The 9 Best Forms of Self Care
During our periods, loving ourselves when we are not feeling our best can be a challenge. Self care is and should always be the norm. Feeling hard when your hormones are raging during different parts of your cycle can be difficult. Here are some ways to embrace our ever changing cycles by taking care of our bodies, our minds and our hearts.
Keep on Track
Knowledge is power. Knowing when to anticipate your needs is part of any self-care routine. During our periods, our body undergoes a lot more stress than it normally would be under. This means being ahead of the game and knowing when to be a little kinder to ourselves will hopefully allow us to prepare. Tracking your period and noting your mood and body changes can aid in this.
Eat Healthy to be Wealthy
We are what we eat. Providing our bodies with essential vitamins and nutrients can help to support ourselves through this time. Part of this can also be supplementing. Are you lacking iron after your cycle? In need or B12? Take note of what your body needs by seeing what your body is craving at different points in your cycle.
Rest is Best
Nothing is more restorative than a good night’s sleep. This might seem impossible with the bloating and the cramping, but everyone needs a little beauty sleep. Valerian tea, chamomile and magnesium all help with your cycle, plus help you get to bed easier. Avoid your phone for an hour before bed and turn on the nigh time settings. Blue light glasses can also be part of your self care routine. Lean into the fatigue a little and remember, more rest equals a better you.
Get Some Action
Walking can help clear our minds and keep us active without realizing it. When we take a simple walk around our neighborhood we are exposed to the beauty in this world, therefore grounding us. If you have never tracked your steps before but you have an iphone, you can easily open the health app (the one with the heart) and see your daily average in there. Setting a goal for exercise and sticking to it for at least two weeks can help form a new habit.
Steam in the Shower
Heat can help relax our muscles. It can help release tension. During our periods our ovaries and uterus are working overtime and it can put strain on all the muscles that surround them. A nice hot bath or shower, or even a steam room visit can help to alleviate those strains.
Hydration can be Heavenly
Water is life. If we do not drink enough daily our bodies have to work twice as hard to function properly. Give your body the much needed water it needs throughout the day and set a goal for how much you want to intake. Always have a reusable water bottle in your house and car! No one is perfect but staying consistent will be worth it.
Clean Up to Glow Up
Our environment can be a reflection of our minds. When our areas are messy our mind can be messy too. Just a little tidying and putting things in their place can alleviate the clutter in our heads. Simple things like hanging up clothes rather than throwing them in our closets can help us feel more at ease in our space!
Treat Yourself with Kindness
Be nice to yourself when you are on your period because self talk can set the standard for our lives. Having good energy is the hardest when we are the harshest critics of our bodies but we are worthy of this energy, so notice when you are negatively self talking (writing down these thoughts, or sharing them with another can help) and make a conscious decision to chose positivity.
Connection is Key
Meditation, prayer, music, breathwork and yoga are just a few of the ways that we can keep our minds focused on the present. Creating these safe spaces for our minds and bodies is essential in maintaining our sanity.
With love, The Rif Care team
