“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
Oscar Wilde
Treating yourself with kindness can improve your outlook and boost your spirits on even the hardest days. When we fill our own cup first, we flourish and can pass the fullness on to a world, that needs it so much! Everyone wants to experience love, kindness and compassion – it’s what connects us all!
When spending more time at home, please find here some ideas to enjoy disconnecting from the outside to reconnect with ourselves. Whether you’ve been rundown, feeling down or just want to really enjoy being home, here are some easy suggestions we can follow within our own four walls to get into the mood and into the groove of “enjoying being me”:
1.YOGA, BREATH & MEDITATION or FITNESS
Roll out the yoga mat and do an online or self-practice with a meditation and some rounds of deep breathing – preferably around sunrise or sunset – for inspiration here is a direct link to our 24 hours video library
If yoga and meditation is not really your thing, find a workout video to follow; make sure in the end to take a few moments just sitting there in silence and breathing deeply. You can also find this stillness by just watching trees for a while for example.
2. MORNING & NIGHT RITUALS
I love my healthy morning rituals like oil pulling, drinking lots of water, creating smoothies, meditating, yoga on the mat and journaling with a hot cup of tea. A friend of mine in Bali gets up every morning at 6am, drives to the beach, goes for a 15 minute walk and then dances in a quiet corner with headphones on, comes back, drinks a matcha latte and starts her day. A morning routine keeps me centred and grounded
What is your morning ritual? What is your favourite morning drink? Definitely try to check the computer and phone after your morning routine!
In the evening, I try my best to turn off all devices at least an hour before bed (dont always succeed however :)), make myself a cup of chamomile tea or a hot lemon and either get out the journal to write or a book to read. My other favourite evening routines just before bed are to calm down in a meditation, review of the day (here are the 12 step morning and evening self reflections as an inspiration) or talk to my daughter!
What does your “before bed” routine look like?
delight your senses!
3. FIRE & AROMAS – ESSENTIAL OILS, INCENSE, CANDLES & FLOWERS
I love to explore good quality essential oils and choose the ones that really talk to me! As a little helper, please read about which ones to choose here! I love to use the essential oils on my skin (if applicable, like lavender on my temples to relax or soothe a headache), in an oil lamp to rally or spice up the room, on a pillow to soothe me, in a drink (if applicable such as peppermint to wake me up) or in my bath (see 4 – below). I light my favourite Woods incense to accompany my meditation and prayers or some sage for clearing my room and house (see 12-Rauhnächte). What I especially love at home is to burn candles – either during my meditation or just when I hang around the house. I love the ones with natural essences (check out this amazing range by Pauline Rochas ) and turn my private space into my own little oasis. Creating an area in your home that is just for you can be so magical, it also sends messages to your brain that you are safe to be you.
Fill your home with flowers – even if just a small bunch of flowers or leaves and branches from the forest!
4. BATH TO RELAX AND TURN INWARDS
The calming and relaxing effects of a bath can do wonders for the soul. Give yourself time – at least 30 minutes and combine the hot drops with essential oils or some natural bath sea-/dead sea-/epsom- or magnesium salts. Dim or turn off the lights, and add candles, soft music and a cup of your favourite tea/hot drink! If you do not have a bath, you can do a similar ritual with a long shower, also sitting down and let the water fall on you like a rain shower. Alternatively you can prepare a foot bath with flowers or essences in it, creating the same atmosphere. A little foot massage before or after will move you to a link cloud. Pop on a podcast or a relaxation track, read a book or just enjoy some solitude.
5. SKIN & HAIR LOVE
Treat your skin and hair to a natural, at home treatments. I am thinking spirulina and diatomaceous earth (kieselguhr) face masks ( Mix a tsp of each with a little bit of water and apply to your face, leave on until it sets then remove with a warm washcloth!) or whatever your favourite home made ingredients are! Olive oil with an egg as hair treatment is ideal and coconut oil to soothe all over your body is nutritious and moisturising. I like my collagen lotions lately. Treat yourself to a special home manicure or pedicure with a foot massage with an indulgent oil. I love to roll out a carpet on the bathroom floor, even if the room is tiny, surround myself with candles and music and dim the lights for these rituals.
6. GETTING OFF THE GRID GETS THE CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING
I try to take a few hours a day at home, where I just turn the phone, the TV, the Radio, the computer off – I give it a special time, around lunch or early morning. really important is at least one hour before bed time. I turn off all my devices and either rest, read, write or get creative – without the TV blaring, or listening to news on the radio or checking the social media. Great time for journalling and getting the creative juices flowing or just your mood or issues on paper. It’s amazing what starts to flow once I begin. When I invite a friend, I sometimes suggest to leave our phones at the entrance door for the time of the visit.
