February is traditionally a time when we think about love. With the commercialism of Valentine’s Day about to land, we wanted to give you permission to just…love yourself. Enjoy pampering yourself, loving your skin and feeling great. And feel good about it. Don’t wait for someone on a white horse to show up with a dozen roses- grab them yourself.

 Let’s smash the myth that love is an external processes, dependent on other people “making  us” happy. We are all capable of loving and nurturing ourselves. This is our divine right. Done on a daily basis, self care leads to a feeling of acceptance and empowerment. Self care reduces stress, anxiety and depression. As an act of defiance, let’s all practice self love this month.

 Sometimes self care can feel may feel self indulgent and it’s common for people to neglect their own needs to care for another. And while it feels wonderful to nurture - children, pets, your career or the environment, - don’t forget about nurturing yourself. Lack of self care can lead to exhaustion, anxiety and depression - I see it all the time in General Practice, especially with working parents and grandparents. Take yourself seriously and give yourself permission to nurture your body and your soul. Devote a small period of time to yourself each day and set up up regular rituals of self care - you’ll notice increased resilience, capacity and improved mood.

Thrive’s 7 #SelfLove Tips

 1. Drink enough water to quench your thirst

Drink water chilled, with ice, with bubbles, with limes. Enjoy it. Water is essential for your life, enjoy every drop.

2. Be mindful of eating good food

Eat enough. Eat seasonally. Eat food that is hormone and chemical free.  As my friend Dearna says, eat a rainbow every day.

3. Stay active

Push yourself enough to get your heart rate up, enjoy the process of being alive and moving your muscles. Stop punishing yourself and enjoy your body, what ever its shape and size. You’re ALIVE! 

4. Relax & reconnect

Set aside time to relax. Breathe mindfully. Be creative and connect with yourself and like -minded people. You will never regret this!

5. Observe a daily skin care ritual

Your face is not a bench to be wiped down. It is your wonderful, expressive, miraculous face! Own it! Help it to glow! Stop using cheap supermarket products and invest in skin care that is active, gentle , cruelty free and evidenced based. It’s ok to want to look and feel nice.

We stock Synergie Skin products because we believe in the brand- we have prescribed it as clinicians for years, and we all use it ourselves!. We don’t stock anything else for a reason-  it works. It’s beautiful, and it’s good for your skin. Synergie Skin products are also cruelty free. So- stop using cheap supermarket products: they are not good for your skin. Ditch big brand names that spend millions on marketing and experiment with animals. Use a practitioner range- because physicians can offer you more potent and effective  product than you can buy online or from a beautician. Come in and we’ll concoct a unique ritual just right for your skin.

 6. Observe a nightly sleep routine

Take time to establish a healthy sleep routine and prioritise your sleep (and your children’s). Engage the senses to calm down and take responsibility for your self care: turn off the computer, turn down the lights, pop some relaxing essential oils in a ceramic diffuser and enjoy the sensations. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply or listen to Yoga Nidra. Love your sleep.  My current  favourite oil  is Calm from #GoodnightCo, it’s part of my kid’s routine every night. Even if they don’t settle down immediately, the house smells amazing and it calms me.

7. Cultivate self love

Feel good about your self and your body. Be mindful of critical self-talk and correct yourself.  When we feel good about ourselves we radiate this into every aspect of our life. Family. Work. Fun. Stop worrying about what others might be thinking. You are just you, and you’re perfect.

 So in summary this February – embrace loving yourself!

 Now all I have to do is apply all of this to myself. Ask me how I’m going next time I see you in the clinic!