What Your Mother Didn't Tell You About Self-Care
I don’t know why self-care has been made out to be like the most luxurious thing you could do for yourself, when it should really be something that is incorporated into your daily routine.
“Don’t worry about it mija, you need to treat yourself,” my mom would tell me as we would go shopping at the end of the day to release stress. I used to label my shopping sprees as “self-care” and call it a day. Don’t get me wrong, I like treating myself just as much as the next person but it definitely doesn’t need to be labeled as a form of self-care.
My mother never told me how therapeutic it was to truly tune in and listen to your needs. Sometimes, our greatest desires stem from within and are waiting to be nurtured by us. Yes, you read that correctly. Your needs are patiently waiting to be taken care of by you!
This may seem mind-blowing, but I promise that you do not need a big budget or a day scheduled out for your self-care (although it doesn’t hurt to have those too). There are recipes, daily practices, and an overall mindset we can incorporate into our lifestyles.
The beauty about authentic self-care is that all it really needs is a positive intention and natural ingredients to make your outcome come to fruition! My mom did her absolute best in passing down the recipes she remembered to me, but these are the ones I wish I had incorporated into my self-care routine earlier:
Upset stomach? Have no fear, our favorite tea is here!
Graphics by Hannah Chung
This summer we are ditching the detox teas and opting for something more soothing and beneficial. I am manifesting a hot girl summer for everyone this year and my mom’s ginger honey lemon tea is something that will not only take your bloat away but make you feel comforted and secure. You will need:
A small piece of grated ginger
Your preferred amount of honey
Half a lemon to squeeze
Optional: a dash of cinnamon for added flavor
Steep your grated ginger in boiling water for 10-20 minutes and once it’s done strain the ginger to ensure no pieces made their way into your mug. Add the honey, half the lemon and any cinnamon if that’s up your alley. If this tea is too hot for comfort, drink it iced!
Rose water will make you feel as if you’ve just been plucked from the garden!
Graphics by Hannah Chung
Every time I get a whiff of rose water I’m taken back to the apothecaries on the corner of every street back in Mexico. Rose water quickly became my mom and I's secret weapon for dewy fresh skin, and it’s something we can all make from home! It can help with maintaining our skin’s pH balance, can be used as a toner, and even has antioxidant properties that reduce redness in irritated skin. You will need:
Fresh or dried roses (make sure they don’t have pesticides or herbicides)
Distilled water is best for this process, but any water will do
A glass bottle to store it in
Remove all of the petals from the stem and place them in a pot of boiling water and steep it for about 15 minutes or until the color is low or gone from the petals.
Once it’s cooled, strain the petals in your preferred jar or glass bottle. I suggest making small batches of rose water since it will only last 5 to 7 days or placing it in the back of the fridge to help preserve it.
Coffee scrubs all day, every day.
Graphics by Hannah Chung
I’m an avid coffee drinker but once I discovered the wonders it could do for my skin I fell even more in love! Coffee grounds with a few ingredients make the perfect body scrubs, here are a few ideas:
For clear skin:
The ingredients for this specific coffee scrub are coffee grounds, honey, sugar and essential oils for scent. Once you have all of the ingredients mixed in a jar, it is ready for use!
For puffy eyes or overall need for soothing:
The ingredients for this specific coffee scrub are coffee grounds, aloe vera and essential oils for scent. Once you have all of the ingredients mixed in a jar, it is ready for use!
Healing truly happens from the inside out and incorporating natural ingredients and remedies into your self-care routine makes the process even more special. Our perception of self care doesn’t change overnight, but we can make one small change at a time until we reach inner peace. Here are a few small things that can truly change your day around.
Our nutrition is essential because whatever we eat will either affect our gut positively or negatively. Summer is the perfect time for incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables, so go support your local farmers market and collect your favorites. You can make smoothies, add fruits to your water for flavor, or just chop them up and serve them.
It’s important to remember that everything in moderation is considered “healthy” to begin with. So if you want your side of fries or a milkshake along with your already amazing meal, go for it! As long as you are following your intuition and hunger cues, you are on the right track.
Graphics by Hannah Chung
My go-to summer meal is a vegan “tuna” salad! All you need is:
One can of garbanzo beans (this acts as the tuna).
Half a cucumber
A whole avocado (this acts as the mayo).
Your favorite spices. I like to add salt, peper and or lemon pepper.
Once you have all of your ingredients begin to smash your garbanzo beans, mash your avocado and chop your cucumber. The cucumber adds the perfect amount of freshness that this salad needs. Once everything is mixed, including the spices, it is good to go! This salad keeps you full, nourished and happy.
Okay, not to exaggerate but now, every day is a “me day” and you should be romanticizing every moment of your life. I know it can be hard but if you look hard enough you’ll find a glimpse of happiness within the mundane.
Whether it be a glorious sunset, our dream outfits becoming a reality, the perfect matcha being served or even petting a cute dog that happened to walk by you.
Every day, take 15 minutes for yourself (or more if you’d like) and reflect on your day or do something that can help you unwind like journaling or meditating.
Just breathe. No seriously, just breathe! A simple breath can diminish the feeling of anxiety or worry we may get throughout the day. When you inhale, envision yourself being surrounded by everything and everyone positive in your life and when you breathe out let go of anything that is truly causing a burden within you.
Here comes the sun do-do-do! With COVID-19 and the quarantine that followed most of us were cooped in and weren’t able to enjoy some sunlight. But this summer make sure you get a heaping amount of vitamin D, AKA the sunshine vitamin.
It is essential for our immune system and even helps with the production of melatonin (it’s wild I know!). Take a few minutes to walk around your neighborhood, eat lunch at your local park or even open up your windows to allow some rays to shine on through!
I wish my mom hadn’t told me that self-care days were actual days that were planned out to catch up with my mental health and needs. I wish she would have told me that self-care should be incorporated into our everyday routines.
Self-care is intuitive, your body will tell you what it needs when you need it. Some days it will look like eating the most healthy meals and going for a morning run and others it will look like eating chocolate and watching your favorite movies. This summer, I encourage you to set up boundaries for yourself and your needs, because every day should be a self-care day!