Self-care home practices

Self-Care Home practices

The Covid-19 Pandemic has been an experience that has tested the boundaries of our comfort zones, our inner peace, sense of stability and so much more. With every day presenting us with new information and for many intense and devastating challenges, it is natural and normal to experience anxiety, depression and negative side effects. However, our incredible Earth and ancestors have provided us with practices we can implement to not only pursue wellness during this difficult time, but to thrive. I'm so excited to share with you some tips and practices you can tuck into your self-care routines. It's important to know that each individual is unique and that your self-care routine is customizable to your lifestyle, interests, goals and body type! It's all yours! Approach yourself with love, cultivating a relationship with self-care through understanding and non-judgment. 

SELF CARE PRACTICES

GET NAKED - The majority of my clients experience inflammation, usually as a symptom of a condition, illness or injury, however, inflammation can also be caused by diet, lack of movement, and other lifestyle and mental health factors. It is very common. The lymphatic system is a beautiful network within our body that sits just below the skin's surface and delivers lymphatic fluid containing infection fighting white blood cells throughout the body. It is a superficial and sensitive system, with major pathways in the armpit, groin, chest, and lower abdomen. The system is so superficial to the skin, that if you press into the skin and feel muscle, you've gone too far. So, you can imagine what removing all straps, elastic and the restriction of clothing for a period of time could do for your lymphatic health over time! Allow your body to breathe and circulate. Sleep naked, take baths, walk around the house naked or in a robe, swim naked, do anything that you are comfortable with.... NAKED!

MEDITATE - Ahhhh yes one of the most ancient healing practices. Meditation. There are so many different ways to meditate, explore them and see what works for you! Meditation cultivates focus and nourishes neurological function and health. When someone says "I can't do meditation, I can't focus" or "I can't do meditation, I'm bad at it" or "I can't do meditation, I can't sit still that long" to me, it is the same as saying "I cannot take a shower, I'm too dirty." Meditation liberates humans from suffering through steadying the mind! It's incredible. Methods could include doing something you love (yes getting lost in making art, cooking, gardening, hiking etc is meditation!), positive psychology meditations, listening to sound therapy, visual mandala meditations, yoga meditations and so much more! Meditation can include prayer, crystal therapy lighting candles, and anything else you want!
Check out our online Meditation options HERE
Check out the best sound therapy app ever created HERE
Check out our online Meditation tools HERE

SMUDGING - Smudging with sage, palo santo or other herbs is an incredible home practice. It's ancient in nature, doesn't take very long, and can be an amazing tool for not only clearing energy but manifesting intentions as well. Our wellness coordinator, Maegan Biscia, wrote up a great reference including instructions and benefits of smudging on our Learn page HERE. Make sure to be aware of the source for your palo santo and smudging purchases, as some producers are causing severe damage to our rainforests. For this reason, we found sustainable smudging tools and offer them HERE. You can also grow your own herbs, dry them and smudge!

CBD- Integrate CBD into your daily routine! This is a great supplement, as CBD nourishes the endocannabinoid system of our bodies. This system is involved in regulating energy, mood, immune system activity, pain-sensation and many physiological and cognitive processes. You can use a CBD tincture or edible to ensure daily intake, use CBD bath products such as salves on areas of pain, sprinkle edibles into your diet and so much more!
Curious about CBD? We've created a resource guide for you to explore HERE
Looking to buy CBD from a trusted source? Shop HERE
Want to explore CBD or cannabis further? Gain a national outlook on cannabis jobs and hiring and figure out your timing around the new industry as a consumer, employee or a new business owner! Check out the Cannabis Training Center, created by our founder's sister, Shanon Jaramillo, and enjoy free resources, an amazing podcast and so much more HERE.

REACH OUT - We were put on this earth to continue the reciprocal energy that our earth implements. We help each other and lift each other up when we can, and when we're in need, reaching out is a beautiful thing. If you are feeling depression and anxiety, reach out to a family member or friend for support. Reach out to a health practitioner, counselor or other provider. Reach out to the leaders of your religious affiliation. Use your community and resources to help lift you back up, and then of course remember to extend a hand when you come back wiser and stronger!

