My Summer Self-Care Edit: 5 Practices That Fill My Cup Daily

Hi guys! Welcome back to the blog! It has been a little while since I've written an actual blog post but I'm so excited to be back. I've honestly been exploring my creative interests a little bit and have been really enjoying making YouTube videos, but I just want to come back to my blog for a bit. Because blogging is what really started it all!!

Anyways, I hope you're all doing well and having a nice summer. Whether that means finding more time to relax, or honestly keeping up with routines and productivity, whatever feels good for you. For this blog post, I wanted to get back into self-care and share a few little habits that are truly changing my life this summer and allowing me to fill up my cup. Even if you're so incredibly busy, you can't pour from an empty cup. I saw something on Instagram by Ariana Huffington where she posted a graphic showing that you need to recognize that you have to self-care when you're phone battery is at the yellow stage, not the red one (low battery). For me, self-care is all about finding ways to make myself feel my best, especially when I can sense that I'm feeling a little tired, drained, or down. So, here are a few little things that I hope can also help you feel your best this summer and recharge your battery if you're feeling a little low.

Image Credit: Pinterest

My Summer Self-Care Edit:

1) Engage in creative outlets - For me creativity has always been a form of self-care. It boosts my mood, brings me joy and genuine happiness. Engaging in a creative hobby can help de-stress and remind you that everything will be okay. And trust me, even if you're not creative, trying something creative will make you feel so good. Some creative things I love are creating digital moodboards, content creation, filming and editing videos, and curating playlists! Something that Reese Witherspoon said that resonated with me is that when you're stressed, getting out of your head and into your hands, into something creative, can be so transformational for how you feel. And I couldn't agree more!

2) Try to learn something new daily - Okay, so you must be thinking, how is this a self-care habit? Well...let me explain. So recently, I've been really leaning into learning new things daily. It's so incredibly important for our mood to keep our brains stimulated. A certain amount of active stimulation is healthy for our brains and ourselves, of course, without extra stress and anxiety. So, what I'm saying is, take it upon yourself to try to learn something new daily. It'll make you feel good, and it's a great way to just keep your brain stimulated. Whether it's at work, school, or even during your free time. Something that I've been enjoying lately is watching fashion documentaries and learning the history of certain brands and how they've grown and developed! So, trust me, learning something new daily can be fun and a great way to feel good daily.

3) Get dressed in a feel-good outfit - I feel as though this idea is becoming more mainstream, which I'm honestly so happy about. Because for the past few years, I've felt that looking good is feeling good. I think we can all agree that wearing actual clothes makes us feel happier, more prepared for the day, more productive, and overall, helps us be in a better mood. For instance, when I'm wearing my sweats, I may feel a little more tired and a bit lazy. So, I encourage you to take the time to put on a feel-good outfit every day! Even if you're working from home, looking good still means feeling good. Investing those 5 minutes to wear an outfit that makes you feel ready for the day will result in a great next 5 hours of the day. So, make it a priority to get dressed in a feel-good outfit daily.

4) Romanticize the little things - I'm such a believer that one of the most impactful kinds of self-care comes down to the mundane parts of life, and romanticizing them. And I know, everyone is talking about romanticizing life on TikTok right now, but what does it mean? Well, it's simple. It's all about taking those daily mundane tasks: think getting ready in the morning, commuting to work, working out, doing laundry, washing dishes, etc., and finding a way to enjoy them more! Think about adding just a little more intention and beauty into these most ordinary parts of your day. The way I like to romanticize these moments is by listening to music. Like it just brings more vibrancy to these parts of life that can feel a little dull and times. And another one of my fave ways to romanticize life is by having a peaceful and quiet morning routine. I love making my breakfast and honestly, just sitting in peace and starting my day on the right note! And trust me, you don’t need a whole reset day to care for yourself. Sometimes, just slowing down and being present with a small moment is enough.

5) Embrace alone time as a form of self-care - One of the most underrated but impactful parts of self-care is spending intentional time alone. While I love being around friends and family, and those moments bring me so much happiness, I’ve also learned to truly appreciate the quiet, recharging power of being by myself. Alone time doesn’t have to feel lonely. As I've gotten older, I realized that I feel like it can be incredibly peaceful and grounding. Whether I’m winding down with a slow skincare routine, having tea while watching a cozy show or YouTube video, or just creating a moodboard with music playing in the background, those solo moments in my “me-zone” help me reset and reconnect with myself. I truly feel that sometimes the best way to refill your cup is to simply be with yourself.

Okay, so that's going to be it for this post, but I hope that you give some of these self-care tips a try if you've been needing some time to take care of yourself. And all of these tips are things I try to incorporate into my life daily to feel my best. Self-care doesn't need to be these long, luxurious things to feel our best. I truly feel it's doing the small things, romanticizing life more, and engaging in more of what brings you joy and happiness.

I hope you guys have a beautiful rest of the week, weekend, whenever you're reading this. Please remember to take good care of yourselves, and I'll see you back on the blog soon!

Xo,

Esha