My 3 Favorite Self-Care Rituals That Have Nothing to Do With Technology

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You know what I am seeing a lot of these days? Blog posts and magazine articles dedicated to the topic of self care. Articles and posts that are focusing on the fact that we need to take care of ourselves and make ourselves a priority.

Technically, this idea could be taken too far if we aren't careful, but I am appreciate that people are realizing that in order to live life as the peculiar treasures we were meant to be, we have to invest in ourselves.

We can't help others, give our all all of the time, and go-go-go constantly and expect to have a full life. Why? Because when we stop taking care of ourselves, there is quickly nothing left to give. And that's why having self-care rituals that we practice consistently is so important.

Need some ideas on how to care for yourself? I've got your back!

Paint my nails

I'm going to be honest here- I actually find painting my nails a little bit stressful in the moment. I'm not very good at it, so I usually have to back-track and correct my mistakes. BUT, and this is a big but, once it's done, I almost always feel better. I feel more feminine, pretty, and put together. I feel cared for. Ha! Imagine that! 😉

This winter, I have almost exclusively worn Bahama Mama by Essie. I absolutely love the color, and it is seriously one of the best nail polishes I've ever had. And for the Spring, I've been eyeing Where's My Chauffeur. So stinkin' pretty, right?

Read in Bed

I don't do this NEARLY enough. I always try to work on blog tasks and I never just lay in bed and read someone else's work. But I know that 1.) reading is relaxing and good for me, and 2.) I probably wouldn't struggle with writer's block as much if I took time to read.

Reading also has a calming effect on many people. So if you have trouble calming down in the evenings, you may want to start reading before bed.

There is one book in particular that I absolutely love but have been reading since last May 🙈. It's called Wild and Free, and I think that pretty much any woman in her 20's-30's would benefit from it. It's all about realizing who we were created to be- women who are free in Christ and free from shame. Seriously amazing!

Soak in the Tub

This is something I have done for many, many years. I love how it feels to sink down into a hot bath, the smell of bath salts, bombs, or bubbles filling the air. If I have bath salts, I like to combine them with a few of lavender essential oils and a tiny splash of organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

The vinegar has cleansing properties and is fantastic for your skin, the lavender is calming, and the bath salts help a tired and achy body.

Sometimes I like to read a magazine (my favorites are Good Housekeeping, The Magnolia Journal, and Woman's Day). Sometimes I like to read a book or a chapter in the Bible. Sometimes I like to play Candy Crush and hope I don't drop my phone in the water. And sometimes, I like to close my eyes and listen to music, or nothing at all.

There are so many different ways to relax and so many ways to practice self-care, but these are my three favorite ways and I love that none of them require technology. Sure, if you prefer, read on your kindle, turn on that music while you soak, or watch Netflix while you paint your nails. Nothing wrong with that at all. But if you need a break from technology, you are not excluded from these rituals!

Do you have a favorite self-care ritual that I didn't include in this post? Tell us about it in the comments below!

4 Creative Ways to Treat Yo' Self On a Budget

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

Raise your hand if you are Netflix obsessed! I sure am!

Every night at dinner, Taylor and I sit down and watch Netflix together. We usually go back and forth between a series that is new to us, and a series that we've seen a billion times already. Right now, we are back on Parks and Rec, which is one of our favorites.

I love the humor, I love the characters, and I love that Taylor and I both like it (which is often hard to find). And if you watch Parks and Rec much, you've probably seen the "Treat yo' self" episode where Donna and Tom explain that they go on a yearly shopping spree where they treat themselves to basically whatever they want.

As a 25-year-old woman with a husband in seminary, I cannot imagine living like Donna and Tom. I don't have much money to my name, and I definitely can't go out and blow it all (nor should I).

However, one thing I appreciate about Donna and Tom's frivolous "treat yo' self" day, is that they see the value in rewarding yourself every now and then. It's not wrong to buy yourself a little treat here and there, and they get that (and run with it much further than I would).

So for those of us who can't afford to go on a crazy spending spree but still want to treat ourselves, I've come up with four different ways we can treat ourselves on a budget.