(This is a sponsored post by Aveeno, however all my thoughts and opinions are my own and I only partner with brands I genuinely use and love)
Have you heard the saying, “You’ve got to fall in love with yourself first”? Well if you want a truly amazing and abundant life, I’m telling you, you need to make it your mantra! Self-care is a non-negotiable for us ‘wonder women’ taking over the world by day, loving up our families and partners and showing up to take care of the planet. It’s a big job and you better be well rested to tackle it!
Now, I’m sure those voices in your head might be thinking this whole self-care movement sounds mighty selfish, but I’m here to tell you it’s the exact opposite. When you’re loving yourself and putting yourself first, EVERYTHING in your life benefits. Loving yourself means caring for yourself deeply, making your sleep, nutrition and well-being a priority. It can be anything from making your gym time nonnegotiable or canceling late night plans so you can get enough sleep, to just shutting the computer off or not checking your cellphone after a certain hour. It’s about listening to your body and giving it what it needs to feel its best, which is why I was thrilled when Aveeno asked me partner with them for their #MomentforMe campaign — it’s a movement all about making sure women take the time to fill up their own cups so that they can show up for everything else in their lives as their most radiant selves! Plus, I’m a longtime fan of Aveeno personally as they’ve been a total life-saver for my ridiculous, nonsensically sensitive skin for years.
So let’s be real, I certainly slip up with my self-care from time to time, but when I hit a certain state of overwhelm and anxiety, it’s always a not so pleasant reminder that I need to schedule a little more time for ME into the agenda. That’s when I take a breather, light some candles, take a long hot shower with my Aveeno Positively Radiant Body Wash and good ole’ clay face mask, cozy up for a good meditation all fresh and clean in my robe and I remind myself of these five IMPORTANT things listed below. So I hope you bookmark this, print this out or take a screen shot on your cellphone and keep it close for those times when you slip up and fall off track and it feels like your head is about to explode. Take a deep breath with me and read the following out loud (or in your head if you’re at work and don’t want your office mate to hear!).
1. Your job can wait (and it needs to).
You’re a much better worker, creative thinker and faster executor when you take care of yourself, which means the project that will take your frazzled, overwhelmed mind four hours will take your well-rested, clear head two. It’s always worth it to get adequate sleep, make your “me” time a priority and show up to whatever task you have at hand that day as your best self. Your boss will thank you and your career will blossom much faster if you don’t burn yourself out.
2. Your health depends on it.
Seriously! This is a pretty obvious one. Have you ever noticed that after a crazy, stressful week of pulling long hours at work and feeling overwhelmed, you finally get to the weekend and you wake up sick and don’t leave the bed? Oh darling, if you don’t put yourself first, your body will certainly kick in and force you to! Stress and lack of sleep weaken your body’s immune system and leave you more vulnerable for all sorts of nasty illnesses. Don’t even risk it!
3. Your romantic relationships will flourish.
Whether you’re in a relationship or looking for one, I guarantee your partner will feel more enamored with you and more fulfilled in the relationship when you’re not afraid to make yourself a priority. First, by taking the necessary time for yourself, you give your partner the freedom to take that time for him or herself. Everybody wins, everybody’s happy! Second, when you’re well rested, relaxed and centered, you’re much more fun to be around. It’s OK if your partner misses you for a night because you need a yoga session and a bubble bath; the version of you she gets afterward is 10 times the partner your stressed-out self would be. Trust this.
4. Your friends and family will benefit.
You think your friends and family don’t realize when they’re talking to you and you’re half asleep or mentally distracted? Think again. These people know you best and love you most. They would much rather have you happy, healthy and clearheaded when they see you. Yes, even if that’s a little less often because you needed to take some time for yourself! You’ll be a better listener and more enjoyable to be around because you will be able to be truly present with them.
5. Most importantly, you’ll start smiling more.
When you are at your happiest, you are at your most helpful to the world. We should all strive to be our happiest and do those things that make us happy, every day. Don’t feel guilty about it. You are able to show up more for others when you start showing up for yourself first. So don’t be afraid to clear your schedule for a restorative yoga class, take a walk in the park on your lunch break or get yourself a massage, don’t be afraid to love you! After all, you are pretty fabulous.
