*Collaborative post

Self-care can be described as a conscious act a person takes in order to promote their own physical, mental, and emotional health. Self care has never been more important. I like to think that summer is a time when I can really kick back and relax and spend some time on myself. I find it much easier to think about self care during the warmer months. The days are longer and there just seems more time to make time for self care.

5 tips for Summer self care

Self-care covers physical, mental, and emotional health and all three are equally important. There are so many things you can do to look after yourself. As a busy parent I spend a lot of time looking after my children and it’s easy to forget to look after yourself. I’ve pulled together 5 of my favourite activities to do to ensure you make Summer 2021 your Summer of self care.

Physical health is obviously important but it can be hard to make time for physical activity. Thankfully our little pup ensures we have several walks each day and the fresh air and exercise benefits all of us. There are plenty of ways to look after our physical health from ear wax removal in London to visiting the chiropodist on your local high street.

I’ve been meaning to try yoga for a while and finally found a weekly online class I could join. There are so many benefits to yoga including improving your strength and balance, it can help ease aches and pains and helps to reduce stress and anxiety. It’s a great way to practice mindfulness!

It can be really helpful to jot down your thoughts and I love to journal and scrapbook. This is something I’ve done for a while. Journalling is a way of highlighting the good things which have happened, keeping track of habits and help keep thoughts organised. My daughter and I both use the Happy Journal which help develop positive habits.

I try to sew every day, even if it’s just a stitch or two. I always have numerous projects on the go but can’t resist some sewing or embroidery to keep my hands busy. This gives me time to think or watch some mindless tv programme in the evening. Recently I’ve been stitching embroidery hoops and have a great display of finished hoops in our dining room. I find regular embroidery is great for improving my patience and also boosts my confidence!

As I mentioned above I love to walk, especially around our local area. Everything comes alive in the Summer months and there is always so much to see and do on a walk. This summer I have signed up to take part in a challenge with my work mates to walk, run or cycle 800km. I have been tracking my daily walks and I love to have a goal, it definitely makes it more fun if there is something to work towards.

Those are my five tips for Summer self care. What would you add to my list?