Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman
We’ve all seen the #SelfCareSunday hashtag on social media, but have you taken the time to do your own self-care Sunday? For the majority of us, it was difficult in the past to find the time to devote to taking care of our mind and body. Now that we’re spending a large portion of our days at home, why not take this time to explore different ways to indulge in a little self-care love, any day of the week!
Check out these tips and tricks to help jumpstart your self-care journey:
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Dedicate A Day Just For You
Starting off by choosing a day to dedicate to your own wellness creates the foundation for a good, self-care Sunday. Oftentimes, especially now, we feel that it’s important to check in on others and to provide stability and comfort to our friends and family and, subsequently, putting ourselves on the backburner. However, it’s very important to remember to take care of your own emotional wellness—not only for yourself but also for those around you, so you can continue to fill yourself up in order to be someone others can turn to in return to get filled up.
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Put Your Phone on Airplane Mode
We can start off with really good self-care intentions, when—suddenly—we’re on a social media spiral, checking our notifications and scrolling for hours. In a blink, our dedicated ‘me’ time is gone. It’s so easy to get distracted, with so many of our friends sending video chat requests and myriad notifications pinging our phones throughout the day. Do yourself a favor and set your phone to ‘airplane mode’ so that you can get the most distraction-free time out of your self-care Sunday (or whatever day you choose).
Reading an interesting book is the age-old self-care tradition that can easily fall by the wayside when life gets busy. Try keeping up with a series that you enjoy or join a virtual book club so you’ll be more likely to devote some time to reading and relaxing. You’ll be glad you spent a few hours curled up on the couch with a good book and a comfy blanket.
Creating a clean space can automatically release endorphins, the feel good hormone, making you more at ease and happy. It might seem counterintuitive to do some work during a self-care day but your future self will thank you. Being in a cozy, organized and clean environment makes you feel more at peace and will create the perfect spot for future self-care moments.
Soaking up some much needed vitamin D in the sunshine can help to boost your mood and make you feel more energized. If you live in a smaller space without a yard, try potting some houseplants or even making a little herb garden for your balcony. Planting and taking care of something can help make you feel productive and happy while also providing the benefit of having your own fresh herbs on hand for making healthy, yummy meals.
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Stretch, Exercise, Meditate
Devoting time to taking care of your body is not only good for your physical health but it’s beneficial for your mental and emotional health, as well. Take some time to meditate, work out or stretch your body during your next self-care session. Endorphins that are released during and after your workout will have you feeling happy, relaxed and ready for your next self-care activity.
Many of us have found a new hobby (or a few!) to keep us busy during quarantine. From bread making to quilting, a lot of us have turned to learning “old world” skills as we’ve been in lockdown. Try to use one of your self-care days to devote time to learning and experimenting with that hobby. Learning something new keeps your mind sharp and allows you to understand how to overcome challenges. Picking up a new hobby can also help to alleviate stress as you immerse yourself into learning a new language or how to preserve foods.
It might seem strange at first, but stress can begin to seep into our lives by the simple act of over-committing ourselves. Keep telling yourself that you’re worth the self-care time and don’t allow others to take that devoted time away from you. Protect yourself and your self-care sacred space by saying, “No!”
C O N C L U S I O N
Times are stressful for everyone right now and, for many of us, our first instinct is to take care of the people we love. While that is important, commit to setting aside some time to take care of yourself today. Start off with something small like a face mask or taking a bath, if the idea of a full day of self-care is a big leap for you. Remember, you have to make sure your own cup is full before you can pour into others. Enjoy your unique self-care journey!
Cover photo courtesy of @LIFEAID
All other images courtesy of @magpie_wild
About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
> > > Stay well.
Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman
The current climate can feel like a weird and uncertain time with school closures, work-from-home orders and shelter-in-place mandates. Sometimes things can feel out of our control. The important thing to focus on during this unprecedented time is what you can control. Currently, many of us are self-isolating in our homes and wondering how to fill our days when we’re not sitting in front of our computers. Making some progress on the projects you’ve always wanted to do around your house can drastically improve your mental and emotional health. By decluttering your living environment, you can begin to feel more in control, less stressed and more at peace with your space. An organized and pleasing home can really give us a breath of fresh air right now!
Follow these 5 tips to get home on its way to a Pinterest® worthy before-and-after shot:
1. STREAMLINE YOUR CLOSETS
Take out whatever you don’t wear or don’t want. Closets tend to gather extra junk because it’s out of sight, out of mind—but don’t let your closet be what’s making you hold onto a lot of unnecessary stuff. While you’re going through your closets, take out everything-shoes, jackets, purses, hats, scarves, etc. and lump it all together. It helps to visualize what you actually own. Try to pare down your wardrobe to simple categories. That can help to weed out clothes that don’t really have a place or a reason for being in your closet. When your closet is easy to access and your clothes easy to find, you’ll be feeling decidedly more relaxed.
2. ORGANIZE YOUR KITCHEN CABINETS
This is one that gets easily forgotten and easily overrun pretty quickly. We tend to think we’ll use a kitchen gadget only to find it six months later in the back of the cabinet. Donate those extra plates, cups, bowls or utensils that you no longer need or want to your local thrift store. Many college students would love to have your gently used kitchenware. BONUS: Not having Tupperware® constantly tumbling out of your cabinets will be a welcome relief.
3. GO THROUGH YOUR FRIDGE
The fridge can often be an overlooked area because we become used to seeing the same stuff in there day after day. Old condiments and leftovers have a tendency to pile up. So get in there and toss all those expired condiments, food or beverages hiding in the depths of your Frigidaire®. You’ll be surprised by how good you feel when you open up the fridge door to see organized, tidy shelves with no expired ketchup bottles.
4. ORGANIZE & DECLUTTER YOUR HOME OFFICE
Now that the majority of us are currently working from home, having an organized work space can definitely make you feel more productive, less stressed and more focused. Try creating a designated work area if you don’t have a home office. Not only will having a tidy, dedicated work area make you feel less distracted, you’ll also feel more in control of your emotional health while working from home.
5. SPEND TIME IN YOUR YARD
If you’re able to, take a break and go step outside. Getting some much needed vitamin D while you’re gardening, working on a project or even mowing the lawn can help your emotional and mental wellbeing improve tremendously. Now is the time to finally build your raised plant beds or declutter that garage. You’ll feel accomplished and happy to have finally gotten it done!
CONCLUSION
This time in our lives is a collectively stressful time. Try to utilize this moment to focus on physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Begin with the exterior and the changes will begin to affect the interior as well. Decluttering your home can also help to declutter your mind. Take the time to unwind and focus on a project today. You’ll be so glad you did!
Cover photo by Thought Catalog
Additional images courtesy of contributor
About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
> > > Stay well.
