2019
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