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Earth Day has come and gone, but that does not mean that you can’t continue to celebrate the Earth moving forward! One way that you can practice Earth love year-round is by embracing eco-friendly products. Want to level up? Practice Earth love and self-love at the same time! Say what now?
What is “Self-Care?”
According to the Oxford Dictionary, self-care can be defined in two ways:
- The practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health, and
- The practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.
Sound like something you need more of in your life? Looking for ideas for practicing self-care? As we enter May, which is National Mental Health Month, here is a short list of tips to practicing eco-friendly self-care:
Go For A Walk
I know this sounds very simple, but it’s amazing what a little bit of movement can do for your mental health! You don’t even have to get outdoors to do it, either. You can walk around your home, walk outside on your balcony, or just walk in circles around your living room. Get up and get moving for a few minutes, and see how that makes you feel.
Light A Clean Candle While You Meditate
If you’d like a moment of zen, light an
eco-friendly candle and meditate for at least 5 minutes. Meditation is a great form of self-care, and the added touch of a candle (at a safe distance and practicing fire safety, of course!) can really elevate your meditation.
What’s the deal with candles that makes you instantly relax? Can you guys let me know the deal when you find out?
Retail Therapy
I don’t know about you guys, but retail therapy within moderation feels absolutely fantastic! The best is when you have hit a goal and you treat yourself to something nice. Right now, I’m digging these super stylish items from adidas! The recycled cotton oversize t-shirt dress is great for lounging or running errands. I absolutely love the color and how chic yet simple this look is.
With this Parley jacket, you’re doing double duty! You are keeping yourself dry while also wearing an item made from debris recovered from coastlines. I think the Parley collaboration with adidas is really phenomenal. I think it is very impactful when major corporations practice corporate social responsibility and set tangible sustainability goals instead of using vague language and greenwashing their products.
Treat Yourself to a Facial Mask
Orgaid makes some really great facial masks, and I recommend them for a few reasons.
First, the masks themselves are made of biodegradable material. It feels really gentle on your skin and doesn’t shift around or slide off while you kick back with your mask doing all of the work.
Secondly, the masks work swimmingly well! I suggest grabbing one of their
multi-packs so that you can decide which mask you like best.
Finally, facial masks usually come in single-use plastic packaging, but
Orgaid‘s amazing masks come in recyclable packaging! This was something I hadn’t thought about once I jumped on the facial mask bandwagon, but now I can’t stop thinking about it. Single-use plastics are a real nuisance, so any easy ways we can find to eliminate them from our daily routines are a major bonus for helping to protect our planet.
Paint Your Nails
There’s something very therapeutic about painting your nails. I don’t know if it’s the fact that you’re focusing on something tiny, or watching your nails transform as the color is brushed across each nail stroke by stroke, or the short time it takes to just focus before you chill out and let it dry, but it is seriously just so relaxing to me!
Sketch, Draw, Doodle
Do you have some scrap paper lying around? Maybe some junk mail that you are getting ready to recycle anyway? Get to drawing! If you think you “can’t draw,” maybe color in some letters on the page or draw a funny outfit or hat on someone in an advertisement. Studies show that
coloring is therapeutic, which I think falls squarely in the self-care realm!
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for the self-care “solution” that works best for you, you can try anything on this list! Nothing jumps out to you as something that would help you protect your well-being and happiness? Take a few minutes and think about different things that make you feel happy or calm. How did that feel? Guess what. That right there was just a few minutes of self-care! 😃
What are some ways you practice self-care? What does self-care mean to you? Is there anything you find therapeutic that you think everyone needs to try? Share it in the comments below!
