Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.
Over the past few months, I began to examine my relationship with self care. Self-care is often shown as taking a day to go to the spa or doing something to "treat" the physical body. While massages and face masks feel amazing, they are not always what we need. I prefer to see self care holistically. Holistic wellness is an approach to health that views all aspects of an individual's life and how they interact with their environment. Our emotional health, mental health, physical health and spiritual health are all linked together. When we hyper focus on ONE quadrant of our wellbeing, we are not seeing the entire picture. Today, I wanted to take the time to write about the various ways we can care for our Self.
BREATHE
The art of breathing is an important one to master. Focusing on your breath allows you to disengage from your thoughts and enter the body. These effects can play a positive role in the management of chronic stress. More often than not, we live in our mind rather than in our body. We are constantly being stimulated by our environment so it is difficult to stay present. Inhale through the nose (like smelling the roses) and notice your belly expand. Hold for a few seconds and then exhale through the mouth (like blowing out candles). As you release the breath, notice how your diaphragm and stomach relax. Practice this daily and it will not take you long to find a list of benefits!
MEDITATE
As cliché as it sounds, meditating is a great form of self care. When we set aside 15-20 minutes a day to sit with our thoughts, we become more aware of our inner world. Focus on remembering the importance of the love of our divine nature. I like to practice a variety of meditations, but one that I find highly effective is Transcendental Meditation; a practice where you repeat a mantra (silently used sound) for 20 minutes to slow down your mind. If you find it hard to sit still, you may benefit from listening to a guided meditation! You can find plenty on Youtube and Spotify. There is no right or wrong way to meditate, so play around with the different forms of meditation to see which feels like you.
OIL MASSAGE
A great way to feel present in your body is by giving yourself an oil massage. According to Ayurveda, Abhyanga is a massage that is done with warm oil. The oil is applied on the entire body, from the scalp to the soles of your feet. I personally love the lightweight feel of jojoba oil or sesame oil. You can perform this massage daily by yourself or with the help of your lover!
TIP: For a lightweight oil, consider using Amera's Garden Peace Bath + Body Oil.
FOOT SOAK
Place a cup of pink Himalayan salts and Dead Sea salts into a basin filled with warm water. You can add fresh flowers into the basin to elevate the spa experience. I like to place flowers that have bloomed in my garden! There are many recipes for foot baths that you can choose based on your need. I like to use a teaspoon of Kaolin clay powder to my foot bath to moisturize and soften my feet.
AROMATHERAPY
Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils for therapeutic benefit. Aromatherapy has been used for centuries and has the ability to relieve anxiety, elevate moods and improves your overall quality of life. Once Aromas are registered, scent travels faster to the brain than both sight or sound. Aromas can trigger emotional and even physical responses and allow vivid memory recall of people and places. I like to use essential oils when I want to rewire my brain. The smell of lavender instantly calms me and creates an atmosphere where I can ease into the flow. The more I relax and surrender, I am in a state where I can bring my creative ideas into fruition.
Here’s a list of 10 popular essential oils and the health claims associated with them: (Source: What Are Essential Oils, and Do They Work? (healthline.com)
- Peppermint: used to boost energy and aid digestion
- Lavender: used to relieve stress
- Sandalwood: used to calm nerves and help with focus
- Bergamot: used to reduce stress and improve skin conditions like eczema
- Rose: used to improve mood and reduce anxiety
- Chamomile: used to improve mood and relaxation
- Ylang-Ylang: used to treat headaches, nausea, and skin conditions
- Tea Tree: used to fight infections and boost immunity
- Jasmine: used to help with depression, childbirth, and libido
- Lemon: used to aid digestion, mood, headaches, and more
As you have read, there are variety of self-care activities that you can perform daily, and on a budget. My self-care activities feel like a loving ritual because of the intention I put behind it. To end this off, a quote by my favourite poet,
Love,
Amera Athena