Self-Care on a Budget

Figuring out how to incorporate self-care into your daily or weekly schedule can be difficult. I know that when I first started trying to figure out what self-care activities or products worked for me, I was overwhelmed. If we could get massages and pedicures every week without breaking the bank, I'm sure we would. Unfortunately, that just isn't financially feasible for most of us. So I am going to share with you all some things I do that have managed to make me feel pampered and relaxed, without causing me to miss meals in order to pay for it!

I'm going to focus on a nighttime routine for this post and I'll do a morning routine on another post.

If you're a friend of mine, family of mine, or even a client of mine, you probably know how much I love my baths. I believe in the healing power of a good bubble bath. And I'm not talking about a 10 minute wash-off and get out type of bath. I mean the kind of bath where you slip into the water and the bubbles and you let yourself feel your muscles relax into it. I'm about to talk about some products I use for my baths and why I use them. Don't stress. It's affordable! And remember, everything you choose to buy will last you more than just one time! So the first time you buy products it might feel a little expensive, but then you enjoy those products for, at least, a month.

First things first: lets talk about lavender. Without completely offending anyone who loves lavender, I'm going to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the lavender scent. However, there have been studies to prove that lavender has been used for many purposes such as; calmness, pain relief, sleep aid, menstrual cramps (what?! sign me up!), relaxation and anxiety relief. So while I do not much care for the scent of lavender (although, it has grown on me), I still use it because I believe in the research. Also, unless you're eating the stuff (do not eat the lavender), most of the lavender products are pretty tame. OK so here we go!

Bubble Bath: you need a good foamy type of bubble bath. You pour it underneath the running water so that the water will churn it up and make it nice and bubbly! The bubble bath I use is Dr Teal's Epsom Salt Soaking Solution and Foaming Bath with Pure Epsom Salt, Lavender. This stuff is great! It comes in a 32 oz bottle and lasts me the whole month! However, I take baths almost nightly, so it may last some of you even longer. Also, it doesn't take much to get a good foamy bath! It contains Epsom Salt, which is great for muscle relaxation. You want to really allow your muscles some time to relax in the hot water. This is important because all too often in life we are rushing somewhere or constantly on the move. A bath is a great way to really work on our intentionality and our body awareness. When we are intentional about the time we set aside specifically for relaxation, we feel better about it. It means you are intentionally carving out time for yourself, which is crucial to the idea of self-care. The idea behind self-care is that you're going to get so good at it that you make sure you do it daily or, at the very least, weekly. The second part of this is learning body awareness. How often do we find time to sit still and take stock of where our muscles are tense or where our body is holding stress? This is such a helpful thing to learn about ourselves. All of us carry stress somewhere in our bodies, but oftentimes we don't realize where that is. When you get around to taking a bath, hopefully within the same week that you read this blog, I want you to lean back in the tub. If you have a tub that already has the back support, that's great! If you don't, I recommend buying this: Bath-tub Pillow for Home Spa and Rest, Relaxation Bath tub Cushion with Strong Suction Cups, Mold & Mildew Resistant, 2-Panel Odor Free Bath Pillows - White (1) because it will only make the bath experience better. The one I'm linking you to fits all types of bathtubs and has the suction cups so that the pillow won't continually slide down. If you're one of the ones who has the cheap blow-up bath pillows then you know what I mean. It's time to upgrade, my friend! It will change your life. Alright, back to the bath. The pillow was a side note. I want you to lay back and relax your body. Take stock of the parts of your body that take longer to relax. For me, it's my neck and shoulders. It's like my whole body melts into the hot water, but my shoulders and neck stay stiff. This has taught me a valuable lesson on where I hold the majority of my stress. The goal is to become a pro at purposefully relaxing your muscles. Take deep breaths and focus your mind on the different parts of your body. If you need to, purposefully tense up certain muscles and then let the tension out. This is a good way to practice relaxation because you can feel the difference between when you're tense and when you're relaxed. If you haven't ever looked into Progressive Muscle Relaxation, here is a good video that walks you through the process. I highly suggest practicing Progressive Muscle Relaxation on a regular basis because it allows you to learn how to have control over your body instead of the other way around.

Candles: I am a huge advocate for turning the lights down or off while you're in a bubble bath. You've got to set the optimal mood for good relaxation! There is power in aromatherapy! You don't want to pick a candle just because you like the smell. It's important to know what scents encourage sleep, relaxation and calm. I suggest scents like lavender, chamomile, bergamot, jasmine, rose, or sandalwood. You can find candles in almost any of these scents. I personally have used these two candles and I'm a big fan: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Scented Soy Candle, Lavender, Candle, 7.2 ounce (Pack of 2) and LA JOLIE MUSE Sandalwood Wood Wick Scented Candle - Soy Wax Glass Jar Candle Gift with Wooden Lid, 45 Hours Burning. I personally love the smell of Sandalwood. It has a woodsy type of smell. Reminds me of a good-smelling man. ;-) Once you've picked out the candle you like (I suggest having a few to choose from so that you don't get sick of the same smell all the time), light that baby up and enjoy!

Body Wash: You're going to want a body wash that sticks to the skin. What I mean by that is, you want a body wash that leaves its scent on your skin so that when you get in bed, you can still enjoy the calming effects of the wash. I have to be honest, I think I have an addiction to body wash. I'm changing my body wash all the time, but I have found a couple that seem to do what I need them to do. I recommend having a couple to choose from in the beginning until you find the one that really works for you. You're going to want a soothing body wash that is gentle on the skin. Many body washes have some harsher chemicals in them and it's important to be good to our skin because this is the only one you get! I really like Aveeno products because they're geared towards sensitive skin. I commonly get dry patches in the winter. I also shave my legs every night and that can sometimes cause irritation if I use a body wash that is more concerned with smell versus function. Aveeno Stress Relief Body Wash with Soothing Oat, Lavender, Chamomile & Ylang-Ylang Essential Oils, Hypoallergenic, Dye-Free & Soap-Free Calming Body Wash gentle on Sensitive Skin, 12 fl. oz (3 pack) is a great body wash for multiple reasons. It's gentle on the skin AND notice the scent (lavender AND Chamomile)-you'll be quite the overachiever finding a body wash with TWO scents that are known to help with sleep, calm and relaxation. Aveeno has several different scents. If you're a morning person who showers, then I recommend going with a different scent. I'll talk more about that in my morning routine blog that is coming soon!

Lastly, lets talk lotion. I stumbled on this lotion when I was going down the Amazon wormhole. It doesn't take much and it spreads easily. Having a good lotion is important because our skin needs to be moisturized, just like we should be using a moisturizer on our faces (another post coming soon). Melatonin Sleep Night Cream With Lavendar & Chamomile is a cream lotion that promotes sleep and restful nights. I highly recommend trying it out! I don't think you'll be disappointed. Breathe in all that lavender and chamomile once you lay your head on your pillow, close your eyes and drift off to sleep feeling good about the self-care you just performed!

I look forward to hearing your reviews on some of these products! Leave me a comment about what you use, what you've tried and liked, what you've tried and hated! We can all learn from each other!

Also- start a discussion on what your hurdles are to incorporating self-care into your routine. I guarantee you aren't the only one who struggles to care for yourself at times. We are all in this together!

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