7. READING
I have been reading a lot more lately, as I am so much more at home and want to equalise the time I spent on the computer. My entire business is online so I spend a lot of time online, so reading a hard or soft copy gives me a great alternative. Reading stimulates our own senses, logic, grammar and imagination to mention just a few heavenly spheres of reading. So often on the weekends I see my daughter and friends just lying peacefully somewhere reading and I always think to myself what a gift it is for the body, mind and soul to take the time to read! And how perfect is it before falling asleep? Please find some Book Tips here.
8. WRITING
I love to write, it’s one of my passions, so it comes easy to me. If that’s not the case for you, just keep paper and pens handy and ready in case you have a download, want to get inspired or start writing down your thoughts, dreams, plans, goals, to-do lists or gratitude lists. At least the stage is set.
Another good idea is to write down self-affirming notes and leave them around the house or in your car. Create a gratitude journal in which you list daily the things and people in your life for which you are grateful for. Or keep a dream journal that sits on your nightstand to write down what’s going on in your subconscious. Trying to interpret dreams can be fulfilling and fun at the same time! Writing a letter to a friend, loved one or family member instead of a text or email is so good for both sides!
Sometimes I just creatively write down a past experience, where I was very happy, or a problem/relationship that is bothering me a lot. I like to sit down and write/describe the happiest moment of my life. I also often like to write down future plans, especially on the day of the new moon – new moon wishes. Sometimes I start a book – I already have a few drafts of that, hehe! I’m always working on a book.
When we put things on paper, we get honest – pen and paper don’t lie, they help us clear subconscious burdens and find solutions. Writing is magic!
9. MUSIC & CHANTS
I love to just hit chill out albums on Spotify or if you like you could follow some of my playlists on Spotify! Chants as background music can be so soothing, taking away not only anxiety but help our body systems heal on multiple levels. Music can be such a healer if we let it.
10. BAKE, COOK, JUICE IT!
Bake something indulgent! Cook something yummy, prepare a romantic candlelight dinner for yourself or with your partner or get creative for a delicious tea concoction or smoothie combo. If getting messy in the kitchen is your type of meditation, get inspired and try out a new recipes.
my favourite matcha recipe: get a light colour matcha powder and mix it with milk (nut milk or natural milk powder), MCT Oil and honey, add hot water.
11. TAKE A NAP – CHECK YOUR SLEEP
Whenever you are tired, if it is possible, you are at home and need a break, take it with both hands! Often we just don’t allow ourselves to lie down and close our eyes! If falling asleep or staying asleep has become difficult lately, make sure you turn off all digital devices an hour before bed. drink a calming tea and be careful not to eat too late. Soothing music and a meditation or breathing exercises before bed are ideal. regular magnesium before sleep can also help well
12. JOIN THE 12 RAUHNÄCHTE
The 12 days after Christmas are a magical time
These 12 nights are also known as the roughnights, the bells nights, smoking nights or consecrated nights, these are the days starting on Christmas going until after the New Year.
In most regions of Europe, these twelve holy nights begin at night on the 25th of December and end on the 6th of January, the Epiphany; some start already with rituals on the 21st of December.
This magical time is full of legends, fairy tales and myths. During this time, the Rauhnächten followers perform well-known rituals such as lead pouring, the smoking/cleansing of rooms, houses and stables, wishing for every month of the next year (because every day of the 12 symbolises each month of the following year) and the star singing on January 6th.
The term Rauhnacht probably comes from the incense, because in the period between the years various herbs were smoked. At that time there was the hope to avert evil, bad and unpleasant things by burning them up and keeping the light in the darkness like Vestalins guard the fire.
Explanation and Rituals of Rauhnächte in German
A Course and Guidance for the Rauhnächte led by Nives is here
Relaxation and self-care look different for everyone! Find something that really makes you feel good, and do what is really good for you and what is fun for you! Then, when you are refueled, full of love, kindness and compassion, share it generously – people and the planet need it so much – especially those who have a different opinion than you. If it is a challenge for you to accept another opinion, there are great courses, like Nonviolent Communication (NVC) for example, that make life easier and can be completed online, so that we are not separated from each other, but can create a strong togetherness on this earth to master today’s challenges together. Together we are strong! … and it all starts with a small act of kindness to yourself.
Enjoy yourself!
written by Beate McLatchie