5 Simple Ways I Do Self-Care

-This post contains PR/Gifted items, no paid content. All opinions are my own-

I thought I'd talk about some simple ways that I do self care when I'm feeling stressed or when i just need to "switch off" from everything. These are all super simple, easy things I can do at home, no matter what time of day it is which is handy considering how messed up my sleeping pattern is right now. 

When I'm in my self-care mode I like to watch or read something that's been on my watch list or reading list for a while but I've just not got around to watching or reading them. I think this because then I'll invest all of my attention into it instead of checking my phone or writing my to-do list for the next day etc. At the minute I've got a lot of films on my watch list that I haven't seen yet from Crazy Rich Asians, Mary Queen of Scots, Toy Story 4 and more but if you have any good suggestions then let me know in the comments.

I've said this before on my blog but when I've got my nails painted I feel like I have my shit together. If I want to give myself a bit of a boost if I'm feeling a bit crap then I'll paint my nails. I have been loving doing my own gel nails recently but if I want something quick and don't want to faff around then I'll just use basic nail polish instead. I was recently sent some of Sensationail's new Nailtural range which are composed of up to 85% bio-sourced ingredients such as potato, corn and wheat which means the formula is 100% cruelty-free and vegan friendly. They have 20 polish shades to choose from, so there's definitely going to be something for everyone! The polishes are also 10-free which means that they're free from the 10 most commonly used toxic ingredients in nail polish but it doesn't mean that the formula lacks in any way. I was sent 2 of the shades - "Optimistic Orchid*" which is a lovely deep purple-red shade and "Sensitive Storm*" which is a lovely medium grey shade. I'll admit, I wouldn't have necessarily have chosen the two shades I was sent because I like my nude shades more than anything but now I've tried the two shades I really like them and I think they're perfect for autumn/winter (I'm so done with summer right now). I really like the formula and the shiny finish they give even before applying the Fast Dry Shiny Top Coat* also from the Nailtural range. The brush isn't too big or small so you can apply the polish at ease and they also dry really fast too. I'm definitely going to be picking up a few more shades from this range soon once I'm done with my beauty spending ban. You can pick them up from the Sensationail website from just £9.90.

Turning off my phone off or having a social media detox is something I've been doing a lot lately. It's already made my screen time significantly drop which was something I was aiming to do and I just find that you need to get out of the "bubble" of social media sometimes even though it's technically my job to be online a lot of the time. I'm not going to lie, I've really been struggling with my mental health over the past month, mainly due to my chronic pain basically stopping me from living my life and because I keep being messed around by brands who owe me money (what's new) and there's also been other things going on too. So when I'm having a really bad time with my anxiety/depression, the last thing I want to do is go on social media where everyone seems fine and happy. No offence. 

Now let's go back to the basics... popping on a nice face mask has been one of my favourite go-to self care rituals for a long time. I find that using a nice face mask not only is a good way to take 15 minutes out of your day to just relax but it should also (hopefully) help with any skin issues you may be dealing with too. I'm really liking the Evolve Beauty Radiant Glow Organic Face Mask* which literally smells like a chocolate dream and it also washes off easily and leaves your skin feels super soft. I've also been enjoying The Body's Shop's Nicaraguan Coffee Intense Awakening Mask which has an almost jelly-like consistency which warms up when you first apply it and exfoliates your skin leaving it looking more awake and refreshed. I highly recommend both of them!

I don't really follow any breathing exercises but I find that just breathing in and breathing out deeply without counting the seconds you're breathing in or out really helps when I'm stressed or when I'm tired but struggling to fall asleep. It's so simple but it really is a miracle worker. Also making sure I relax my shoulders is something I'm trying to do more because I've been getting really achy shoulders and neck pain recently. Something else I've gotten into recently is light stretching which has been helping with my chronic pain a little. I've now spent over 18 months being very inactive because of my chronic pain and I just feel so weak. So I'm trying to do little bits of exercise when I feel like I can and stretching is one of the more simple ways to exercise. I've also bought a rowing machine but I'm yet to try it out because I'm literally scared of using it and making my pain really flare up but I'll have to try it out soon and see how I get on.

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