Top 5 self-care

Author: Valérie Anne Olsen / Category self-care / Published: Apr-05-2018

I started getting interested in self-care a little over 2 years ago, probably because of a hashtag!!! In all honesty, like the majority of people I was riding 70 in a 30 zone. I didn't even know why people needed to take care of themselves; we take care of others, of children, but of ourselves???? Yes, yes I thought that, me the girl who preaches slow living. I wanted so much to be good, to be as much as the others that I systematically ignored the alarm signals that my millions of cells were shouting at me. I was strong, until I had to rest. Then afterwards I felt guilty and I did more to compensate ... until the day when, completely exhausted, I did a 180.

Today, don't try to take away my little rituals, my moments just for me that allow me to go through everything else and that allow me to affirm loud and clear that I have found balance.

I give you here my 5 favorite well-being rituals, my essentials!

01. Keep a gratitude journal

I started writing in a journal probably when I was 11 or 12. I wrote my life, embellishing it with quotes and images that inspired me. Today I still like to take this time for reflection for myself, it does me good.

Obviously, I don't have as many hours for this hobby anymore, but to keep this little pleasure I have come to write a daily gratitude journal. The form has remained the same, but the content has changed.

Why? Simply because by consciously giving thanks each day to the abundance that is already in my life, I am more and more inclined to see it and savor the smallest details as mundane as appreciating the warmth and taste slightly sweetened from my first sip of coffee.

Then, because it's in the smallest details that the flavors of life are revealed and by taking a few minutes to clear your head and remember what's good, you can only add a small dose of happiness in our daily lives.

“It is not happiness that fills us with gratitude; it is gratitude that fills us with happiness.”

—Brother David Steindl-Rast

01. Make a beauty mask

Obviously, the masks have innumerable qualities for the skin and allow you to feel beautiful and good. But beyond all that, there is the sacred moment when we say to ourselves: today the being that I am deserves to be celebrated, pampered and uplifted. The ritual that surrounds making a mask is surely greater than the mask itself. I don't own a lot of creams, masks and make-up, but when I came across Marble & Milkweed I was literally hooked. Carefully handcrafted skincare with love by a botanical enthusiast in a tiny New York apothecary studio where organic flowers and herbs hang on the walls waiting for the perfect moment to harvest them .

These nature products contain no synthetic additives or artificial odors. By opening the little jars, you can smell the exhilarating scent of chamomile, jasmine green tea and what about the steam mask made with real roses. It allowed me to escape, to be completely absorbed in the sensations it gives me; to find a little happiness that I would no longer want to do without!

Heading

And of course, like everything I love, I want to share it with you. So I got some for the shop and for your greatest pleasure.

" Fall in love with taking care of yourself. Fall in love with the path of deep healing. Fall in love with becoming the best version of yourself but with patience, with compassion and respect to your own journey " - s. mcnutt

03. Have sweet treats on hand

I would like sometimes in the days or even the weeks when nothing is going well, when I no longer see clearly to have a little secret box where would hide all the Ferrero rocks, the vanilla matchas, the chocolate covered pretzels, the bottles of red wine from around the world, a matter of taking 2 minutes, (just 2) all to myself and savoring these 120 delicious seconds. But...I don't have that box because it would be empty whenever I needed it.

On the other hand, I like the principle of a reserve of little sweets, without however having a box as such. I choose good things; I like to have perhaps a little less, but to have quality products on hand that I take the time to savor when I feel like it. Seems like just knowing it's a bit more expensive makes me appreciate and savor it more. And even if it's not much and it only lasts a few seconds, don't we say that happiness is harvested in small doses on a daily basis?

" Knowing how to relax for a few minutes is essential to be able to stay active all day without being tired. And these moments of relaxation , you should not take them only once or twice, but ten, fifteen, twenty times a day. "

- Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov

04. A good hot bath

okay! I know, I'm not telling anyone anything by saying that having a hot bath is extremely relaxing and that, muscularly speaking, it's not badly tied with a massage.

Yes, but taking a bath can also be the perfect event to completely clear your head and stop the little hamster from trotting. Let me explain; as all the senses are tapped at this time, practicing mindfulness is ideal for soaking up every detail and forgetting everything else (to come back to it later of course), but completely recharged.

It's first listening to the sound of running water, feeling the warmth of the water, then sniffing his favorite products like our rose milk bath, seeing the way he tints the water and fills the room with its fragrance, that all our senses are put to work .

Then you can go back to juggling, running or whatever you want, but with a sense of mindfulness that you wouldn't otherwise have and that gives you that much sought-after breath of fresh air.

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05. My evening routine

I have a deep connection with my little evening routine, even when I'm really exhausted, I can't wait to get there that I sometimes put the little ones to bed a little earlier! Once everyone is in bed, I put the kettle on, and wait for the whistle to make myself some herbal tea. At the moment I have a big crush on the wild mint and sage tea (without theine) which allows me to fall asleep gently. Then I go up to my room and take out my current readings to choose one that "fits" with my "mood". You have to understand that I have a boyfriend who doesn't have the same schedule as me and that I sleep alone a few evenings a week!!! Then (me the girl, the most addicted to candles you know) I light a few candles because I love this effect that the dim light of the candles creates as an atmosphere. To then relax or meditate if I need it, snuggled up in my pillows. How not to sleep well after that?

In short, the simple fact of taking and having this time where I can do what I like the most and completely disconnected allows me to have the energy, the patience, the joy and above all the desire to give and take. return care. And then after all, life is now, so let's make sure we give ourselves every chance to live it as healthily and happily as possible!

top 5 self-care