5 Guilt-free Ways to Pamper Yourself
Depriving yourself of relaxation can only do more harm than good. Here are some simple, low-cost, yet effective ways to do self-care at home.
Self-care is a term that’s being thrown a lot these days. While it’s usually associated with activities such as visiting a salon or ordering a fancy meal, self-care is actually more than that.
Imagine a busy work week in the office (or even at home.) There’s an upcoming pitch that you need to prepare for, a deadline that’s due tomorrow, tons of calls that you need to make, and a hungry baby that demands to be fed right away. To overcome all these things, sometimes, you tend to overwork, refrain from socializing, and even skip a few meals.
Pampering yourself often is a good way to avoid this roadrunner style of living. It helps you maintain a healthy relationship with yourself as it generates positive feelings, which helps boost your confidence and self-esteem. When you feel good about yourself, that helps you stay sharp and motivated at work and at home. [1]
That’s why no matter how lavish the term may sound, self-care is not a luxury but a must.
Truth is, you don’t actually need to spend a lot to give yourself a little treat. Here’s how you can effectively do self-care on a budget (or even for free.)
Schedule your breathing time [2]
Allow yourself to recenter and refocus. Take a quick break from what you’re doing, take ten deep breaths to let your body relax.
According to a study, doing this or choosing to be alone for even 15 minutes could lead to more relaxation and less stress. [3]
Keep your shades open [4]
A 2007 study found that embracing the morning light will lift your mood and help you sleep faster at night.
This is really important because aside from curbing grumpiness, a night of good sleep also helps keep you away from the risk for heart disease and stroke.
Surround yourself with soothing scents [5]
Fragrances have the power to change your mood. Light a scented candle or diffuse a few drops of your favorite essential oil for a calming effect. Try lavender scent for better sleep or peppermint for stress relief.
Talk to yourself kindly [2]
Positive self-talk works in lifting up your spirit throughout the day. Face the mirror every morning and tell yourself some loving messages. You may stick some positive, encouraging notes on your mirror as well. These will serve as simple reminders to be kinder to yourself.
Have a social media detox [6]
You probably spend more than half of your day on social media, whether it’s for leisure or work. The media we consume have an impact on our mood. Thankfully, we now have the option to choose what to see and what not to on most social media sites. Check your Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Your feeds should be full of people and content that lifts you up or at least doesn’t bring you down.
If curating your content isn’t enough, restrict your social media usage instead. Delete the apps you frequently visit for a few hours or days. This will not only help clear your mind from unnecessary noise, it can also help you invest your time on other things.
Being on a budget doesn’t mean you should set aside self-care. As you see, there are simple yet very effective ways to pamper yourself. You just need to schedule a time to focus on your needs and make self-care a priority as well.
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References:
1. Russell DW. In search of underlying dimensions: The use (and abuse) of factor analysis in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Personality and social psychology bulletin [internet] 2002. [cited 30 March 2021] Available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167212445599
2. McAulay L. 8 Ways to Embrace Self-Love and Thank Your Body. Healthline [internet] 2020. [cited 30 March 2021] Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/8-ways-to-embrace-self-love-and-thank-your-body#6.-Slow-down
3. Nguyen TV, Ryan RM, Deci EL. Solitude as an approach to effective self-regulation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin [internet] 2018 [cited 30 March 2021] Available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167217733073?journalCode=pspc
4. Figueiro MG, Steverson B, Heerwagen J, Kampschroer K, Hunter CM, Gonzales K, Plitnick B, Rea MS. The impact of daytime light exposures on sleep and mood in office workers. Sleep Health [internet] 2017. [cited 30 March 2021] Available from: https://www.sleephealthjournal.org/article/S2352-7218(17)30041-4/fulltext
5. Haehner A, Maass H, Croy I, Hummel T. Influence of room fragrance on attention, anxiety, and mood. Flavour and Fragrance Journal [internet] 2017. [cited 30 March 2021] Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ffj.3339
6. Steers ML, Wickham RE, Acitelli LK. Seeing everyone else's highlight reels: How Facebook usage is linked to depressive symptoms. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology [internet] 2019. [cited 30 March 2021] Available from: https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/abs/10.1521/jscp.2014.33.8.701