Self-Love, Put Yourself First

Hi, Beauties!

The holiday of love is officially here! No matter your opinions on this holiday, I think we can all agree we have to first love and care for ourselves. *enter quote about not pouring from an empty cup* It may sound silly but it does have some merit. Some times we can be so focused on caring for our partner, friends, and family we leave ourselves laking. 

I personally think that we need to first take time to care for ourselves and then tackle the world. Self-care or self-love is the new ‘it’ trend for honestly anything; anything slightly personal has transformed into a hashtag-able ‘self-care’ moment. But maybe pause that post and unplug for a second. Let’s talk about ways we can take care of us without immediately uploading it to the ‘gram. 

Self-care can absolutely be whatever you need but sometimes social media can take something wonderful and turn it into something toxic. So, what can we do to avoid toxic habits and start forming some wonderful caring habits? One of the number one self-care habits I have been focusing on this new year is writing and journaling. I think it’s so important to find your voice and listen to it carefully.

By journaling and writing I clear my busy mind, I get my thoughts and ideas on paper (digitally and organically), and I use it as a sort of meditation. I know there are more traditional ways to meditate but this is my version and I encourage you to find what works for you. Writing has given me a creative outlet and another way to connect; with myself, and of course, you!

Writing and journaling, not your thing? Have no fear, self-care can be anything! Staying on the topic of self-care outside of social media, let’s talk about other ways to practice self-care. As an Esthetician, skincare is always at the forefront of my mind, so what better way to relax than to do a little skincare? Some wonderful ways to practice self-care and skincare are: 

1) Having a regular and consistent regimen: this is important and necessary because making sure to cleanse, tone, hydrate and use proper sunscreen on our skin daily is how we care for and protect it. Our skin is our largest organ and does so much for us, the least we can do is our best to keep it in great condition and functioning at it’s best. 

2) Once you’re consistent it’s a breeze to add even more skincare into your life, who doesn’t love propping up in front of a good movie or book with a mask, exfoliant, LED therapy, or cold rolling your serums into your skin? If you haven’t tried one of these, I promise, you’re missing out! Adding to your skincare regimen could be anything I just listed or as simple as adding a corrective serum to target a specific concern.

3) Next up, regular skin treatments! Did you know that regular skin treatments every 1 to 3 months is recommended to maintain results and aide in deep exfoliation, blackhead removal, and helping with any adjustments to your regular routine? Not to mention they’re a nice time out from life for an hour; lay back, rest, and wake up glowing!

Already doing all the skincare and still feel like you need something else? Another one of my favorite ways to unwind and practice self-love is enjoying the outdoors with my loved ones and dogs, of course! Nature is a great way to not only unplug and recalibrate it is also great self-care. Sometimes something as simple as sitting outside uninterrupted for an hour can bring so much peace. 

I personally have to camp like at least five times during the summer, if not more, being out in nature and just exploring is so humbling. A personal favorite is Almanor, this gorgeous lake is far too close to my home town of Chico. Almanor is stunning in summer and winter! This lake is not only beautiful but also a blast to explore. 

I know some of you are thinking “how in the hell can pretending to be homeless for a few days be relaxing?” and hey, to each is there own! Maybe a cabin or ‘glamping’ is more your speed, and Air BnB is a great option for you! Experience nature on your own terms, just make sure not to write it off completely, it can be pretty magical.

With all that we’ve talked about, I feel like we have self-care/self-love well covered. But remember this is about YOU, so take care of yourself the way you need too. Nobody knows you better than yourself, take the time to really feel what you need. Whether that’s something we touched on above or something completely different. Try something new and outside of your comfort zone! Maybe get your make-up done and go out with friends, try a new brow trend (hello, brow lamination!), or maybe just finally start reading that book collection that you’ve been meaning to get too. 

Remember to take care of yourself the way only you know how and then once you’ve refilled that cup, you can go back to caring for others on this special day! 

Thank you all for reading, I appreciate you all, have a fantastic Valentine’s Day! I’ll see you all back here in two weeks.