5 Self-Care Tips to Foster a Positive Environment for Your Wellbeing
May is Mental Health Awareness Month but keeping up with your wellbeing should not begin and end just this month. It should merely act as a jumping off point for you to continue to pursue healthier habits in order to keep you feeling good about yourself all year-round. Whether that be manifested in the form of meditation, date night with yourself, the creation of routines, or doing nothing at all, you deserve to thrive in a positive environment handcrafted by you.
Give your bathroom a facelift
Adding a few touch-ups to one of the most important rooms in the house can allow for a little vacation in your home, and why not designate it as a space for self-care while you’re at it? A fresh coat of paint, a new mirror or even some colorful storage bins can brighten up a room and can make it more inviting, especially when getting ready in the morning. Plants can be an excellent addition to bathrooms, and they can make their home in windows, on countertops or even above the showerhead. Bringing the outside in can open up the room make it feel more spacious, too. Plants such as philodendrons and ferns do well in humid spots and can bring life to a dull corner of the room.
Minimize clutter, minimize stress
Clutter can be distracting and with distraction comes stress. Take a day or two and sort through old clothes and bathroom products and decide what can stay and what can be tossed. Consider replacing cheaper items with high-quality, sustainable items that could last longer and save money in the future. Try to keep your home free of clutter by not filling empty spaces with unneeded items, instead, be sure to return items back to their storage places when done to make for a good clean-up habit.
Cultivate a bedtime routine
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Establishing a nighttime routine can help you get a better night’s sleep and wake up feeling more refreshed. Studies have shown that using a phone, tablet or laptop before bed suppresses melatonin production and the blue light from the device can increase feelings of alertness, therefore leading your brain to keep you awake rather than let you wind down. By making it a point to put down your phone before getting into bed, you can allow your brain time to rest and help you fall asleep quicker.
Bedtime routines can also include a bit of skincare to allow your skin to rejuvenate and refresh. Applying face oils at night helps to hydrate and replenish skin cells while you rest, and many skincare brands are making the switch to sustainable ingredients in 2021. The Revitalizing Night Oil by skincare brand Ilera Apothecary is made from plant-based ingredients and it blends lightweight oils to diminish pore size and add hydration.
Dinner for one
Between Zoom meetings, work emails and Slack messages, it can be difficult to eat something that didn’t come from a drive-thru window or Postmates, but your body deserves a nutritious meal after a long day of work. Treat yourself to a dinner for one, whether that be out at a restaurant or in your own kitchen. Learning to cook for yourself can be a way to get to know your likes and dislikes, and how to better provide for yourself. Why not plate your meal like a professional chef, pour yourself a glass of wine and maybe even dress up for the occasion? A date night for one means you can treat yourself exactly the way you want, and deserve, to be treated.
Spend time with yourself
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Quality time is a love language that is best done by you, for you, so spend a night in, watch a movie, do your nails and spend some time on yourself. Investing in quality products can make a night in all the more luxurious and can last into your everyday life. With the All Thai’d Up Set by vegan beauty brand Pear Nova, your nail polish will burst with beautiful colors and will only require one coat.
Meditation is another activity that can pave the way to a healthier lifestyle and a better mental health state. The practice can increase patience, manage stress and allow for greater focus on the present. Certain forms of meditation can increase positive feelings toward yourself and others, fostering an attitude of happiness and kindness.
Words by Holly Liptak