MOVEMENT - What is your favorite way to move? Running? Hiking? Yoga? A nice stroll down a trail? When you find your favorite way to move and implement it into your routine, it's going to benefit your body and mind on every level! I find the results of yoga to be the crème de la crème of movement, not to mention you can customize your practice to be completely yours. There are many different forms of yoga, make sure to explore!
Looking for movement for yourself or your kids? Check out our virtual studio! 

STRETCHING - Nothing beats a good stretch routine! Daily stretching is good for all of your physiological systems as well as preventative care and treatment for pain and injury recovery! Do some research for stretches that benefit your body's needs and try them out every day for a week to get a glimpse of how much more freely you can move and how much better your mind and body feel!
Don't know where to begin or need some guidance? Try our Zoom private classes coming July 1st!

BLISS ACTIVITIES - Bliss can be found in the activities that bring you joy and a deep sense of happiness. You can identify which activities bring you bliss by reflecting on which activities clear your mind of consistent thought. You are able to reach a state of flow without effort, because the activity puts you there. Incorporate your joy inducing activities into your routine! Common bliss activities include: Music, making art, cooking, hiking, snowboarding/skiing, yoga, writing, reading, gardening, golfing, spending time with animals, spending time with children and family, and so much more. More about the theory and power of Bliss HERE

BATHROOM ROUTINE - We have been talking a lot about cleanliness lately, and it's important to note that your hygiene routines can also be therapeutic in nature! For example, count how many deep breaths it takes you to fill a 30 second period. Next time you wash your hands for full 30 seconds recommended by the health department, count the time by taking big breaths. When you take a shower, meditate on the water cleansing away negative thought patterns and anything that doesn't serve your highest good. Apply lotion to the whole body, taking the time to massage areas of tension or stress. Put on your favorite face mask or hair mask! Remember, you can use items in your kitchen, such as coconut oil for a hair mask, yogurt as a face mask and so much more! Pinterest has amazing DIY bathcare suggestions! Take care of your face with your favorite skin care products and tools, using the power of natural herbal products wherever you can!
Looking for some awesome botanical products? Shop HERE

GO OUTSIDE - Fresh air can do wonders for the mind body and spirit! Practice "earthing", the practice of getting your bare feet on the Earth for energetic connection and immune system health. Do whatever you love outside whenever you can. 

YOGA - Have I mentioned yoga already? I can't help it! Yoga is amazing. It stretches and strengthens the body and mind in such incredibly effective ways. It is the practice of optimal human functioning and thriving. 
Interested in signing up for my online classes? Go HERE! I'd love to meet you on the mat, I'm happy you found us.

DIET - The quality of fuel you put into your body is a direct reflection of the health your body will provide you in return. Attach your nutrition goals beyond the physical aesthetics, attach your goals to the quality of your mental health, the prevention of illness, your energy levels, and your ability to thrive in life. When we take a step back and look at nutrition as the actual key to our ultimate potential, something that is 100% in our control in a world where so much is out of our control, we cultivate a loving relationship with our diet instead of a source of stress and punishment. Hydrate with consistent water intake and eat un-processed items from the Earth as much as possible. Integrative Wellness does a great job of helping people explore their nutritional needs and Alyssa Knapp councils remotely, perfect for social distancing. 

RECYCLE/REUSE - How is recycling and reusing "self-care?" Just like above when we talk about reaching out to others and the reciprocal care and energy we are apart of, taking care of our Earth is a way to actively participate in the health of our reality. Our planet is divine in nature, watch any planet or nature documentary for even a minute and your mind will be blown! It's amazing how your inhale is the exhale of plants around you, and your exhale is their perfect inhale. It's amazing that little tiny bees can plant many of our foods across incredible distances. It's amazing that Earth even has LIFE among all of the planets in our galaxy. We live within an incredible ecosystem, our wellness is interconnected with the wellness of our planet. Recycle and reuse for our planet, for yourself and for all of our fellow beings. Planet-care = Self-care

