6 Self-Care Strategies To Feel Better And Restore Energy

We all go through challenging moments from time to time and it can get tough. Whether it's for personal or professional reasons or even both simultaneously. Self-care plays an important role in staying grounded and healthy during these periods. Nourishing ourselves gives us the much-needed strength and confidence to overcome the obstacles that life throws at us, and helps us keep calm. Here are some self-care tips for those gloomy days.

1 Start where you are – You don't need anything fancy to take care of yourself, no need to go on a luxurious journey or spa. You can start where you are. Start by reserving some time for you, at home weekly or daily to gain balance. During this time you are the star and the focus is your well-being and restoring. The possibilities are numerous: 

• Take a nice warm bath with no rush or guilt.
• Self-massage, for this you only need a good massage oil and maybe a youtube video of a facial, foot, or body massage.
• Meditating, to calm the mind and find clarity.
• Journaling is a great way to get in touch with your feelings and process emotions.
• Reading, through reading we can take a break from reality and discover other points of view. It is also an excellent way to learn new things.
• Yoga, the benefits are tremendous. If you haven't tried it yet, I strongly recommend it.
• Or other activities you like and find soothing. The only rule here is that it should be something pleasant and revitalizing.
• Another thing you start doing for yourself is to work on your boundaries, analyze them and assess if there is work to be done here. Sometimes we feel drained because of a lack of boundaries, try to figure it out if that's the case.

2 Connect with your body – Learn to listen to your body, there is a lot to be discovered by paying attention to it. Our body gives signals of how we feel emotionally. Our emotions, especially stronger ones translate into physical symptoms, like when we are stressed that often results in physical pain, like back pain or headaches. Some ways to strengthen this connection are to practice mindfulness, breathing exercises, and yoga, which combines concentration, breathing, and movement, all in sync, giving a better body awareness.

3 Pay attention to your inner speech – Be aware of self-negative talk and be kind to yourself, think of everything that you have achieved so far, and of which characteristics you love about yourself. Be grateful for who you are and for your body, your unique life force! Also, avoid comparing yourself with others, each one has its own journey and challenges, and we don't know what's behind the curtains.

4 Take time-outs whenever you need them – There is nothing wrong with taking time-outs when you need them, either because you are feeling tired, overwhelmed, or sad. Honor yourself by fulfilling your needs. Acknowledge when you are in need of taking a break. Take the time you need to recover. Reconnecting with nature is a wonderful way to restore vitality and hope too, so a good walk in nature is highly recommended. There are also plenty of crystals to aid with these types of emotions like sadness or stress, for this reason, crystals are an amazing companion. Each crystal has its own qualities and energy so you can choose according to your needs.

5 Have some fun – The definition of having fun varies from person to person so I'm not going to expound any further on how to have fun. Just remember that sometimes you don't feel like having fun but it's totally worth it, it will boost your mood for sure.

6 Develop your routine – One that is right just for you, discover what you need and what's uplifting for you. When designing your routine, think of what you need, what you love, and who you want to be. What's the better version of yourself? You can set a morning, evening routine or slip your new habits between the morning and nighttime. I find it easier to have a morning routine, this way there are no excuses and it's a great way to start the day. As the day passes we tend to postpone self-care and self-improvement because there is no time or we get tired and unmotivated. It will be a challenge at the beginning but it is totally worth it!