5 Self Care Habits To Pick Up This Year
We pick up a lot of habits throughout our lifetime. New Years resolutions are made for throwing out the bad habits and starting great ones. I love the palpable energy of hope and change that the end of a year brings. It’s like we all get a do-over, and have the ability to start fresh.
This has been a year, am I right? It’s time to congratulate yourself on making it through, forgive yourself if you didn’t stick to any resolutions you made last year, and give yourself some much needed love.
Unplug.
We have the world at our fingertips, but often we are disconnected from the actual world. Do you remember a time when you weren’t accessible to everyone at every time? We have gotten to a place that people expect immediate responses from us. We may be guilty of the “why aren’t they texting me back this instant” annoyance, ourselves. This kind of mentality contributes to anxiety and feeling perpetually tied down. There is a beautiful world out there, just waiting for you to notice.
Start slow, ease into it. Maybe you set a goal for a few hours once a week. or one weekend a month. Heck, go crazy, shut off that phone every weekend, and just live in the now.
If you are shouting at your screen right now saying “but, but… I need to know what time it is… what if there’s an emergency… I love to take pictures of all the nature-y, mother earth, one-with-the-world, new stuff I’ll be doing”.
Hello airplane mode. You can have the comfort of your tiny, electronic security blanket, while still unplugging from the matrix.
Move.
No eye rolls. It is so easy to curl up, stay in sweats and yoga pants, and binge the latest show that everyone said you have to watch. I get it. If you live in a part of the world that has seasons that dip to freezing temps, and the sky is grey for days on end, it is even harder to muster up that motivation to un-swaddle yourself from the warmth of comfort of your hibernation spot.
Here’s the instant fix to most things: move. Getting up and taking a walk, going for a run, hopping on the peleton, hitting the gym, or doing any at home workout, stretching, etc, will give you an instant mood boost, and set you up for tackling any other tasks that the day may throw your way. Your body craves movement, and you’ll be surprised at just how much it thanks you for treating it right.
I’m absolutely obsessed with the AllTrails app. It gives a ton of places to explore, where ever you may be, or may be going. You can filter your searches by difficulty level, pet or kid friendliness, or even for places with waterfalls if that is the only thing to get you moving. I use the AllTrails app constantly, to find hidden hiking gems.
Plus, you won’t feel as guilty for say, eating cheez-its in bed with a glass of wine, while catching up on trashy reality tv.
Skin Savvy.
It is never too late to kick bad habits to the curb, and show your skin some extra love.
If you have a great skincare routine, awesome! Why not step it up a notch by adding a weekly mask to your routine, or bi-weekly? Step up your SPF game, and teach any young ones to begin early.
No skin care routine? What better time to start than now? Start slow if you have to. It may be as simple as washing your face every night/morning, putting on moisturizer and SPF, using a gentle exfoliator, and tossing a sheet mask in every now and then. Essentially, don’t overwhelm yourself. Begin with the basics, and build off if that once you are in the swing of things.
Are you still contributing to overloaded landfills by using disposable wipes? (If so, please read my blog post about makeup wipes). Why not spend $20 on a reusable makeup eraser? Then pat yourself on the back for helping save our environment.
Oh, and DRINK MORE WATER.
Hair Hero.
Hi, Nic here. Your friendly stylist BFF.
Please stop ruining your hair by using drugstore products. The amount of gunk, chemicals, and perfumes that are packed into those bottles are ruining your hair. Yup, even the so-called “organic”, “all-natural”, “sulfate free”, “Moroccan/Argan/Coconut Oil” products. Sorry. It’s a pill that you need to swallow. These products sell because they are cheap. But in reality, they are bogging your hair down, coating it in crud, stripping any color, and over drying with excess alcohol, and wreaking havoc on your scalp.
You need more of the product to do anything, which means you use it far faster than professional products. In the end, you break even by using a concentrated, professional product on your hair.
Toss any elastics that are contributing to hair breakage, and grab some bobbles, or better yet- jump on the scrunchie trend. I’m absolutely in love with Soulful Scrunchies jumbo satin scrunchies. The satin material is a game changer for your hair, combating against both breakage and tangles, all while looking super cute and being on point with hair trends. (Plus, you can use my code STYLEBYNIC at checkout for an extra 10% off at checkout).
Speaking of satin, if you have yet to get yourself a satin pillowcase, now is the time. Your hair and skin will be grateful.
Connect.
Surviving 2020 taught us many lessons. One of the greater ones was connection.
Creative, safe time with friends and family was pushed high up on the priority list, and it deepened connections with those loved ones. We made time for the relationships that meant the most, whether it was zoom, facetime, or outdoor hangouts. In the same hand, we let go of the relationships that did not necessarily fill our cups. That is not a bad thing. So often we get bogged down and overwhelmed with feeling like we have a responsibility to keep up with relationships that no longer serve us. In truth, we are all so busy that we need to focus on what is worth our time. I’m not saying ditch every acquaintance. How often do we find that a relationship is one sided? Or we feel that a relationship becomes a chore? That is not a good sign. If there is a deep history, maybe have a talk and explain your feelings. Try to find a common connection again. Or maybe, you’ve realized that you feel a bit lighter by not having certain people in your life. Guys, that is okay.
Connect deeply and meaningfully to those who give and receive equally, with those who fill your cup in whatever capacity is needed. Allow yourself the grace of letting go of relationships that do not make you feel good.
The most important connection you should make is with yourself. Try to find ways to prioritize your needs. So often we put others’ wants and needs before our own. You are important. You deserve care, love, peace, and happiness. Carving out a bit of time that is yours and yours alone is vital to recharge and renew.
Connect with yourself, connect with those you love. These connections make us human.
