5 Days of New Year's Resolutions - Day 4: Self Care

Prioritizing self care is one of the best things you can do for yourself this New Year. When I hear the term "self care," my mind usually goes to skin care. While skin care is a great form of self care, there's so many things you can do to prioritize yourself!

Toward the end of 2023, I was burning the candle at both ends. I took on way too many commitments and I eventually crashed and burned.

Now, when I think of self care, I think of things like resting, doing things I enjoy, reading books that interest me, etc.

Below I'll discuss some of my favorite forms of self care!

LINKS

Long Pajamas | Short Pajamas | Deep Sleep Pillow Spray | Eye Mask | Weighted Blanket

Sleep is one of the most important factors for our health! But too often, it's one of the first things we sacrifice. I learned to prioritize my sleep. I try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night, but no less than 7. Sleeping a sufficient amount of time at night is important, but the quality of your sleep is just as important.

Part of getting quality sleep is creating a safe and peaceful environment. I am well known for creating a cozy bed. Of course, I have my own personal preferences i.e. flannel or jersey sheets, heavy weight duvet cover, body pillow to snuggle, teddy bear, eye mask, heating blanket, and a million more blankets. What's most important is that you love what's on your bed or in your room.

Some key players I've found for getting quality sleep are the right pajamas, an eye mask, a weighted blanket, and sleep spray.

The pajamas I've shared above are my favorite style of sleepwear! These are from Victoria's Secret in a soft, jersey fabric. I typically wear the long sleeve and pants year-round, but they have a shorts style available for anyone that runs hot at night. The Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack brands are also great options.

I understand a lot of people being hesitant to wear an eye mask at night. I started wearing an eye mask around 11 years old because I thought it was cute. I've worn them on and off ever since.

It's definitely not a necessity for me every night, but it was such a help for me when I was in the restaurant industry and I had a night time schedule and had to sleep during the day. The #1 reason I wear an eye mask to sleep now is because it forces my eyes to stay closed.

Sometimes, my brain runs a mile a minute and it makes it hard to go to sleep. Before I know it, my eyes are wide open and I'm staring at the ceiling thinking instead of sleeping. I slide my eye mask on and count down from 100. That typically does the trick for me!

 I've been piling up blankets on my bed for as long as I can remember. At times, I would have up to 10 blankets on my bed. I loved the comfort that the weight of the blankets gave me.

I've suffered from anxiety since my early teens, but I wasn't diagnosed until I went to college. When weighted blankets started to become more popular, my mom bought one and sent it to me. It was heaven! I personally prefer a 15 lb weighted blanket just to achieve the cozy hug feeling.

This Works makes a Deep Sleep Pillow Spray that is sure to knock you out! When I was working in the restaurant industry, my schedule was all over the place and I had trouble falling asleep at times. I tried melatonin once and had a horrible experience. My mom saw this on the news and sent it to me to try.

Once I smelled it, I immediately recognized the scent. I used to attend a yoga class where, at the end of the class, the instructor would spray this and I would always fall asleep. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I loved it! I keep this by my bed and spray it whenever I feel like I need extra help falling asleep.

I've never truly prioritized free time. I've really only started to understand how important it is. I understand how busy we all are with work, school, daily chores, etc. and some of you have kids, I can't imagine! Super moms!

"Free time" is not something we know well anymore. When someone says I can do something in my "spare time," I just laugh. I don't even know what spare time is anymore.

I put a lot of effort into finding free time, or maybe it should be called "me time" since it doesn't have to be a specific amount of time. It can be as small as grabbing my favorite drink at Starbucks or as big as taking a whole day for myself.

Some of my favorite things to do in my free time are grab my favorite Starbucks, browse around Marshall's, Home Goods, etc., take a nap, play a mindless game on my phone, catch up on my favorite shows, and more.

Some other great options for free time are (1) getting out in nature, even just for a walk, (2) getting together with a friend for a movie night in, a coffee, etc. (3) reading a book you enjoy and (4) retail therapy.

Essentially my free time (or "me time") is about finding something that brings me joy, where I can take a moment to do something for myself, no matter how small that moment may be.

LINKS

Bend Soap Co. (Goat Milk Skincare) | Estee Lauder Moisturizer | Dry Brush

Of course I'm adding skincare to this blog! Who doesn't love a good skin care moment?

If you follow me then you know I've recently become obsessed with these goat milk skincare products from Bend Soap Co.

I love all their product options. I'm still exploring all their scents, but I haven't run into any I don't like. My favorites so far are the Oatmeal & Honey, Chai Tea, and Mint Mocha (seasonal). The Chai Tea soap bar smells so good that just having it sit in your shower will make your whole bathroom smell amazing!

I've tried several different moisturizers from drug store to La Mer. Recently I returned to my OG Estee Lauder Day Wear Moisturizer. This moisturizer is nostalgic to me.

When I was 16, I told my mom that I wanted to learn how to do my make up "for real." She took me to the Estee Lauder counter in Macy's. The consultant matched my foundation and taught me all the steps to my new makeup routine. One of the products she recommended was the Day Wear moisturizer. I felt SO cool and luxurious when I went home!

After trying out different brands and types of moisturizers, I've come back to my first and I'm loving every minute of it. A little odd; I actually apply my Day Wear Moisturizer at night! I figured I love the product and it'll moisturize my skin regardless.

My last skincare favorite I want to recommend to you is a dry brush. I started using a dry brush about two years ago. I was born with KP (keratosis pilaris). It's a super common, non-contagious skin condition. Essentially, I have a build up of keratin under my skin. KP looks like little red bumps on your skin, almost like little red acne bumps. About 50-80% of teenagers and 40% of adults will develop KP at some point in their lives (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).

When I was younger, it was a lot more reactive and I would pick at it constantly. From 6th grade to 11th grade, I wore a long sleeve shirt or hoodie everyday, regardless of the weather. I've tried plenty of expensive products i.e. soaps, scrubs, painful ointments, but none of them seemed to make a difference.

I finally came to terms with the fact that there is no treatment for KP and that it just is what it is. I also noticed that so many people have it and it's really not that big of a deal!

I still want to prioritize my skin health. KP can result in a lot of dead skin at times. Exfoliating a few times a week with a $10 dry brush has made more of a difference for me than any expensive product.

I thought you were supposed to use it in the shower with a scrub or something fancy. You actually just run it in circles on your skin (while your body is dry) and it breaks off any dead, excess skin. I prefer to do it right before my shower and use a nice lotion after.

There's so many ways you can prioritize your self care, even just in small moments throughout your day. I hope these recommendations have inspired you to take time for yourself.

<3 always,

Amanda Grace

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.