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Practicing self-care is a chance for you to check-in with yourself and improve your mind and body. By incorporating self-care into your routine, you can ensure you’ll do it regularly enough to gain any potential health benefits.
There are a lot of ways to practice self-care naturally that will help keep you healthy. Some you may not have considered before, like wearing gemstone bracelets, while others, like yoga, meditation, and skincare, are more popular but still worth a closer look.
Here are five secrets to natural self-care:
- Wear self-care jewelry
An easy way to practice self-care is to wear jewelry that may benefit your health and wellness. Some people suggest that jewelry made from metals like copper could potentially have healing properties. The suggested include pain relief and a reduction in the amount of toxins in your body.
Companies like Tiny Rituals offer a wide range of jewelry for you to choose from, such as rings and bracelets. Find a piece that will suit your style and you’ll be able to wear it regularly. Pieces with gemstones and crystals can, according to some, bring harmony and balance to your life, as well as being a nice addition to your look.
- Meditation: self-care for your mind
Meditation is self-care for your mind. There’s a good reason that mediation, and mindfulness more generally, have risen in popularity in recent years. Scientific studies have shown that, along with calming the mind, meditation can help:
- Lower stress levels
- Improve focus
- Improve moods
- Increase compassion
- Decrease aggression (1)
Remember, though: these benefits don’t happen instantly. It will take time and dedication to achieve all that meditation has to offer.
Try practicing meditation every morning before you start your day. If that doesn’t fit into your schedule, remember that you can practice it anywhere and at any time. For example, if you’re at work and feel overwhelmed, performing a breathing or visualization exercise may calm you down. Consider downloading a meditation app to give you guidance on learning the basics.
- Skincare is self-care
Skincare isn’t just a routine to take care of your skin, it’s an opportunity to slow down at the end of the day and focus on yourself.
Using organic ingredients, such as honey, could have benefits for your skin. Studies have shown that honey is an anti-inflammatory and can help with skin conditions such as acne and tinea infections. It’s no wonder that the gooey substance has been used on skin for centuries. (2)
However, some organic ingredients previously thought to be safe are now coming in for closer scrutiny. For example, aloe vera may be carcinogenic if the substance from the leaf is applied directly to the skin. Skincare products that include aloe vera are safe because the active ingredient has been extracted and stabilized. (3)
Invest in products that use quality natural ingredients focused on dealing with any skin issues you might have, like dryness or acne. If you decide to take a do-it-yourself approach to skincare, be sure to research the ingredients and recipes you use thoroughly.
- Aromatherapy can help relieve stress
In addition to smelling nice, diffusing essential oils may have major impact on your mind. A study from 2013 looked into the effects of aromatherapy on stress, sleep, and blood pressure. It found that the group using aromatherapy had significantly lower levels of anxiety than the control group. (4)
There are many oils that will help you achieve this, including:
- Lavendar
- Bergamot
- Patchouli (5)
Apart from stress, aromatherapy can assist with relieving nausea and headaches. Next time you feel stressed or unwell, try using fragrances.
- Yoga for your mind and body
Practicing yoga regularly is great for your body and mind. Originating in Northern India, yoga has been practiced for over 5,000 years. A 2011 study confirmed that the stretching and breathing practiced during yoga have both physical and mental benefits. (6) (7)
The physical benefits of yoga include:
- Improving muscular strength
- Increasing flexibility
- Improving respiratory and cardiovascular functions (7)
While the mental benefits of yoga include:
- Reducing stress and anxiety
- Helping with depression
- Improving sleep. (7)
If you’re new to yoga, try doing child’s pose and downward dog positions every day to build your strength slowly. You should also consider joining a yoga class to learn from experts.
Conclusion
There are a lot of ways you can practice natural self-care. Incorporating some or all of these tips into your routine can help you live a happier, well-balanced life.
Aromatherapy, meditation, and yoga lower levels of stress and may calm your mind. Organic skincare makes use of natural ingredients to both help with your skin issues and practice self-care. Wearing jewelry with potential healing benefits is another easy way to practice self-care throughout the day.