PSA: Self-Care Is A Thing & Here's How To Do It Right

Isn’t it funny how self-care is now kind of on-trend? We’re not really sure when this happened but here at Morlife we definitely agree that in this day and age of hard-core hustling, it is a trend that should be here to stay. So what is self-care exactly and what does it mean for all of those who struggle to have more than a cup of coffee and a tic tac or two for breakfast due to time constraints?

Self-care certainly isn’t selfish and couldn’t be further removed from narcissism. Self-care is purely having awareness about your own needs – specifically your individual needs to maintain wellness and knowing that these needs can’t be compromised. This could mean anything from taking a dance class every week to assigning an extra 2 hours every Sunday to prepare your favourite nourishing meals for the week ahead. As we’re sure you know, if there’s one thing we love most at Morlife it's spreading wellness so here are some sure-fire ways to maintain your own wellness through some simple self-care strategies.

Convert your home into a conservatory

Okay so maybe you don’t need to go that far but purchasing some indoor plants certainly is one easy way to bring a breath of fresh air into your surroundings -  literally. Plants improve air quality by absorbing and filtering out air particulates (the little toxic bits of air pollution) at the same time as they breathe in carbon dioxide. They then are so kind as to transform these particulates and carbon dioxide through photosynthesis into fresh oxygen for us to breathe in. Who knew greenery was so generous but if this wasn’t enough for you, even the soil in your potted plants has its own microbiome that contributes to this cleaning process – much like the good bugs in our guts!  So go out and buy that hanging pathos or a voluminous Monstera if you have space to be a little Jurassic Park-esque. Not only will you be breathing in the good stuff, every time you see your little shrubberies you’ll be sure to have a smile on your dial. Science actually says that upon the sighting of greenery your brain releases happy endorphins[1] (yay science) so what are you waiting for? Get your green thumb on.

Tune out

This may sound slightly contradictory considering you are reading this post from a computer/smartphone screen but consider this a PSA to put down your device for just a little while - after you’ve finished reading of course. Do you ever wonder what you did with your time before Instagram, Snapchat and (our personal favourite here with the Morlife gals) PINTEREST!? Well, there has never been a better time than now to find out. Time to log out – even if it’s just for an hour or two. Give yourself some time to just be, sans overwhelming static of social media. Sometimes the superficial imagery we’re exposed to on social media can skew our view on the here and now moments we actually live in. It doesn’t make your day job any easier by constantly seeing flawless pictures of people travelling the world, eating foods that might as well be in an art museum whilst you’re stuck at your desk trying to figure out if the dust accumulating on your monitor is technically at health-concern level or not. So tune out, it will help you be in the now and appreciate the wonderful life you lead whilst protecting your influential sponge of a mind from the stimulus that doesn’t really matter.

Get enough Zzz’s

Physiologically sleep is one of the essentials your body needs to stay alive, just after food and water. Psychologically sleep is essential to keeping you thinking rationally so that those around you remain alive too. Only kidding, but if you want to stay sane, ample sleep is a MUST and needs to be prioritized daily to ensure you’re well rested and able to function at your optimum. Without your full 7-9 hours a night, the body cannot detoxify from the infiltration of exotoxins (toxins from our environment) we inadvertently ingest on a daily basis. Furthermore, there are multiple hormonal and metabolic functions that must occur whilst at rest so that the next day you are able to not only wake up with energy but keep making more as the day goes on. So if that’s not reason enough, there’s always the whole ‘beauty’ sleep factor that we can all agree is also rather important. but most importantly is looking after you and making sure you’re your best self so that whatever the next day may hold, you’re ready. If you’re struggling to get an early night we’ve already covered some helpful hints here but it really does begin with prioritizing.

Treat yo'self

This is not saying that you need to immediately stop what you’re doing, increase your credit card limit and head to the shops for a splurge. We are more so talking about the little things you can start to do on a regular basis that really just make you feel gooey inside. Like buying that shampoo that is a couple extra dollars more than the non-label purely because you love the smell and it wakes you up in the morning. Or taking some time out of your busy schedule each day to go for that beach walk that helps you decompress. Whatever it is, if it’s important to you, make sure you’re not constantly compromising on it. Of course there are always other factors to consider such as budget or time constraints but it’s also important to consider you and the things that make you smile just as much. Here at Morlife we’ve got you covered if you just want a little sneaky but guilt-free gift to self, just have a look at our scrumptious Dark Chocolate superfoods range, sure to get you feeling oh so luxe without the extravagant price tag.

Keep it clean

Finally, keep it clean – this is your work environment, this is your home, this is the car you drive around in. We certainly don’t want to go all out Mumma on you but we cannot emphasize the importance of having a lot less clutter and a lot more room to think. Having a clean space is not only healthy by preventing you from breathing in toxins like dust or mould spores (ew) but it can help to put your mind at ease. When you’re in a rush, you’ll always be able to find what you’re missing – 98% of the time. You’ll also always be pleasantly surprised to come home from a long hard day to see that there is a clean kitchen to make dinner in or a made bed to just flop into when you’re exhausted. A wise man once said that at the end of the day, if you haven’t achieved anything else, coming home to a made bed will give you a sense of accomplishment and encouragement to get onto the next day. We think this couldn’t be truer so time to start putting in just a little more elbow grease here and there. Don’t leave it to future-self to start keeping it cleaner, start making a reason to thank past self.

[1] McSweeney, J., Rainham, D., Johnson, S.A., Sherry, S.B. and Singleton, J., 2014. Indoor nature exposure (INE): A health-promotion framework. Health promotion international, 30(1), pp.126-139.