I rarely schedule trips to the spa. The last time I had a real massage was a chair massage at the mall, and I think my tight neck muscles frustrated my masseuse. However, my recent day of indulgence taught me a lot about myself and how I view my needs.
To have the time to explore my issues with relaxing, I scheduled a full day at Santa Barbaras Salt Cave Spa. While this location is in beautiful California, I hope this post inspires you to seek a spa near you!
I LOVE scrubs. Here in Massachusetts, the cold winters can really make your skin dry so I’m always on the lookout for luxurious scrubs to use. This one is PERFECT for Valentine’s day and it only contains three products so it’s really easy to make!
When I think of February, I think of Valentine’s, and that means love. Usually, that love comes in the form of candy or cards from others, but more and more people are starting to understand that we need to be able to love ourselves before we can be stable enough to love someone else. So what does that even mean? Last year I wrote THIS article for basic self-love ideas, but this year I tried something different. I decided to go on a spiritual retreat, and this is how it went!
Ah, January, it starts off with so much hope and promises so many good intentions. We’re reaching the end of the month though, and already people’s resolutions are fading. I have a lot of experience for this in both the good and bad, so I wanted to talk about one that is relevant for me like the goal of weight loss. If you find you’ve already dropped your weightloss resolution, I’m going to give you a few facts that might get you back on track without the guilt. You still have TONS of time to make this your year, so let’s get started (again).
I read somewhere that after the age of 30 you can pretty much stop working on yourself because mentally and emotionally you kinda freeze and that’s it. If that’s depressing please know that I read that article while curled up in a ball, hating my life and wondering if it gets better. I just wanted to read something that said “It’s going to be okay, there’s hope!”. So here I am, at the age of 35, writing this article for you that I wished I had read and before we continue any further let me reassure you…it does get better.
Hello. My name is Heather…and I’m an insomniac. I have been since I was a baby. My mother told me stories of how she would check on me in the middle of the night and I’d just be sitting there not crying, or upset, but just ready to wake up at 2 am and start playing. She thought I would grow out of this, but that just never happened. I can recount numerous times as a child laying in my bed and watching the moon through my window blinds slowly move across the sky. My days were full of exhaustion but then at night, I was wide awake.
I started to see this as a serious problem in college. I couldn’t afford to see a professional doctor about it, so I started searching online on what I could do. Now, I’m about to be 35 and I’ve learned how to work with it. Sleepless nights still happen, but they are much rarer and when they come up I have ways of managing it. Hopefully, if you’re going through the same problems these tips will help you. As a disclaimer, I’m not a doctor and if you think this is medically related you should see a doctor. I’m just telling you what worked for me.
I’m one of those people who likes to have the house all open when it’s like 90 degrees out. For me, I know that I have at least 6 months of cool to frigidly cold weather waiting for me once fall starts, so I try to drink in as much of the heat as I can when it’s available. It also helps lift my mood considerably when it’s warm out.
My Self Care List is completely different from Winter to Summer. So here are my absolute must-haves to spoil myself. I’ve included affiliate links in case you want to add any of these ideas to your special summer and I earn a small commission if you decide to get anything. I’ve also included some affiliate links of things I think will help. If you click and buy something from them, I get a small commission. Thank you!
Blogging can be tough. I’ll admit, when I started this, I was hyped up on all six seasons of Sex in the City and the movie Julie and Julia. I had these cute little images in my mind of sitting down at my computer and writing about whatever popped into my head over a coffee, or a glass of wine, and that I’d magically have people reading my blog, sending me stuff, and then before I knew it, I’d have a book deal and a movie out on how I made it all happen!…. I had no idea, how much effort it takes to actually do a blog well or exactly how many hats I’d be wearing.
Valentines can be tough. There’s a huge focus on Love and being in a relationship. In my personal opinion, if you live in America it’s just another holiday that’s been ruined by companies pressuring you to buy stuff to be happy. I think we’ve really lost sight of love. To be honest, it’s so hard and so “Not Special” going to a restaurant on Valentines, that my husband and I have actually moved the date to the first weekend after.
I was not taught a lot about self-care or self-love…In fact, I’d venture to say that I haven’t really started learning about “myself” until very recently, and learning about yourself is different than loving yourself. You can learn about yourself and hate who you are.
Love is something that is cultivated over time, and I’d like to preface this post with saying that no matter how many bubble baths you take, no matter how many times you do your nails or have facials, it’s not going to matter unless you cultivate a real heart love for yourself and that will take time. That said, as you do these activities, remember to remind yourself over and over that you are deserving of these things, and that you are being kind to yourself because you deserve it!
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t – you are right.” -Henry Ford
(Founder of Ford Motor vehicles )
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I found this quote to be extremely true in my life. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that this quote alone, if really taken to heart can absolutely change your life if you take the time to think about it and implement it into your day to day living. Read more