Self-Care 101 for Newbs

When I first started hearing about Self Care I would always see posts about lavish travels and how they helped “reset” in a sense a person’s hectic daily routine or an upscale sap day with complimentary champagne and insane face masks that include exclusive, imported ingredients. One word for all of this: BOUJEE. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snap, etc.—all of these social media platforms create this expensive and time-consuming illusion of what “self-care” is, but I’m here to let you know that that’s all it is: an illusion. Real self-care doesn’t have to be about mani-pedi’s in an insanely expensive hotel or a lavish trip to Paris that’s going to cost you your life’s savings for the ‘Gram. Self-care is not sacrificing your financial circumstances just to post & boast about how relaxed you are (& let’s face it, you’re probably going to stress about whether that caption was good enough or if the angle could have been better). Self-care is really just about preserving and improving your health. What? That’s it? Yes, Ladies & Gentlemen, that's it. You don’t have to sacrifice your money or your time or energy because self-care should never be about sacrifice; it’s the time you enjoy taking for yourself — it’s your “Me” time. This “Me” time can be anywhere between 10 minutes or  2 hours that you enjoy taking out of your day to improve your overall health. 

If you’re confused about where to start or what steps you can take to stick to your self-care journey or routine, here are some things I do to practice self-care every day:

• Sleep early every day for a full week (small steps, people, small steps first)
• Can’t sleep? Drink chamomile or lavender tea while you’re cozy in bed
• To lazy to make tea? Dab a drop or two of lavender essential oil on your finger’s and massage it onto your temples while doing some breath work exercises
• Stay off your phone 1 - 2 hours before you’re ready to sleep & read a book instead (that’s one way to snooze quickly)
• Light up your favorite candles and turn on some relaxing music for 20 minutes (binaural beats, non-guided/nature meditation music, and Whiskey & Jazz playlists are my favorites to listen to on Spotify)  
• Drink water every morning with a little bit of fresh lemon squeeze
• Hit the gym 3-5 times a week
• Don’t have a gym membership & don’t want to spend money? do home workout 3-5 times a week
• Meditate for 20 minutes every morning and/or night
• Go for a walk on the beach or the park (or wherever your favorite spot is)
• Don’t spend 5 hours analyzing a “You up?” text, instead just ignore it and move on!
• Eat more fruit
• Meal prep instead of buying out every day
• If you like driving, go out on a quick drive and play your favorite music
• Don’t like driving? play your favorite music in your room and dance like no one’s watching (even if your annoying neighbors complain the music is too loud)
• Laugh & smile more (go watch a comedy skit or join improv)
• Make 1 new friend or acquaintance every week

Hope some of these quick tips help! For more on self-care, love, happiness, gratitude, etc. you can also follow me on Instagram at @alin.mar and/or listen to my podcast via Spotify: Life As It Is by Annel Marquez 

Much Love,
- Annel Marquez