4 Tips For Enjoying Your Self-Care Routine

Self-care is a necessary part of life, but some self-care routines become stale rather quickly. Maybe you love jumping into a hot shower, but avoid shaving until it becomes absolutely necessary. It’s possible that you don’t really dislike certain aspects of your self-care routine. Maybe you’re just overworked and exhausted, or perhaps you’re using the wrong tools.

Here’s how to breathe life into your self-care routine to make it relaxing and enjoyable:

1. When it comes to shaving, think old school

Does anyone enjoy shaving? Actually, yes. Shaving only seems like a chore when you’re using the wrong tools. Decades ago, shaving was not only enjoyable, but was a rite of passage for both men and women. That is, until razor bumps, rashes, and irritated skin became the common experience in the era of disposable razors and toxic shaving creams.

There are one main thing you can do to enjoy shaving: use old school razors and ditch the disposable ones.

Real razors come in two varieties: straight and safety

Walking down the shaving aisle in any department store is overwhelming. Just like toothbrushes, manufacturers present us with more options than we have time to consider.

Despite this variety, there’s one thing missing from most shaving aisles: real razors. You know, those hefty, stainless steel razors you see being used in barber shop scenes in old movies? Those are real razors, and despite their absence in the store, both straight razors and safety razors are making a comeback in online stores and razor clubs.

Today, more people are shaving with the razors their grandparents used because they produce a cleaner, closer shave without the razor rash or bumps.

Despite a reputation for being a man’s razor, safety razors were used by women in the 1950s before manufacturers created plastic, disposable razors.

Give it a try. Once you experience a remarkable and easy shave, you’ll enjoy doing it.

2. Relax regularly in a traditional Japanese soaking tub

Head over to your local wellness center for a traditional Japanese tub soak at least once a month. Make it part of your self-care routine.

Unlike most bathtubs, these tubs, known as Ofuro, are for relaxing, not getting clean. Before you enter the tub, you wash up in the shower. They’re huge, and the water is traditionally hotter than a hot tub to create a detox effect, but you can have it prepared at any temperature you wish.

Soaking in a tub of exceptionally hot water provides benefits you can’t get from a hot shower. According to Dr. Michihiko Ueda, “by soaking in a bath you can recover from physical fatigue more quickly, because muscles get soft and lactic acid that builds up through exertion is removed more promptly.”

Most wellness centers offer soaking sessions in blocks of one hour, one-and-a-half hours, or two hours. The price difference to go from an hour and a half to two hours is minimal. It’s definitely worth booking a two-hour session because you’ll want to get in and out of the tub periodically. You may want to take a cool shower, or sit in a massage chair or read a book before getting back into the heated water.

3. Take care of your mind, too

Self-care is more than physical. Take care of your mind by doing things to relieve stress, anxiety, and develop new neural pathways. For example, Tiny Buddha suggests  simple activities like watching clouds, unplugging from technology, putting negative Facebook friends on mute, or taking a different route to work.

When you feel good inside your body and mind, your overall enjoyment of life will increase.

4. Block out time for self-care

Today’s world is busy, and most people are constantly engaged in activities and interactions. It’s hard to enjoy a self-care routine when you’re pressed for time, thinking about what you need to do next.

Block out time for self-care. Create space in your day to take care of yourself. Schedule an hour or even just thirty minutes each day to take care of yourself. When you intentionally block out time for self-care, you don’t have to rush or worry about what you need to do next.

Don’t wait – just do it

If you haven’t started a conscious self-care routine yet, now’s the time. Don’t wait. Support your body and mind by prioritizing self-care as part of your daily routine.