CREATE MOMENTS OF REFLECTION - Small moments of self-care can be powerful, found in almost every major culture around the world. Here are a few I recommend:
 -Drink your morning beverage while outside or looking out a window while setting the intention for a wonderful day.
 -Infuse your water with different fruits and herbs, and the entire time you are making the water focus on positive thoughts and love. You can find some great water infusion recipes on Pinterest! You can even customize these to match your nutritional needs, for example lemon and rosemary is a great infusion for inflammation.
-Aromatherapy- Integrate essential oils into a diffuser at home or into your homecare products for a moment to nourish your nervous system and health throughout the day. Different oils stimulate different results.
-Take moments to simply soak in your interactions with people, while you're interacting with them just briefly allow gratitude to come in for that person. This is so wonderful and powerful for relationships.
-Give yourself a hug - YES give YOURSELF a hug while focusing on self love in the same way you would towards someone else you love! Check out some more tips on self love HERE
-Light candles - light a candle to honor and remember a passed on loved one. Light candles and pair with intention, prayer and meditative practices. 

ALIGN YOUR CHAKRAS - You can align your chakras through meditation! Check out this chakra aligning mediation HERE. You can also use crystals, aligning the chakras with similar color stones. You can align the chakras through mantra chanting and yoga as well! 

SYMBOLS & STONES - The power of a symbol comes from the person who uses it. Identify what those symbols or objects may be for you. These may include personal momentos from meaningful trips or from other people, perhaps a dream catcher to represent energy protection, a rosary or other religious item, or whatever calls to you. I love to promote the use of crystals and stones with setting intentions and meditation! They are ancient and beautiful, and can become powerful tools for manifesting what you want in life as well as bringing in divine connection to our universe. Going out into nature and looking for your own stones can also be so lovely and therapeutic. 

SOAK - Creating a great bath routine can be an incredible self care practice. You can simply soak in a tub or hot tub and receive the benefits of relaxation for your physiological systems. You can also bring in many of the techniques listed above! Listen to your favorite music, bring your favorite stones into the tub with you, drink infused water or tea, infuse your bath with essential oils, smudge before you get in, massage your body after with lotion and so much more!

CUDDLE/SNUGGLE - This is one of my favorites! There is actually a physiological function for cuddling and snuggling! It boosts oxytosin and dopamine, which are essentially our happy hormones. This boost is great for neurological function, as well as circulation. Cuddle a loved one, an animal, or a stuffed animal!

MINDFULNESS - Mindfulness is moment to moment awareness of sensations, thoughts, perceptions. Mindfulness puts the being back into human being by drawing your awareness to the moment you are in right now and igniting gratitude. Practicing mindfulness allows us to catch stress and negativity as it comes up, adjust yourself to a better pattern of behavior or pursue therapeutic tools before the stress and negativity is allowed to take root. Bringing yourself into the moment can help with overeating, addiction, depression, anxiety and so much more. It can be used in meditation or throughout the day. It's a powerful tool that allows us to recognize that everything we need is already within us.

SLEEP PATTERNS- How much sleep are you getting every night? Try to get 6-8 hours of deep sleep per night, going to bed around the same time. The human body and energy sync with sleep patterns for vital rest and healing. Unhealthy sleep patterns can cause mental health issues, stagnation in our physiological systems, lack of energy and drive, and an extreme loss in energy. You can see how quickly an unhealthy sleep pattern can slip into all aspects of daily life. Sleeping out of alignment can trigger chronic pain and is often one of the first questions I ask patients with back and neck pain. If the spine is out of alignment for hours every night, it can result in chronic pain.
Tip: If you sleep on your side, make sure your pillow props your head up to align with your spine and try a pillow between the knees. If you sleep on your back or stomach, make sure your pillow doesn't prop your head and chin out of alignment, in fact sleeping without a pillow for awhile can have great results. Try a few weeks of regularity and you will be surprised with how you feel! 
Pro-tip: Integrate aromatherapy, CBD or sound therapy into your nightly routine for deep, meaningful, rejuvenating sleep. Allow your sleep and rest to be your secret weapon. 
​Check out our recommendations for sleep below!

The perfect sleep pillow

Products for Sleep

Sound Therapy