Make a Plan to Relax: Self-Care Ideas

Last Updated on August 7, 2024 by Andrea

While not new, self care ideas are more important now than ever.

“These are certainly the times that try men’s souls.”

Thomas Paine had no idea when he said this what life would be like post-covid.

Life Is Stressful

Life can indeed be stressful. But there are some things we can do and self care is at the heart of those ideas. Relaxation is key for taking care of ourselves. Take time when you can to unwind and unplug.

While working from home it’s tempting to ignore everything and everyone else. The emails ping every time one comes in, colleagues and bosses expect work at all hours of the day and night, clients are calling all day and night. Even if you’re back to work at an office, you still feel the pull in every direction. When we’re at work, ” self care” seems like an impossibility.

I was on a zoom call with students during covid when my oldest dog started peeing all over the floor. What to do? Put all the students on hold while I take care of it? Wait until I’m done and let it seep all over the place? Yet another stress of working from home during this season. And my work continued at home after covid. While I love that, it also means I need to be more creative with my self care ideas since I’m always here.

I’ll talk about this more in a minute, but baking is one self care idea that always soothes me. Even when the dog is peeing and students are clamoring, when I can end my day baking, it all seems to melt away.

King Arthur Baking Best Sellers

And our spouses have the same things going on.

Our kids are stressed with new learning formats and new ways to submit their work. The stress of our families trickles down to us.

Self-Care

Self-care is an idea that’s been around for a while. Basically, we need to take care of ourselves before we can adequately take care of anyone or anything else. And for most of us this sounds good but is rarely feasible.

The definition of “taking care of ourselves” is clearly different for every person. I like to unwind with a book while my husband unwinds by watching tv. My kids unwind by losing themselves in a video game.

Creating a simple routine can also help to reduce stress and then the routine takes care of us.

Ideas That Work

No matter what we choose, a relaxing home is a must. If covid taught us nothing else, it’s that we need to learn to find times to recover our souls. By having some relaxing elements in our home we can begin to create an atmosphere that is conducive to self care for the entire family. Here are some ideas that might help.

• Soothing candles. More than ever I enjoy candles, especially in the evening. This Mrs. Myers one is a family favorite. But I have to admit Yankee does a good job, too! Even having a candle burning can be the start of a good self care routine. Get candles regularly with Wickbox.
• Himalayan salt lamps are said to provide healthy benefits to our air. Even if there aren’t health benefits, they sure are pretty and that’s relaxing to me!
• Diffused essential oils can also be very relaxing. Here’s the diffuser that I have. It’s lasted years and does a great job. Not sure where to get oils? Here’s a good one for relaxation. While there are many brands, the Young Living brand has been the best for me.
• Hot tea can also be a very relaxing self care idea. I find the act of heating the water, measuring tea, waiting for it to steep, and holding a hot tea cup very relaxing, no matter the flavor. Some teas are made to do the job, though. For this we love sleepy time tea (also available in k-cups). This is my VERY favorite way to steep a small amount of loose tea. It steeps, then you set it on your cup or mug and it releases the tea right into your cup. It’s very fun!
• Some of us love baths. I find a hot soak very relaxing (couple that with some tea, a candle, and a good book and that’s heaven for me!). Bath salts and bubble baths can be very relaxing. Even my son loves these salts after a hard workout and this is my favorite bubble bath solution. I’m very sensitive and never had a problem with this brand.
• Baking is always soothing for me. There’s something special about measuring and mixing that just takes my mind off everything else. Cookies and cake are a great outcome from that stress-reducing time, too!

Whatever you love, take time to do it. Your body, your mental health, and your family will thank you!

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🌸 Andrea