Hi everyone! My name is Shambavi, but you can call me Shams. Before I start, I’d like to say that if you’re reading Prisha’s blog, you’re in the right place. I’ve only known her for two years but it really feels like forever. She is such a wholesome, positive and empathetic person which reflects in her thoughts and actions, even in her writing.
When Prish asked me to feature as a guest on her blog by writing a piece on self care, I was more than happy to share my two cents because I believe that if you can’t put yourself first, you cannot possibly take care of the other people in your life. Much like when the air hostess tells you to put on your oxygen masks first before helping others.
I come from a home where self-care was a practice that was imbibed into our lifestyle, be it physical or emotional. Over time I realized that I practiced it much before I realized that it was an actual ‘thing’ to do and apparently, it’s something that goes often unheard of in many homes. I would like to think I categorized self-care into two different groups: physical and emotional. So, I’m going to share with you a few things that I’ve started over time and a few things that I did as a little girl, oblivious at the time to the term itself.
Physical Self-Care:
This is somewhat easier to practice for most people because it’s less about training your mind to be a certain way and more about just doing things you love. It could be as simple as eating a slice of cake to make your heart happy or petting your dog to make your worries temporarily disappear. Here are a few things I practice.
1. Skin-care: Ever since I was young my mom has always made gloopy pastes of common ingredients you’d find in any Indian household and slathered it on my cheeks and forehead whether I liked it or not. Initially I used to scrunch up my nose at the sheer idea of my mom’s fingers smeared with some kind of paste inching towards my face, but over time I realized that it gave me beautiful glowing skin. Soon, I combined commercial skin care products and even started a regime. A clean glowing face makes me happy, and that is what self-care is about isn’t it? Being happy?
2. Nurturing a hobby: It really could be anything. If you have a green thumb, gardening is your answer. If you’re a bookworm, then maybe reading or writing a piece of poetry? There are many hobbies that we have, but a hobby that includes self-care for me, is a hobby that I liked to involve myself in, isolating me from the chaos around me. Cooking, does just that. The aromas, the taste testing, experimenting and the shrill whistles from a pressure cooker, are my calm. The end result being a satisfying meal (most times) makes me feel productive and proud, thereby making me happy.
3. Taking a break: Taking a break, clears the mind. Be it from an assignment, a relationship or social media, temporarily detaching yourself from something allows you to detox and decide on what exactly in your life needs to be prioritized. Sometimes we get so lost in a routine that we need to take a step back and reflect. Trust me, it makes you feel a little lighter and maybe even get your juices flowing and helps you grow as a person.
Emotional/Mental Self-Care:
Taboo. Unnecessary. Fake. Non-existent. This is the stigma that comes attached to anything concerning emotional or mental wellbeing. However, you don’t have to be depressed or facing panic attacks or anxiety to practice this kind of self-care. Prevention is better than cure after all. This is what I do to take care of my mental and emotional health.
1. Talking to friends/family: You sometimes never realize when you need someone to talk to and sometimes others don’t realize too. Talking to someone whether something is bothering me or not, always makes me feel a little happier and leaves a smile on my face until the next day. Especially if I haven’t caught up with someone in ages, one of my favorite things to do is check up on them and picking up where we left off. This way the self-care works both ways. Try it, maybe?
2. Positive Affirmations: When my brother and I were little, my mom read “The Secret” and imbibed in us the qualities of being grateful and thinking in an optimistic manner. As we were tucked into bed, we were told to talk about things we were grateful for and say a few lines on how we love ourselves, what we loved about ourselves and a few other things along those lines to create an optimistic and positive aura before bed time. Over time I lost the habit of doing it but I definitely think I should start again. The Pandemic has made me realize that there is so much to be grateful for.
3. Listening to Music/Podcasts: While music soothes the soul, podcasts are a newer addition to most people’s self-care routines. Listening to so many inspiring stories and theories and concepts make me grow as a person, give me hope on the gloomy days and motivate me as well. While it isn’t something I do often I still love to take some time off to reflect, learn from other people’s choices and get inspired. Since I’m in the creative field it also sparks some creativity in me from time to time. The two podcasts I listen to most are Jay Shetty’s and The Ikonns.
That’s all I have for today ! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this blog as much as I enjoyed putting it together and going down memory lane as well. I’m honestly so grateful for this opportunity because it has also helped me reflect and reminisce on my personal self-care journey.
I hope you had yourselves a great Self-Care weekend and that you’re able to incorporate more self-care in your life this week!
Loads of love,
Shams xoxo
Instagram: @Hoboand.co
Leave a Reply