The idea of "Self-care" is catching on more and more during this pandemic and times of quarantine. It's more and more important for people to look into themselves and figure out how to care more about themselves to remain healthy and to keep calm in times of stress. With the world so topsy-turvy lately, self-care is important, and aromatherapy can help you achieve this.
Self-care requires you to check in with yourself and ask yourself how you are doing and how you are feeling. When people are dealing with difficult news or a stressful situation, it is best to take a moment to check in on ourselves.
Many people -- especially people reading an article like this like you -- are more likely to want to help others first before themselves. These are caring and self-less individuals who would rather make sure that others are comfortable before they are safe and comfortable themselves. The reality is, that you can help others more once you take care of yourself first, so pay attention to what your body wants and needs.
The reason you are hearing more about "self-care" is not a mistake. Because we have been alone, people have looked at how to improve themselves and their surroundings. A simple indication of this trend is how the searches on Google for the term "self-care" has more than double since 2015.
Some people seem happy all the time, even if they are going through very challenging times. It is a mind attitude that is not always just the mind working, sometimes they are using pleasant scents and calming music and other forms of sensory stimuli to make themselves seem more pleasant in tough times.
Why do I need self-care?
Taking care of yourself and making sure you listen to your body, it will tell you what you need, whether it is for mental or physical health.
Self-care requires that you check in with yourself either daily or every half-day. Be serious and ask yourself how you are doing and what your body is asking for, and surprisingly your body will tell you that you need food for energy, or food for your brain, and you may crave things like certain fruits or vegetables or meat.
Making yourself comfortable where you do that check-in is important. Find a place like a garden, a favorite chair, a quiet part of the office, or a place you aren't interrupted. Try to keep your check-ins around the same times of the day, like morning, lunchtime and/or before you go to bed. See what difficult news you had to deal with, what has made you stressful, and what you may need to improve on in the future.
Find an author or podcast that motivates you for self-care. A lot of books, and programs such as Jay Shetty, Jeannette Bronee or Marianne Williamson or other motivational speakers have free podcasts and don't push their books or tapes for money.
What are some steps I can take for self-care?
Some general ideas for self-care are obvious, but having a checklist to remind you is always helpful:
1. Exercise. Even if you are limited in what you can do, a little bit of a workout is refreshing, or try easy yoga. Various workouts online have a range of ease with some very motivated people.
2. Get a good night's sleep. Stay away from any lights, and make your sleeping area as dark as possible, maybe use music, or sleep apps to help you ignore the urban noise outside.
3. Don't eat just before you go to sleep, and try to have a fasting period of at least 12 hours before you eat again in the morning.
4. Have a healthy diet, consider Mediterranean style foods, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or pescatarian (fish, not meat) diets. It's not as hard as it sounds.
5. Do something for yourself every day, even if it is reading a bit, walking the dog, snuggling with your cat, taking a bath, or some other thing just for yourself.6. Don't be afraid to say "no," and don't take on more than you can handle. You know when you accept a task that will stress you out, so say no, even if it is at work.
8. Keep your friendships. Look in your phone list or email list and call up a friend you've not talked to in a while and catch up.
9. Have a project. Keep coming up with new ideas or projects big and small, because even the planning of it can be therapeutic.
10. Consider aromatherapy. Scents and odors, used simply like Rin'GO Aromatic Rings, can help you with a multitude of feelings and get your on your way to your goals, whether it's more energy, better sleep, losing weight, stop smoking and more.
Essential oils incorporate a special blend of herbs that can help with specific concerns or ailments. Make sure that you have found a reputable source for the aromatherapies you may try.