In the last year many of us have lost some of the traditional outlets for stress. Blowing off steam on a Friday night at the pub is no longer an option, socialising with friends at a cafe has become more difficult and a trip shopping for some retail therapy has been largely impossible.
However, the stresses of life have not stopped, in fact for many of us life with covid restrictions has meant an increase in the amount of pressure we have felt. For many of us, this means focusing on self-care and finding new ways to improve well-being.
There has also been a significant shift in people’s behaviour with more people than ever spending more time than every before at home. This includes people making the transition from sending relatives to care homes, to looking for live-in care (source: Better Healthcare) for patients in their own homes.
Although working through covid has brought new challenges and stresses, many of us have found a little more time for ourselves. This has given us a chance to reassess how we care for ourselves. Whether you have managed to find more time for a daily walk or started taking long relaxing showers, many people have found a good way to care for their mental and physical well-being over lockdown.
Self-Care Sunday
The beauty of a self-care Sunday is that it can entail anything. Sundays are a fantastic time to relax, reflect and prepare. Blocking out a whole day to reflect, recharge and care for yourself can make a huge difference to your well-being over the following week and further.
Some nice activities for a Sunday are a long walk, cooking yourself a roast, calling to catch up with loved ones, food shopping and meal prepping for the week, journaling and watching a film with a cup of tea.
Just a couple of suggestions to get you started but taking time to care for yourself and focus on your mental well-being will leave you feeling refreshed and recharged for the week ahead. It can be as simple as taking some time for yourself and benefiting from some home hair care; it doesn’t need to be anything too elaborate, but every little helps.
Mindful Cooking
Cooking nutritious and delicious meals can have a great effect on your all-physical health as well as your mental well-being. Try taking the time to make cooking a mindful activity.
Try not to distract yourself with videos of music, but instead take the time to focus on every element of what you are doing. Consider the sounds, colours and smells as you cook and take pride in cooking a meal which will nourish your body and calm your mind.
Pampering Time
Taking an extra 10 or 15 minutes to prepare yourself for the day can make a world of difference to a mental well-being. Whether you prefer to pamper yourself before your day starts or as time to unwind at the end of the day, time spent pampering yourself is never wasted.
When we treat ourselves to natural products that nourish our skin and hair, like argan oil (more information), not only will we see and feel an improvement, but we are subconsciously sending our self the signal that we are worth spending time looking after.
Daily Walking
Not only is moving my body everyday incredibly beneficial to our physical and mental well-being but pairing that activity with fresh air and nature gives us two-fold benefits. taking the time to explore your local area and walking mindfully will leave you feeling refreshed and energised. Try simple mindfulness activities like focusing on five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can smell, two things you can touch and even one thing you can taste.
