Eco-friendly Self-Care Ideas You NEED To Try
Wednesday, September 29, 2021Gifted - This post contains gifted items, but all opinions are my own
Self-care is a good thing. It refreshes your mind, helps you relax and can boost your mood. You should build a lifestyle that includes self-care to help avoid burnout. There are so many posts about self-care, but you read the same ideas over and over again. I thought I'd come up with a few ideas that you may not have read before or that have an eco-friendly spin on them. Here are some different ways to practise self-care and look after the environment at the same time!
Why It's Important To Practise Self-Care
I am a big advocate for self-care. Having a busy life can be beneficial, but slowing down and listening to your body can help you to avoid burnout. Self-care gives you the chance to heal your body and take time for yourself. In today's busy world, when do you get a chance to do nothing and relax? If you can't remember when you last read a book or journaled, now is the time to give it a go. Self-care doesn't have to be a whole day. You can spend 15-30 minutes relaxing in the evening if you don't have time during the day. The benefits of self-care include:
- You avoid burning yourself out
- You give yourself time to listen to your body
- It increases your self-awareness
- Can improve your mental health
- It can reduce stress and anxiety
- You build a better relationship with your body
- It can increase your productivity
- You're able to do things you want to do
Why We Need To Be More Eco-Conscious
There are 100's of self-care related posts since lockdown, but I found that they give similar information. I haven't seen any self-care posts which consider eco-friendly lifestyles. Sometimes, you don't want to read a book or meditate. You want to make change happen. We are living in a world which we are destroying. Here are some compelling reasons why we should all be a little more eco-friendly, especially during self-care.We have hit 417 parts per million tonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere. The last time this happened was 4 million years ago when sea levels were around 20 meters higher than they currently are.
Since the 1990s, we have lost 178 million hectares of forest, destroying habitats and impacting carbon sinks. Nearly 50% of the world's carbon is thought to be stored in trees, so we are releasing it by cutting them down.
Have A Mini Spa Day
I love spa days. Massages and facemasks are some of my favourite things. You can create a mini spa day at home using eco-friendly products, and it'll save you money instead of going to a spa. Firstly, I like to run myself a warm bath and burn some candles. My favourite candles to use are from Scents of the Wild. The candles help boost your mood and wellbeing by harnessing natural, non-toxic ingredients and pure essential oils. They are also kind to animals and the planet. I love these candles as they smell fresh and natural. The candles all come topped with real flowers, which makes them aesthetically pleasing. My favourite one is Sweet Serenity which has rose geranium, grapefruit, palmarosa and may chang scents. It's beautiful and makes for the start of a great spa day! Complete your day with some face masks and eco-friendly skin products!
Create A Garden For Wildlife
Gardening is really relaxing, and many of us don't spend enough time outdoors. When creating your garden, there are a few things you could do. Growing your own food can give you a sense of achievement, and you'll be reducing your food miles. You could plant some flowers or little trees too. Anything you grow will benefit the planet a small amount, but it's a start. It's really relaxing to plant and garden, plus you'll be left with a gorgeous garden at the end of it! If your self-care consists of more construction, you could build bird boxes, beehives or other wildlife homes. Even leaving a little bit of food out could benefit the wildlife in your local area.If you don't have a garden, you could plant a tree! There are lots of community projects that focus on planting trees. You could also use the Ecosia extension to plant trees every time you search on Google!
Go For A No Technology Day
I charge my laptop at least twice a day. I use my phone constantly and go for the occasional drive if I need to visit the shops. However, if you're looking for a way to relax, why not ditch the technology? While it won't drastically change the planet, you're doing a bit to reduce your own emissions. When the world went into lockdown, global emissions were drastically reduced as people weren't using transport or factories as much. Avoid your phone where possible as you'll charge less, and you will be less tempted to purchase products from factories with high emissions!Going without technology can also really benefit your mental health. There can be lots of negativity and toxicity on social media. Shutting it out for a day can boost your mindset and improve your mental health. You'd be surprised by how much content you're absorbed in just a few scrolls. See how you feel after a day without social media and decide if you need to be following half of the accounts you do!
Create Some Art
We throw away so much every year. If you're creative and making art calms you, why not try to make some eco-art! You could upcycle your rubbish to create something new, and it doesn't have to harm the quality of your piece. For example, broken crayons can be melted down into jewellery or to create artwork. It's better than throwing it away. I have seen so many people upcycle old mirrors and dresses to sell them for a large profit. Art is such a beautiful thing, and it can be really relaxing to create. See what you can upcycle and reuse when creating your art. You'd be surprised at what you can do with some old magazines and some imagination.- Use old clothing to make hand warmers
- Use your old Scents of the Wild jars as decoupage pencil holders
- Use old t-shirts to make pillows or a blanket
- Cut up a make to create location-based art
- Use toilet roll tubes to make gift pillows
- Take magazines to create some modern artwork
- Use crayons and melt them onto canvas
- Break up CDs and make a mirrored piece of art
- Use missing puzzle pieces to make friendship necklaces
- Use old puzzles to create a cool piece of art or a new puzzle!
