Feeling tired or run down? From time to time, we all need a gentle reminder to take some time for ourselves and practice self-care. With that in mind, in this post, we share 10 ways you can show yourself some kindness to help you feel great and glow from the inside out. 

1. Take Time To Check In With Yourself

Take a few minutes to be mindful about how you’re really feeling. If you are feeling worried, sad or stressed, have a think about what you can do to make yourself feel better.

This could be reaching out to talk to a close friend or family member, comforting yourself with a relaxing evening in with your favourite film, or finding a positive distraction to take your mind off whatever is bothering you. 

2. Manage Your Goals & Expectations 

With the busy, fast-paced lives we lead, it can often feel like there is so much to get done and busy ourselves with. While it’s great to feel a sense of accomplishment by getting things done, it’s also important to make sure you’re not overworking yourself. There is no use in trying to do everything at once if you’re going to end up burnt out and feeling exhausted...

You may find it useful to write down a daily or weekly to do list so you have a clear plan of what you need to get done. Prioritise your tasks by making a note of the most important things which need to be done first before working through your list. 

By managing your time, you can also manage your expectations of what you will be able to achieve. Then, if you don’t have time to do everything, you know you can push something back until the next day. 

3. Practice Positive Self-Talk Regularly

Self talk, otherwise known as ‘internal dialogue’ is the way we speak to and think about ourselves. Practicing positive self talk can help and benefit all of us. It encourages us to believe in ourselves, pick ourselves up when we’re feeling low and helps to improve our self-confidence. 

When you are feeling particularly negative or anxious, it can become easy to talk yourself down. This is when it is important to recognise negative thought patterns and know how to challenge them. 

Examples of this could be:

Negative thought: I’ve been so lazy today. I really should have done some exercise. 

Positive thought: I decided to have a rest today and that’s okay. Everyone deserves a day off. I can exercise some other time instead. 

Negative thought: There is no way I can achieve this. 

Positive thought: This may be challenging and take more time than I first expected, but I will get there eventually.

Negative thought: I can’t possibly try doing this. I’ve never done it before and will fail and look silly. 

Positive: This is a great opportunity for me to try something new. It may take a few tries to get it right and that’s okay. It’s all part of learning. 

Treat yourself as if you were talking to your best friend. If they came to you feeling low, would you talk down to them? -  No! You would be kind and encourage them to do something to make themselves feel better… Make sure to give yourself the same treatment.

4. Believe In Yourself!

This may sound cliche, but when you have self belief, everything feels much easier. 

 Sometimes focusing on the things we like about ourselves can be really difficult as it can make us feel like we’re being vain or self centred. But the truth is, having  self awareness and recognising your strengths can really helps to boost self confidence. Take some time to think about all positive qualities you have to offer and what skills you can improve on to build your self-esteem.

5. Show Yourself Forgiveness

We all make mistakes now and again.. When we do, also important to forgive ourselves and know when to let go and move on. 

Each morning when we wake up, we start a brand new day and face every new experience with the knowledge we have learnt so far.

Everybody is learning all the time, so remember - It’s okay to mess up now and again!  It’s these experiences that teach us right from wrong so we know how to cope with things in the future. 

6. Surround Yourself With Positive Energy

With spending a lot more time at home during lockdown, many of us have turned to our phones and are spending a lot more time on social media.

When scrolling through your apps, have a think about the content you're viewing and how it makes you feel. If anything you're viewing that leaves you feeling or thinking negatively, it may be time to make some changes to your following list. Have a look and find accounts which will uplift you and make you feel good instead.

7. Keep The Mind Of A Child

Remember being back in the classroom as a child when everyone would be desperate to volunteer to get up on stage and try new things? 

Children have a brilliant sense of optimism and self-confidence because they are not afraid of ‘looking silly’ or getting things wrong. This is because they have not yet experienced feelings of self-doubt or embarrassment.

As we get older, through our experiences, we learn what it’s like to feel embarrassed and shy we and often let these negative emotions hold us back, but we shouldn't let them get in the way.  

Remember - it’s okay to get things wrong sometimes. Just try to keep a light sense of humour. Learn how to laugh at yourself, brush yourself off and "try, try again!" 

8. Make Sure You’re Taking Care Of Yourself

When we take care of our physical health, it can often make us feel a lot better mentally too. Make sure you’re keeping yourself well by getting plenty of sleep, keeping hydrated, eating well and getting regular exercise. These small things may sound basic but they play such a huge part in feeling good, so it's important to make sure you prioritise them.

Spend yourself some self care by getting some exercise, cooking a nutritious meal or taking a few ours to relax and pamper yourself.  If you’re in need of a treat, head on over to our website. From our AgeIntelligent ranges and Skin Essentials to our Skin Perfectors and Body Beautiful Collection, our specifically formulated skincare products are the perfect addition to a pamper evening. 

9. Stop Worrying About What Others May Think 

If you are constantly trying to please others, you may become exhausted and defeated. It is important to do the things that make you feel happy and try not to worry about the opinions of others. You cannot please everyone, but remember, as long as you are kind to others and try your best in what you do, that’s all anyone can ask of you...

10. Remember To Give Yourself Some Credit

When we’re busy, it can be easy to forget all the great things we are achieving. Take some time to reflect on all the positive things you do and remember to treat yourself every so often! We all need a bit of self care and indulgence from time to time... 

We all have days where we don’t feel so great and that’s okay. It’s just all about having the right tools to know how to make yourself feel a bit better...

We hope this post has given you some helpful tools and suggestions of things you can do to pick yourself up whenever you’re feeling low. Do let us know by getting in touch on socials - we always love hearing from you! @arkskincare

To learn more about our products, head on over to our website www.arkskincare.com