It’s Mental Health Awareness Week so we thought the perfect time to round up some of our favourite self-care tips. It’s so important to good care of your mind and body and especially at the moment with the stress and uncertainty around the current climate.
Getting into a daily routine of reducing stress and anxiety, exercising regularly, eating properly and taking a time-out when you need some me-time are essential self-care duties which are all too easy to forget. These simple tips will hopefully help you to stay healthy and in tip top condition.
Get outside
Our first tip is to get outdoors and breathe in some fresh air. Get out into nature; go for a walk and listen to the birds, feel the sun on your face and take in everything around you. Making this a mindfulness habit will become one of your greatest me-time tricks, especially when you are stuck indoors on lockdown.
Exercise
Exercising releases endorphins and will make you feel fantastic! Jump on your bike and go for a ride, go for a walk, log online and try a yoga class, go for a jog around the block or jump around to a Joe Wick’s PE classes. The list is endless and there is so much out there for you to tap into. If you are new to exercise, start small and add something into your day but do try giving yourself an end goal to keep you on track. Taking time out for yourself, switching off and getting your blood pumping will really do your body and mind the world of good. KidStart have some great sports retailers to check out too in their Sports Equipment and Bicycles categories.
Get some sleep
Sleep is definitely not overrated and is very much needed by everyone. Not getting enough sleep will have one of the biggest effects on how you feel both physically and mentally. If you are tired, tackle this by taking a nap, going to bed early, having a lie in or have a rest are top self-care tips. It is so important to listen to your body when you’re tired.
Pamper youself
Who doesn’t love a pamper? It’s a great method of self-care! Try giving yourself an at-home pamper session; this will leave you feeling fresh for the day ahead if done in the morning, or relaxed and ready for some shut eye in the evening. Taking care of yourself and taking some me-time is an act of self love. We have lots of fabulous beauty retailers offering an array of products, that you can earn money back for your little ones on.
Cooking and eating right
Now we know this won’t be for everyone but for those of you that love to cook will find that cooking enables you to switch off and just concentrate on making something delicious. It’s a great way to wind down and even more satisfying when you get to eat what you’ve prepared. What is more enjoyable than food?
It is also super important to eat healthy foods. Eating healthy meals can help with keeping our minds working and alert. KidStart has some great food & drink retailers
Listen to Music
Music can be very therapeutic for a lot of people and can be a real mood lifter. Put on the radio, your favourite band or a playlist you love and rock out and dance around your kitchen. It’s a way of letting go and switching off.
Get off your screen
Nowadays our lives are on our phones, iPads or laptops, so we find that we can become totally consumed by them. Set yourself some digital detox time and spend some time each day offline. Try not to take your phone into your bedroom at night either; this will stop you mindlessly scrolling.
Breathe
Meditation is now extremely popular and there are lots of apps available to help – Calm, Headspace and MindU are but a few. You just need to learn to take some time out in your day to stop… and…let go….and… breathe! Before lockdown, many of us were running around in crazy busy mode, not stopping to take a breath or just do nothing. Meditation ensures you stop, breathe and let go of your thoughts.
Talk to your family or friends
Talking through your feelings is one of the best ways to help you to process them. When people ask, ‘How are you?’, our automatic response is ‘I’m fine’. If you’re really not feeling ok, don’t be afraid to go and tell your friends and family how you feel.
It’s very normal for us to bottle things up, pretend that we’re OK and get on with everything life throws at us. Often your friends and family will have been through something similar and will be able to offer you wise words of advice or be a listening ear for you to unload.
Self-care is something you will need to set as a habit to practice every day, which will eventually become a normal every day routine to maintain a healthy body and mind. These habits will help with all aspects in your life.