So how exactly do I find my little “moments for me” with my jam-packed travel schedule and busy days? Well, as most of you know, my favorite me-time moments happen in my bathroom on the daily! My nightly routine IS my non-negotiable, daily, me time! It’s anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour (depending if I go bath or just take a shower) and it helps me not only ‘wash away the day’ but fill up my cup so I wake up feeling radiant the next morning and ready to tackle the world. Here’s how it goes for me — feel free to steal and make it your own! 😉
My Night Time Ritual —
** I shut all the lights off after sunset and my whole apartment has orange, non-blue lights, candles and I have a little Himalayan salt lamp in the bathroom for some sweet, relaxing lighting to wind me down for the day. It’s sets the tone and is such a big help in heading off to a super rejuvenating slumber. 😉 **
CRITICAL PREP — get a lovely nightgown! Ladies, if you don’t have a soft, pretty nightgown, I cannot stress investing in one enough. My first one was silk, light pink with a matching robe and when I tell you it made me feel like a goddess, I am not lying, I could not believe I spent so many nights wearing oversized ex-bf T-shirts to bed! No more. Dress like a queen, princess, goddess, Aphrodite, etc for your nighttime ritual — take my word for it, it sets the tone!
1) Clean that face!
To know me is to know I have make up on my face for as little of the day as humanly possible. I love my bare skin and when I take care of it, I feel my most radiant make up free! I’m also pretty lazy and have extra sensitive skin so I live and die by the Aveeno Positively Radiant Makeup Removing Wipes (especially on airplanes — can you say skin saving travel companion!?). I’m obsessed with these guys because they don’t irritate my super sensitive skin AND they get off my waterproof mascara soo it’s major win/win and they leave me feeling soo fresh and so clean!
Once the makeup is off I do little washy-wash with the Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser, it’s hypoallergenic while still being effective at getting all the dirt out of my pores which I will tell you was no easy task to find. A lot of you may know more about my food allergies than my overall body allergies but let me tell you that my skin is even more finicky than my digestive system and it took me LOTS of trial and error to find something that worked for my face and I do not recommend products lightly and obviously would never endorse something that I don’t genuinely use and love. Of course, if you are a sensitive snowflake like myself, try it out and make your own decision. Also — fun fact — I ONLY use a cleanser at night because I think it’s healthy for my skin to maintain the oils from overnight when I went to bed with a clean face!
2) Make your favorite herbal tea!
Okay, so usually the water is boiling while I’m washing my face because #multitasker, but then I will go into the kitchen and make myself a big cup of Tulsi’s Sweet Rose Holy Basil Tea — with a little coconut milk if I’m feeling extra decadent, haha. For me, this tea is like slipping into heaven so find your equivalent or feel free to try mine on for size. I’ve yet to have a disappointed customer. haha
3) Play some mantras or relaxing music!
Whether it’s Adi Shakti, anything by Ajeet Kaur or India Arie’s ‘Soulversation’, I love having a little background music going while I’m getting ready to take my shower or lay in my bath and it makes me feel so sweet, sexy and feminine.
4) Draw a nice bath with a book or take a long, hot shower! (depending on your mood)
So most days, I opt for the bath because I’m a pleasure addict and epsom salt junkie but sometimes I am just too tired or straight up not in the mood so a nice decadent shower will suffice. The music is playing, I’m sipping my rose tea and the lighting is sweet and soft so either feels super rejuvenating. I set the intention for this final step to be a clearing of the day. “Thank you water for washing away the stress of the day, for removing any negative thoughts or beliefs I’ve dirtied myself with and cleansing my energy field of anything that’s not serving it.” Then I will step into my bath with lavender epsom salts or wash my body in a hot shower with Aveeno Positively Radiant Exfoliating Body Wash (soap-free, dye-free, hypoallergenic as well soo no nighttime sneeze attacks!) and just stay present to the water really cleansing me, rejuvenating me and washing toxins off my mind, body and soul!
After I wash, I slip back into my nightgown, light candles on either side of my bed and curl up with a good book! My current read is “Witches” by Lisa Lister and I am LOVE LOVE loving it!
I hope you guys enjoyed this post and little sneak peek into my nighttime ritual. Let me know if you give it a go yourself or what your favorite way to take a #MomentforMe is — and don’t forget, self care is the furthest things from selfish!
xo,
C