The Self-Love Club is a real-life modern gals guide to empower you to live your best life. It will provide you with tips to improve your self-love and self-care game, which will make you super happy and strong. Who doesn’t want that right?! You’ll be beaming rainbows and radiating more than your favourite highlighter in no time.
SELF-CARE
What makes you happy and what makes me happy can be very different, so it’s about working out what you need to do each day and week to make yourself happy. Strip it back to basics. Sit down (you deserve it, you’ve been run off your feet haven’t you? Nope, Netlfix binge, treat yourself to a rest anyway). Write down the basic things that make you healthy, happy and able to function at your best. You’ll work out what works best for you. Keep doing these things and soon it’ll be part of your routine.
MY GO TO SELF-CARE PRACTISES
Morning
The first thing I do when I wake up is either get up and go for an early morning walk on the beach or listen to a quick 5-10 minute guided morning meditation. I’ve made an effort to not check my phone first thing.
Once I’m up and out of the shower I listen to affirmations, power thoughts and repeat them out loud while I get ready. Louise Hay (RIP angel) is my homegirl. I’ve made a playlist of my favourites on Youtube here.
Each morning I do an energy protection. I created my own protection, with what I say and do I can share this in a future post. I also wear a black tourmaline crystal for protection and have others like my trusty rose quartz in my bra and pockets.
I have a high dose vitamin C & echinacea drink before I eat anything and make a smoothie packed with goodness, take my vitamins (taking these on an empty tum has made me ‘vom before, I am a pro spewer with a sensitive tum tum HI).
I drink a lot of herbal tea. Green tea, peppermint, liver, chamomile all at different stages of the day.
I only drink decaf coffee now (because hey anxiety, it me!) And also my adrenal’s don’t love it.
Food
I eat pretty clean and have dairy and soy intolerance’s, but eating good nourishing food (and treating myself too) is a big part of how I look after myself.
I eat mostly plant based currently but I don’t want to label or restrict it (former eating disorder gal what up!). I call it intuitive eating. I listen to my body and if it needs meat for example, I will eat it.
Some of my go- to meals are smoothies (you can pack them with SO much magical goodness), avocado on toast (NOM NOM NOM) with cute little baby tomatoes and sango sprouts (hello colour). Salads, roast kumara, lots of steamed and fresh green veggies, peanut butter is basically life (I counted 5 different jars in the pantry).
Dranking: I don’t drink alcohol a lot anymore. This surprises some people as I used to be quite the party gal. The truth it, I could never really handle it and I’m over big nights. I don’t like feeling drunk and boy the hangovers nearly kill me. Plus 100% not a fan of hang-xiety. I still drink a little bit, I love having a few beers (who cares) but I stick to the drinks which don’t ‘f me up or give me anxiety. If I’m anxious I don’t drink, listen to your body, it knows.
Exercise
Moving my body is a super important self-care practise, but so is listening to my body. If I’m too tired (I’m prone to getting adrenal fatigue) I do what I can manage or rest.
Some of my faves are: walking, running, yoga, pilates, strength and core classes, HIIT training.
I plan out my weekly exercise schedule and I do the same classes on certain days each week.
Misc Feel Good Thangs
Music: OMG music is my life and has helped me through some times ya feel me? Plus it can really lift your mood and vibe.
Writing, I LOVE writing. It’s been one of my favourite things to do since I was a kid.
Podcasts: I listen to podcasts more than I read. There’s so many goodies. I have my radio show favourites, true crime (The Teachers Pet, Serial, Dirty John) and the empowering podcasts like Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations. I love listening to interviews with boss as people, it’s inspiring.
Reading: Crime thrillers and wowee do I have a huge stack of self-help books, Books on how to live your best life, spirituality and inspiring biographies by boss as females nailing life.
Plants: I love plants (proud plant Mom right here, the family is growing and thriving I tell ya what) and nature. The beach, sunshine and bush walks make me so happy and calm.
Massages: I started getting these regularly after going to Thailand this year. I started having ‘pretending I’m in Thailand days’ and see my local Thai massage ladies, also so I could keep saying ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ in Thai. They’re one of my favourite self-care treats and release stress, tension and I sleep like a happy lil angel baby afterwards.
Reiki: Reiki is an ancient Japanese energy healing practise. I have my level 1 in it and use it on myself.
Night
Implementing a good night time routine is SAH important. Living on our phones and laptops we’re constantly switched on and wired and it can take time to wind down so you can sleep. HOW MUCH HARDER IS LIFE WHEN YOU’RE SO FREAKING TIRED? Omg am I 90 though?!
My phone is set up to go onto ‘night shift’ at 7.30pm which dims the light. It’s also scheduled to ‘do not disturb’ mode.
Have a shower, use products with calming scents (Lush Twilight body wash and Sleepy body lotion are nice are my faves).
Lavender oil goes in my diffuser, lights dimmed and my salt lamp is on (zen vibes get in my life).
Make a cup of sleepy chamomile tea.
I take a high dose of magnesium and Melatonin (when I need it) so I can sleep through the night.
I aim to be in bed around 9pm. I get up early so I need 7.5-8 hours of sleep a night to be able to function properly. I also need naps on the weekends because #tiredgirllife.
The last thing I do is listen to a guided meditation (and I usually fall asleep during it). I’ve made a playlist of my go-to’s on Youtube here.
When Shit Hits The Fan
When something happens and you find yourself in what I now refer to as a shit swamp, your self-love and self-care practises will have your back.
When it comes to handling challenging situations, my therapist and spiritual healer Gaia said on The Self-Love Club Podcast “You handle it, let it go, move on and go back to your self-care practises”.
I recently had something happen which gave me a shock and hurt my heart a lot. In these situations I carry on with my usual self-care practises but I amp it up and do whatever I need to to get myself through it. This may mean going to see my therapist, getting a massage, Facetiming my parents and having a good snotty cry. Get it out. It’s ok to feel things.
I’m a hard and fast processor, really sensitive but also strong and I surprise myself when I get over things quickly I didn’t think I would.
Trust me, plenty of times I’ve laid in bed feeling feeling like a piece of shite. I’ve done an hour of reiki on my heart, listened to 10 guided meditations and affirmations and feel like an empty shell just waiting for the goodness to kick in, and it does eventually.
Self-care doesn’t get rid of the shitty times, we still have to go through the worst of it to feel good again. No rain, no flowers.
But it helps you to handle it WAY better and get through it faster.
Work out what self-care practises work for you, implement them into your daily life and notice as they make you feel happier and stronger. Your future boss babe self will thank you for it.