- Take beads and create a mosaic picture
Have A Picnic With Some Friends
I love a good picnic. There are so many fun ways to make a picnic memorable. It's also a good way to spend the day outside, off of electronics and getting active. Plan to visit somewhere local, so you don't have to travel far to get there. If you need to use transport, car share with your friends or take public transport. You can use your homegrown food to make sandwiches and shop from local retailers to reduce your food miles! There are lots of national parks that you could visit on your picnic. Personally, I love to visit Thetford Forest as there are lots of walking trails and other things to do while I'm there. Make sure you bring games and a football to play with!Volunteer At A Litter Pick
There is always a sense of joy after you do something good for the community. One way to look after the environment is to participate in a litter pick! For some, this may not seem like self-care, but I love knowing I have helped, and it makes me feel good. Beaches and parks are areas to focus on. There are lots of animals who eat and get caught up in the rubbish we leave behind. If litter picking isn't for you, see what other community action projects are in your area. Doing something for the environment and the community is a great form of self-care as you're looking after your mind while making things better for others!Sleep Under The Stars
I love lying down and looking up at the sky. It's so peaceful at night when you can see all of the stars. If you want a whole night of relaxation, why not spend the night under the stars? I like to look for constellations and think about what could be out in space. It's better to see the stars where there isn't light pollution, so going to a rural area could work better than staying close to houses. You can use a star app to guide you through the constellations. I thought this was a nice way to practise self-care as you'd be appreciating the world around you. We don't often take the time to look up and appreciate the world we live in. With more natural disasters and biomes being destroyed, now is a good time to start caring for and enjoying what we do have.
20 comments
Exactly, proper eating and exercise habits are key to healthy life
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I deffo agree that eating healthy and exercising is very important. I always get out the house for a 30 minute walk everyday. I'm thinking of having a movie night tonight to chill out x
ReplyDeleteDefinitely some good ideas. I have been doing movie nights and exercising, but I have not spent enough time reading for fun.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great post full of some great ideas. It's so important for us to be taking care of ourselves during this time and not let things get on top of us. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletePhilippa Claire
I've found movie nights and reading to be really helpful as a distraction when the news has left me feeling stressed or anxious. It's good for my mental health to switch off from the world every now and then. I've been using my hour to walk my dog and it's really nice to get out for that short time x
ReplyDeleteSophie
www.glowsteady.co.uk
A big yes to a film night!! Can't beat a bit of HSM either haha x
ReplyDeletehttps://www.femaleoriginal.com
All great tips Em! I do a lot of these things on the regular and I find them to be very helpful in keeping me relaxed especially during this time of high anxiety and uncertainty.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips for self-care! I’ll definitely try these as I’m always the best with self-care
ReplyDeleteSome great ideas. I love bullet journaling. It helped so much during lockdown and I’ve really loved reading a lot more too
ReplyDeleteWhat I Have Wrote
I've only heard good things of Scents of the Wild. Let me tell you, an at home spa day is very much needed here!
ReplyDeleteRosie
https://www.loverosiee.co.uk
I want to do all of these things! I actually did a mini spa day with my friend on Saturday and I can't tell you how relaxed I felt afterwards. I also slept so well that night. I love the idea of a picnic with friends too and sleeping under the stars. Where I live, the weather is pretty much too hot to spend time outside until the end of September, but I really want to camp overnight in the desert and see the stars :) Thanks for the great ideas!
ReplyDeleteLove all of these ideas! Usually reading is my self care go to and the idea of sleeping under the stars sounds amazing! Love the look of the candles x
ReplyDeleteLove this ! Picnic with friends is one of my favourite things to do !
ReplyDeleteBullet journaling has also single handedly gotten me through the pandemic , haha !
Thank you for sharing !
Nons Mshengu | www.cherbelle.co
Some great suggestions here Em, I don’t feel like people really consider environmental things when they’re indulging in self care — I know I don’t, unfortunately! Spa days are a great option because it gives you the chance to try some Vegan, CF or Eco friendly products! And a no technology day is a great idea too!
ReplyDeleteSo many brilliant suggestions here and you're so right that we all need to be a bit more eco-friendly! Love the no technology day idea x
ReplyDeleteI love this! I have been trying to be more eco friendly lately and I love this. Self care is important. My favorites from this list are Have a mini spa day and ditch the technology. I'm so guilty of staying with technology for hours on end. At a point in my life, I used to pick up my phone first thing in the morning and I realized it's a terrible thing to do. I hardly do that now but I still spend a lot of time on technology. I should reduce the time I spend on my phone and on laptop screens. Thank you for sharing. x
ReplyDeleteLovely suggestions! I've always wanted to sleep under the stars and have a mini spa day but I've never actually gotten around to it, so I'll definitely try and do both of those in the next few weeks. Going tech free can always be very freeing too! Thanks for sharing x
ReplyDeleteI love these! Sleeping under the stars sounds amazing. It's been so long since I've laid down and looked at the sky!
ReplyDeleteCorinne x
I love these ideas, especially volunteering to pick up litter and a picnic. I am becoming more and more mindful about reducing waste and using eco-friendly products or choosing environmentally friendly activities. Thanks for the ideas!
ReplyDeleteI love all of these tips! I love the idea of a no technology day, and using the time to get out and about into nature. The difficulty is, I would want to take photos, but I guess the photography part could be classed as self-care too!
ReplyDeleteAlso those candles look amazing, and I bet they smell it too!
Thanks for sharing :)
Aimsy xoxo
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