Looking After Yourself Whilst Self Isolating

It seems there are never enough hours in the day for self-care at the moment – certainly for me running a business with a toddler and a newborn under my feet, normal time management has gone out of the window.

However, I believe that taking care of yourself is actually more important than ever; most of us are probably experiencing heightened anxiety or stress. It’s easy to dismiss doing something for yourself as self-indulgent or frivolous whereas actually taking just a few minutes out of each day to practice some self-care can help create a sense of calm and order.

Here are my seven top tips on how to look after yourself whilst staying at home:

1. Create the right ambience
   Prepare a relaxing space – turn the lights down low, put on your favourite music and light a scented candle. One of my current favourites is the two wick soy wax Pink Champagne And Pomelo by Jenny Betts. It lasts for 70 hours (that’s less than 50p per hour) and is a fresh, uplifting fragrance in a beautiful rose gold glass that will add beautiful light to your room.
2. Find something to read
   Regardless of what you see others doing online, you should not feel the pressure to learn a language or a new skill at this time. Lose yourself in the moment with whatever suits you best – whether a celebrity magazine, a blog or re-reading a favourite novel. Just stay away from the news for a while.
3. Look after your skin
   It’s easy to forget to take care of your skin, and as the days get warmer – combined with that extra hand washing – many of us are finding our skin to be dehydrated. I’d recommend a luxurious product such as Soakbox’s Freesia & Pear Hand Cream for everyday use. For extra dry and cracked hands a fragrance-free, natural product such as XO Balm – specifically developed for sensitive skin – is fantastic when used as an overnight mask. When it comes to the body, I’m a recent convert to oils which are perfect for use after a relaxing bath; try Rebel Blends’ Bergamot & Musk Body Oil for a powerful yet light blend of plant and nut oils.
4. Treat yourself to some luxurious indoor-wear
   Comfort is really the order of the day and since we’re all spending so much time at home it’s a lovely treat to buy some new loungewear, especially if you can get away with it on a zoom call! These lobster pyjamas by Nightire have been a bestseller and are wonderfully soft, and you can’t beat a pair of cashmere socks such as these by Made Your Day for those times you need to put your feet up.
5. Get outside
   Make the most of that allotted hour a day (or more time in your garden, if you’re lucky enough to have one). Getting moving will help some endorphins flow and help you stay fit and strong. And not only is sunshine helpful to lift the mood, Vitamin D is actually good for your skin – just remember to wear sun protection.
6. Speak to real people
   One of the hardest things about our current lockdown is the inability to see, hug and spend time with the people we love. So be kind to the people you see in real life, especially those who are continuing to work such as the postman or the supermarket workers, and make time for those zoom calls with friends and family who are further away.
7. Create a ritual
   I love creating moments of calm every day and one brand which is dedicated to this is Rosalena Skincare. As well as creating wonderful small batch plant-based face oils – my favourite is Rock & Rose – their wonder product is a beautiful facial tool in either jade or rose quartz. Just a couple of minutes of facial self-massage every day using this “magic mushroom” can relieve tension and stimulate circulation as well as supporting Rosalena’s mantra of “Pause, Breathe, Be”.

Rebecca Saunders is the Founder of Seekology, a website dedicated to beauty + wellbeing products from independent, British brands. With over 40 small businesses online – and more added every week – Seekology is a destination to support entrepreneurs as well as discover the very best new products in beauty + wellbeing.

www.seekology.co
@SeekologyUK