If there’s one thing I’ve been doing more these last few months, it’s treating myself to the little things. Those small things that I can change for myself have helped keep me afloat for a while. Whether that be making a self-care to help combat my anxiety and stress, or just straight up pampering myself, here are some of the products I use and wanted to recommend to you!
Buy yourself a Blurt Box!
Blurt’s “Build your own Buddybox” is an absolutely wonderful treat for yourself or someone you love. I first found out about them when my friend sent me one and since, I’ve bought myself 2 more to treat myself and share with my friends. They contain everything from helpful positive postcards to craft kits, to journals and cards to ease your symptoms. Blurt help to raise awareness of mental health issues and have a ton of free downloadable resources like self-care journals, mood trackers and crisis cards.
Vitamasques are the best
The only face masks I’m interested in are Korean sheet masks*. I’ve been using them a lot more as I seek out those little moments of calmness through my day. Popping on a sheet mask makes it almost impossible to do other things! Which is great when you’re prone to “just doing this” when you’re supposed to be relaxing. I bought quite a few now from Vitamasques and they’ve worked wonders on my skin every time and make me feel like a goddess!
*Just kidding, wearing a mask outside is also super important.
Make Arcade Craft Kits
I absolutely love crafting now! I can’t stop! I kicked off with some craft kits from the Make Arcade and it all spiralled from there. Creativity is an excellent form of self-care and the repetition really helps to give you some zen. I particularly love the cross-stitch kits and now I’ve purchased some fabric and threads and I’m making my own nerdy designs! Watch this space as I might pop on some free downloadable patterns for cross-stitch and felting!
And my best self-care purchase of the year…
By far, of all the things I’ve bought this year to keep me entertained and mindful during this year, the best is “Creative Flow: A Year in my Mindful Life” by Jocelyn De Kwant. When I first wrote about this, it was back when I first bought it and now I just cannot emphasise enough how much I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. It’s now falling apart, and the pages are filled to burst with creations that have sparked me to embrace my artistic abilities and do more.
Previous post: How I’ve coped mentally during lock-down
The book is split into sections, with prompts of how to write, create, doodle, play and explore mindfully. It’s a great way of embracing self-expression and just creating for the love of it! I loved it so much, I bought it twice in case it goes out of print! I want to do it all over again next year.
Overall it’s been really nice to spend some time with myself over the last few months and that’s what self-care is all about. Repetitive crafts like cross-stitch and sketching, and aromatherapy and face masks while I sit quietly and ponder, have helped me to get closer to being comfortable with myself. It’s okay not to fill your life with the noise of Netflix or constant distraction. Once you spend some time with yourself not thinking about the future or the past, but the present moment, everything can seem a lot calmer and clearer.
