Our Self-care Favorites!

Mediation; Meditation is a great way to help self-awareness. Reduces negative energy, increases patience within yourself, and gives you structure. Deep breathing while meditating is such a helpful practice, especially for those who suffer from Anxiety like myself. Practice meditating when you feel anxious or angry. 1 minute can do more for your body and mind than you believe. My favorite app to use is "Life Meditation". I can track my meditations and breathing exercises. I set a reminder that lets me know it's time for my daily check-in. This app provides you with real people who can help you with your current struggles, as well as 30+ tips, audios, and exercises.

DAILY walks, ature helps boost your mind's reaction to the outdoors. Many people struggle with the idea of walking around the park, or around their neighborhood. During the warmer days, I love taking walks to clear my head after work, waking up with Anxiety, or just to enjoy what life has to offer me for free. The benefits of taking walks are endless. One of my favorites is fitness. Walking 30 minutes a day can help keep your heart healthy. While you're enjoying your outdoors, your body is also benefiting from it.

Less Time on Social Media; Social Media can have such a negative effect on your mind. Even if you explore feed is rainbows and ice cream, even now and then you'll drift off into another part of social media that can be damaging for your mental health. We've all been there. You see something you don't like, you want to respond, and then BAM! Now you're going back and forth with someone over a topic you're passionate about which can leave you with anxiety, feeling upset, sad, angry, or even conflicted. Social media is also a place where many of us get inspired. But, some can take it too far and apply it to themselves to the point where it makes them feel insecure if they don't have what they see or what they're trying to achieve. Want to know when it's time for a break? You overly check your feed. You always think about what you could be missing out on. You're anxious about something you saw earlier. It's okay to unplug, deactivate, unfollow, block or even delete something or someone who threatens your peace. Take the time you need to heal and become a healthier version of yourself. Manage your time online. Every app by now has a section that informs you of your time/activity on it. Example: Instagram. I set a reminder of 1 hour. I can update my business pages, respond to fans, and make a post within an hour. Then I turn off my notifications and focus my mind on something else. I've even uninstalled it from my phone because it got so bad at one point.

Date Nights, with yourself!; I LOVE a good date night. Plan for the day with excitement. Getting up that morning, shower, use your favorite body scrub. Do your hair, get dressed up. Smile in the mirror and love whom you're looking at. Take yourself out to your favorite place. A bristo, restaurant, the spa, a concert, butterfly garden... There are a million places you can take yourself on a date. Some feel ashamed or nervous to be seen eating alone. It's OKAY! Enjoy your own company. Spoil yourself! Treat yourself the way you want to be treated. There's no better feeling than spoiling yourself. Does it feel good to be spoiled? YES! But, until that special person comes along, we have to get comfortable with being alone. Plan a self-love week. I do that every year. I stay in a hotel for 4 days, explore the city, attend special events, try new coffee shops. Eat at my favorite places etc. It's okay to love yourself the same way you want someone else to love you.

Add a new furry friend: Add some joy to your life. Get a new friend! A fish? A puppy? A rabbit? While life may be very hectic right now, it's best to have someone or something around to help keep you with a smile on your face. Starting small with a fish is the best way to add some sunshine to your life.

Make New Friends: During Covid we're all being safe and cautious. But, there are plenty of online groups that fit all of our interests. A sewing group? A group just for beauty? Anxiety, Drawing, Law, Politics, Zodiac signs, and hundreds more. That's a great way to meet new people and also learn more about yourself. When meeting new people anywhere, it's important to ALWAYS be safe!

Dump the asshole who makes you feel second to everything!; Haven't we all been here before? Being with someone who once made us feel the best, now they make us feel worse than we ever thought they would! Life happens, we make choices thinking they're the best for us, but it turns out that we were blindsided. It's time to start living for YOU! It's time to start taking care of YOU! No more worrying about if that person will be there tomorrow if you speak up. Leave! Once someone shows you who they truly are, believe them! You deserve better! It's okay to say that, believe that, apply those words into your life. You got this! The right one will never have you question their feelings for you. If you have to question, then you already know the answer.

Embracing your confidence; They tell us to "Love Yourself" but when we start doing it, we're being "Cocky, Stuck-up, Nasty" etc. It's it crazy? Sometimes we'll be told to "Get over yourself". Don't let them get to your head, their insecurities are showing, and they're threatened by your confidence. Keep shining! Keep pushing! Keep evolving!