A few weeks ago I hit a little bump in the road, immediately I hit the brakes and thought crap…..bodies throwing a tantrum! Reality was I was just having a down week, like everyone has once in a while.

I started feeling overwhelmed with my daily routine. I decided it was a good idea to re-shuffle my priorities and make self-care my number one goal. That meant finishing up my studies early for the end of year, chilling out on the exercise routine, pacing my working hours and not running around as much trying to keep up with my ongoing list of errands.

I wanted to prioritise and work on doing things that I love and enjoy. Things that I have put off in order to be busy, rather than for enjoyment. I wanted to take a little time out and enjoy catching up with friends over coffee, having skype dates with overseas friends, attending yoga classes, getting pampered, hitting the kitchen to make some delicious raw treats and just a bit of all round self-care.

It’s important to give ourselves a bit of self-love and care and make it a priority. Often we put ourselves last, instead of first. It becomes easy to do with the busy lifestyles that we live, crazy routines we keep and the hype that is set by society.

If you need a little help in the self-care area, here are a few of my top tips that I try to practice for a bit of self-care;

Turning off technology! And yes that means NO SOCIAL MEDIA! The noise, the distractions and chaos, it all overloads onto our screens and gets thrown into our faces. It can get a bit too much at times, sometimes it’s good to switch it all off and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Sit outside and enjoy the serenity, lay down and take some long and deep breaths. Breathe in…… Breathe out….. You will be surprised at how refreshing it feels. The mind goes clear and the sky is actually quite beautiful when you stop and look at it for a while.

Stretch that body out, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Stretching is so good for the body and it’s good to stretch all those kinks out. I personally love yoga, I find it eases the mind and teaches you to breathe and focus your energy on the present moment.

Go and get pampered; hair, nails, body, whatever you want! Massage is my favourite, all those knots and trigger points need a good work out from time to time. Getting pampered is always nice and makes you feel good and refreshed.

Focus on one thing at a time. I like to think I’m talented and can multi-task, sometimes taking on too many tasks can get a little overwhelming. If you have a lot going on, try focusing one thing at a time. It can end up being a lot quicker than doing all your activities all at once.

Catch up with a friend over coffee, ditching your to do list to meet up with a friend can make you feel a lot happier. The list of things won’t get done, but the time spent in company with a good friend is priceless.

Nourish yourself with healthy food, you will feel the goodness straight away! Get creative and make your own healthy treats, the bonus is you know what’s in them! 😉

Go for a walk, enjoy the fresh air and inhale that sweet goodness.

Treat yourself, it doesn’t have to be on an expensive pair of shoes. It could be on a nice new body wash or hand cream. Whatever it may be it’s always nice to have a little treat for yourself.

Boost your confidence and push yourself. Why don’t you try something that you have been wanting to do for a while. It doesn’t have to be something big, it can be something small. It just has to be something new and different, I can tell you right now it will be worth it!

Self mantras. If you keep telling yourself something over and over you will start to believe it. Make sure it’s positive!!!

Most importantly put your self-first!

I hope you have enjoyed my tips and find them of some use. What activities do you like to practice when you’re taking time to yourself for self-care? I would love to hear your ideas, you can never have too many self- care practices.

Much love,

Lennae xxx