As Valentine's Day draw nears I'm thinking of you. Why? Because while this holiday reminds us all to think about those we love, I hope is also serves as a reminder to give yourself a little love and care, too.
A Little Self Care & Love = More Love To Share With Others
Of course, it is important to love and care for your significant other, family members, and friends, but caring for yourself should also be a top priority. When you take a moment out of your day to focus on your physical and mental well being, you can be so much more happy and present in your day to day life.
Today I just wanted to share a few things I personally do to take care of myself. Hopefully these tips can help you feel the love this Valentine's Day and beyond.
Self Care Tips
- Self Acupressure. As an acupuncturist I'm lucky because I can often give myself a mini acupuncture treatment when I'm in need of some self care, but I often simply massage this combo of points to help balance my mind and body. Try giving yourself a mini-relaxation acupressure treatment using this super easy 5-10 minute Relaxation Protocol.
- Schedule a relaxing acupuncture treatment or facial. I feel like a huge part of self care is taking the time to let someone else take care of you for a change. I love taking care of my patients, but I recognize how important it is for me to let go and get acupuncture from someone else. It really does help relieve stress and re-balancing the body. If you've had acupuncture before, I'm sure you've experienced the healing and peacefulness that comes along with treatment. If you haven't tried it yet, please be sure to reach out to me if you are in the Los Angeles area. I'd absolutely LOVE to help you enter a place of acu-bliss. Not quite sure how acupuncture helps manage stress? You can read my previous post here on acupuncture and stress relief for more details.
If a facial sounds like heaven right about now, Natalie Michele at NRxSkin is definitely your girl. She will not only make your skin look amazing, she has such a loving and caring nature about her. Getting facials from her is also part of my self care routine. We are actually located located in the same suite so many of my patients like to set up a 'Self Care Day' and get a facial from Natalie and an acupuncture treatment from me on the same day. You can think of our office as the Relaxation Station on your self care days :-)
- Sign up for that yoga or exercise class you've been thinking about. Taking a class at least 2 days per week can really help you manage stress, and it simply helps you feel better overall. If life is hectic and getting to a class just isn't going to happen, many yoga studios offer streaming classes you can do in the comfort of your own home (or office). I really like the online classes offered by Yogis Anonymous, and I know YogaWorks offers online classes as well. If you've never tried yoga, it's always best to try to take the first several classes in a studio .This way you can ask the instructor for help, but once you get the basics down, online is always an option.
- 10 Minute Meditation: Apps like HeadSpace can help you take a mental timeout for 10 minutes each day. I like this app because ti does a fantastic job talking you through the meditation, and you can try it for free the first 10 days. While 10 minutes does not seem like a lot of time, you may be surprised by what a difference this can make: improved sleep, regulated blood pressure, less stress/anxiety, more clarity/focus/productivity.
- Aromatherapy: Diffusing an oil such a lavender can really help calm the mind and promote relaxation. *added bonus* oils such as lavender can help with sleep. Some of my favorite oils are from Floracopeia. They have relaxation blends that are fantastic. Diffusing some oils while meditating or giving yourself the mini-acupressure session described above can be quite the relaxing experience.
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