If you asked me to describe my current season of life, I’d have two words for you: hurricane season. It’s true, I feel as though I’ve been thrown around by physical illness, flooded with outside pressures and personal obligations, and just completely waterlogged with change. This season has taken its toll on me over the course of weeks filled by days that slip through my fingers too quickly and leave me grasping for some peace and stillness. You can imagine that it’s easy for anyone to become overwhelmed in such a season.
Enter self-care. Okay, yes, “self-care” is a super trendy buzzword at the moment. Trendy though it may be, practicing self-care has become a huge part of what keeps me sane. At first blush, self-care seems easy to make part of your day-to-day routine. The more I thought about it though, the more that taking 15 minutes to myself in the middle of a day that I should be spending on other people sounded like a luxury I just couldn’t afford. It truly took running myself ragged for me to realize the need to transform my concept of self-care as a luxury to self-care as an obligation.
Once I made this change in mindset, I was careful to spend my precious minutes in self-care well. What were some things I enjoyed doing that left me feeling refreshed? What did I associate with luxury that could realistically be woven into my daily routine? Maybe a 15 minute walk at golden hour is just the retreat you need. Or maybe it’s treating yourself once a week to your favorite pastry and coffee drink at your neighborhood shop. It might seem trite, but the ritual of bathing has always been something that felt pampering to me. Just add bath salts, some suds, and a good book and I was guaranteed to leave the tub feeling better than when I’d entered it.
My recipe for a spa-level bath with all the comforts of home is as follows:
- a small bundle of fresh eucalyptus (the steam from the warm water helps to activate the oils in the eucalyptus and will help open up your airways for better, deeper breathing and decreased congestion.)
- A tablespoon and a half of Badala Bath Co “Calm” Lavender Milk Bath
- A book of your choice — my current favorite is Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo.
Feeling real indulgent? After bathtime, I love to rinse off in the shower and use the “Refresh” grapefruit scrub on my arms and legs to get that soft spa glow!
At the heart of self-care is intentionality. Self-care doesn’t happen without a conscious decision to take a minute to yourself. I’m a firm believer that if you can switch your mindset and make the commitment to yourself to devote just a few minutes out of your day to self-care, you’ll reap the mental, emotional, and even physical benefits. Since I started putting myself first for 15-30 minutes out of my day, I’ve become less anxious, more clear-minded, and frankly, a better version of myself.
Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that I smell even sweeter, too. ;)
by Hannah Senn
---------------------------------------
Hannah Senn is a regular contributor at Badala and is the Creative Director at Moveable Feast + Co. We love having her voice in the Badala family and quoting Mean Girls non-stop. For more of her wanderings, see @hannahsenn on Instagram.