With the new year comes new year resolutions, promises we make to ourselves about how we will improve our lives in the upcoming year. Usually at least one of these promises of self improvement relates to taking better care of ourselves. Self care has become sort of a trend in the past few years ever since the pandemic, but for some reason it was one I never really bought into mostly for financial reasons. But with this coming year I have made a promise to take better care of myself, physically, mentally and emotionally. With that being said here are some self care rituals I will be practising in 2023.
Skin care
I did say one of the reasons I never really bought into self care was financial and because of that it is safe to say skin care is one of the more challenging aspects for me. In all honesty, I don’t know what creams go where, what serums are necessary and what those face rollers do. But this 2023 I want to make an effort to show my skin some love. Though it is intimidating I decided to start small focusing on cleansers, toners and moisturisers as well as budget friendly at home remedies that I believe could work for me. Finding a brand I trust with my skin is an utmost priority in my self care journey.
Exercise
I suffer from really bad gym anxiety, well I suffer from anxiety in general but something about the gym really heightens those levels. I hate the idea of people staring at me when I work out, I hate the idea of men giving me unsolicited advice. However I find it important to keep my body moving and active. This year I’ve decided to give yoga a try, mostly in my room until I have the courage to start classes and that’s ok. It’s simply important that I’m taking steps to keep my body active and when I’m ready to explore the gym again or go to a yoga class I will. But for now it’s yoga in my room every morning when I can and maybe a walk around just to get my steps in.
Budgeting
Like many college students I am broke, and because of my tendencies to resort to retail therapy as a means of coping I am really bad with saving money. This 2023 I was to improve myself financially not only by getting a job but also by being more thoughtful with how I spend my money. I believe that budgeting as well as budget tracking is a good way to do this mostly because it allows me to see what I’m spending my money on, what purchases are necessary, and what I should be saving my money for.
A Positive mindset
Positivity is not my strong suit, I usually struggle with a lot of self doubt, imposter syndrome and a negative self image. A Lot of this tends to come down to how I choose to talk about myself. This 2023 I want to practise positivity as well as manifesting a positive mindset. I’m doing this by reciting daily affirmations, journaling and as well just being kinder to myself. Recognising that I am trying my best to improve and for that I deserve a little bit more credit because the thing about self care and self improvement is that it can be hard and it is important that I of all people should understand that I am doing a good job at being better.
Those are how I plan to practise self care this year and it’s ok if I fall off a bit or stumble along the way because at the end of the day I’m doing this for me and that’s all that matters.