Self-Care Favourites- October

I know I’m always banging on about ‘self-care’ on my blog, social media, and youtube videos, to the point where you’re probably sick of the phrase by now, buuuttt, it’s very important, because you’re very important and you deserve time out to look after the most important person involved in your existence- you.

So, here are some of the things I’ve loved to do or use this month, to practise self-care. If you feel like you’re in a self-care rut, hopefully these will help!

Some are a bit random I’ll admit, but if they work, they work!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Clearly Glossing Haircare- The Body Shop

Shampoo and Conditioner- £6.50 each for 250ml

It’s vegan, silicon free (good for the hair and the environment- beltin’) and smells so good. When struggling with mental illness, daily activities such as showering can become difficult. Lack of energy or motivation causes activities like this to become a chore that we want to avoid and it can get to the point where you just stop doing it- which we don’t want! Using something a little more special than your mundane ‘Head & Shoulders’ or Aldi bar soap makes showering and looking after yourself seem a little more like a treat than a duty. Stick some music on, take your time lathering it into your locks, breathe in the strawberries and breathe out the crap you’ve been carrying in your head. It did help control frizz and polished up my dull hair- lovely jubbly!

PS…Deep Cleansing Blueberry Bubble Facemask- Primark

80p per mask

Those of you who follow my instagram stories saw how much I loved this, because I am a child and the novelty of this was fun. I love Primark, 90% of everything I own probably came from Primark, and I am a huge fan of their skincare, because it’s purse-friendly, yet still lovely quality- it’s a guilt-free, self-care champion.

You know when you had a bubble bath as a kid and you’d make a bubble beard on your face? If you enjoyed that, you’ll enjoy this. It goes on like a normal face mask, but after about a minute it expands into a cloud of foam all over your face. If you’re still about five years old, mentally, it’s a funny novelty and my skin did feel clean and clear, but without that dry, irritated feeling you get with some other cheap skincare brands. For 80p, you’ve got no excuse not to try it!

Self-Care Jumper- Charity Shops

Prices Vary- this was a brand new with tags H&M jumper for £3.99! Bargain!

Ok, hear me out on this one. This is my new little thing, you may think it’s odd, but there is a method to my madness, and you might want to consider it yourself. In the cooler months, there is nothing I love better than having a self-care day, wearing a comfy jumper that’s big enough for the sleeves to be pulled over my hands, so I end up with knitted paws clutching my cuppa, as I watch yet another Disney movie or Attenborough documentary.

I had the idea that instead of buying comfy jumpers from big chain brands, I would buy them from charity shops. Why?

If you know where to look, you can get some really lovely things, including stuff that would normally be expensive as hell and/or hasn’t even been worn.
You can wear them whilst you wear a face mask or paint or eating a messy cake without the fear and guilt of spilling, because they’re inexpensive- so you can wear them for whatever self-care activities you like to do.
If you feel guilty after buying clothes, this method helps a lot because you can buy a jumper that can literally cost about as much as a Starbucks and the money you’ve spent goes to charity- absolutely guilt-free shopping!
Comfy jumper for you, money for a good cause. It’s a win-win and it’s just means a bit more than going and grabbing one from Topshop, which costs around £30 and you’re terrified of spilling your Primark bubble face mask on it.

Art

It’s therapeutic, it doesn’t have to be a masterpiece (mine definitely aren’t) and you can do it on the cheap! I was the kid who didn’t take art seriously at school, because I didn’t think I was any good at it and I thought you have to be a certain type of person to be able to create anything that looks vaguely recognisable on paper- and I wasn’t that type of person.

Since struggling with anxiety, I read that activities such as painting and colouring are really helpful for relaxing whilst still occupying the mind away from negativity. Now, I’m no Picasso, but it’s been rewarding to see my improvement over the last few months and it feels like I’m still being productive, which is important, because sometimes we can feel guilty or that we’re wasting our time when we’re practising self-care, and this eliminates that.

Not sure where to start? Print or trace a picture/cartoon/clip art that and colour it in with paint, crayons, pencils, felt-tips (whatever you have available), follow online tutorials, invest in a drawing book, or practise by copying art from other people.

You can buy adult colouring books from places like W H Smith and

Waterstones, or just buy a cheap kids one if you fancy. If you enjoy it, check out places like The Range, Hobbycraft and The Works for painting/pencil sets to suit your budget. Share your creations on social media or with your friends. Use it as something to feel proud about. Self-care isn’t just about chilling out, it’s learning to appreciate yourself too, and this ticks both boxes. Beltin’!

Mrs Hinch- Instagram Content Creator

It’s not often I would promote an ‘influencer’ and what does this have to do with self-care? I hate anything to do with cleaning and tidying. If I’m not careful my room looks like a bomb has dropped. Mrs Hinch, is a new up and coming instagram influencer who isn’t trying to push diet pills or useless crap that so many do. She promotes cleaning and taking pride in your home…and is hilarious whilst doing it.

Like I say cleaning isn’t my forte, however when I’m really suffering with anxiety her Instagram stories are great for taking a minute to calm down. I don’t know whether it’s because everything she does has a process and following it is satisfying or the videos of her dog Henry have a calming effect, but if you suffer with anxiety and/or depression I’d recommend giving her a follow. It’s not just me either who finds her videos helpful, loads of people with mental illnesses have recommended her videos and that’s how I found her. Again, cleaning is another thing that can be abandoned when mental illness takes hold, so her videos are useful for battling this, even if it doesn’t motivate you to get up and sort it out straight away, it’s getting you to think about it and building some kind of motivation.