Self-Care Practices for Success

At a time when chaos reigns supreme, it is now more important than ever to create some peace and stillness in your life. The world is in a state of disarray – our markets are falling, travel bans are in place, and supermarket shelves are empty. Yet amidst all that chaos is the perfect opportunity for you to focus on some much-needed self-care. Why not make the most of this time and help #flattenthecurve whilst creating some epic self-love?

People are always talking about the importance of self-care, but is it actually a good use of your time? In short, the answer is yes. Many studies have linked extreme stress to health issues, which is one of the key reasons it is so important to make time for yourself. Take a second and think about it. There is an extremely strong connection between stress and depression, diabetes, infections and mental health problems. So let me lay out a lesson that you’ve probably already learned the hard way. It is up to YOU to prioritise yourself – it’s something that only you can do. It is vital to create a self-care routine that is easily incorporated into your daily life and doesn’t become just another burden that needs to be ticked off.

With that being said, self-care needs to focus on your individual nuances. What lights you up? What makes you feel happy? What keeps you in the present moment? Find out what works for you, and make a habit out of it, incorporating it into your daily or weekly routine. Here are some of my favourite self-care practices that work wonders for me:

Stick to your morning routine
Having a structured morning routine is the best way to set yourself up for a successful day. If you want to know more about how this works, check out one of my favourite books, The Miracle Morning. My morning routine includes a bunch of things like oil pulling, dry body brushing, and meditating – all designed to shift any stagnant energy and put me in a positive frame of mind. 

Move your body
Something that many self-made billionaires such as Richard Branson and Mark Cuban have in common on their self-care checklist is getting a good workout in each day. This doesn’t have to be a 2 hour long CrossFit session; instead, focus on intentional movement. Get outside and walk your dog, go for a swim in your local pool or perhaps hit up your nearest indoor rock-climbing centre.

Make a green smoothie each day 
This has been a game changer for my health this year. It’s something that takes no time at all, and makes me feel so damn good. I got the idea from Dr. Rhonda Patrick and appropriated her research, adapting it for what I like to eat (and let’s face it - what I have in the fridge). Just one word of warning – it definitely does tastehealthy, but it makes me feel amazing! Check out my recipe here.

Practice with your yoni egg
A yoni egg is an egg-shaped crystal that you insert inside your vagina. It acts as a weight, helping train your pelvic floor muscles. Yet the crystals also operate on an energetic level– they are known to assist healing and release traumas stored within you. As a passionate businesswoman, I am often connecting with my masculine side; my yoni egg is a perfect tool to help me get in touch with my feminine energy and my sensuality.

Take a bath
Creating the time and space to have a bath is the ultimate relaxation luxury. If I have sore muscles, I love to run a bath with Epsom salts; if I’m in need of some pure self-care, I add some lavender and copaiba essential oils and soak right in.

Learn to say no
This self-care practice is probably the one I have struggled with the most. Too often we find ourselves in situations that we don’t 100% want to be in, whether that be at the dinner we didn’t really want to go to, or running that errand which probably could have waited until tomorrow. Step into your power and learn to say no. You have complete permission to honour yourself, and remember, if it’s not a HELL YES then it’s a no!

Make an effort to ditch the toxins
As opposed to a daily self-care practice, this is my self-care theme for this season of life. Chemicals are in everything. I find that we generally put quite a lot of effort into not consuming toxic items orally, yet we seem to be fairly unaware of the chemical products we are exposed to in our external environments. Here are 5 Toxic Products you can give up today. Put your health and the health of our planet first.

There’s no doubt that this period of time is a tough one, but I do see a little ray of sunshine amidst the madness. Make the most of this time alone. Use it to create and habituate a self-care routine that’s just perfect for you. I’m going to leave you with a beautiful quote I read online. Sending you all so much love and wishes for happiness and health throughout this turbulent time. Dara x

"And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed." Kitty O'Meara