Hello My Charmed Ones!
Today I wanted to share with you my updated Self-Care routine and give you a little gift to celebrate Valentine’s Day!
I really enjoy the topic of Self-Care! I know for some people, the conversation on self-care can seem to go in one ear and out the other, but I love researching and testing different ways to help me care for my body, mind and spirit. It’s my way of finding new ways to live my best life by feeling my best. Nothing raises my vibration like a little self-care and self love.
Lately, I have been obsessed with a few new self-care favorites.
1. Gua Sha: If you are not familiar, Gua Sha (pronounced gwa-sa) is a natural therapy traditionally used in East Asian medicine that involves scrapping the skin to massage, increase circulation and heal the fascia of the body. I first learned about this technique through some articles and videos that walked through the facial massage aspect of the treatment that uses a set of stone tools to massage the muscles of the face, depuffing it and creating an instant facelift type result. By the time I learned about gua sha I was already using a jade facial roller to massage in my facial serums as part of my skin-care routine, so using the gua sha scrapping tools seemed to be the next step that I was willing to try. And boy does it work! The results for the facial massage are somewhat subtle but still very powerful. I like to do the facial massage at least once a week. But the real game changer for me has been using the gua sha technique on my body. Specifically, my shoulder, back, legs, hips and thighs. For as long as I can remember, I have suffered from terrible muscle knots all over my body. I used to get regular massages for the pain, before graduating to acupuncture, but those are pricey options for the level of temporary relief I felt. Then, I discovered Gua Sha and learned about using the technique on your body to heal muscle pain and knots in the connective tissue- game changer! So now I Gua Sha various parts of my body 2-3 times a week and I’ve noticed a severe reduction in muscle pain and the nights I Gua Sha I have the best sleep!
I recommend this set of Gua Sha stone tools and this video to teach you how to use it on your face, and this video to teach you how to use it on your body for neck and back pain.
2. Yin Yoga: I’ve been doing yoga on and off for years at this point and I can’t believe it took me this long to discover the practice of Yin Yoga. Yin Yoga is a slower paced version of yoga that specifically deals with the facia or connective tissue of the body by staying in specific poses for longer periods of time (3-5 mins). Turns out, a lot of the pain I experience in my body actually comes from my facia, so by doing gua sha to massage my fascia and Yin yoga to intentionally stretch out tight areas of my fascia, my daily pain and discomfort has virtually disappeared. To keep up my desired results, I’ve been practicing Yin Yoga about once a week.
I recommend this awesome yoga mat for doing Yin, plus I also use this bolster, and I really love this free yin video routine.
3. Micro needling: Another new-ish element of my self-care skincare routine that I have fallen back in love with is micro needling. I know it sounds scary but it’s not as bad as it seems. Micro needling is a technique where you use a derma roller with little tiny needles on it to lightly puncture the skin and generate new collagen production. Micro needling is used for a variety of skin issues like acne, scaring, wrinkles, and texture and when used as a treatment consistently, I’ve seen a great improvement in my skin. So, I make sure to micro needle once a week.
I recommend this set of derma rollers, and I like to apply this to my skin after the treatment to help my skin heal better.
So, I hope you have enjoyed hearing about some of my new self-care favorites that have been added to my self-care routine. Now, let’s go ahead and open your Valentine’s gift!
To help us keep track of our self-care, I have designed this Self-Care Routines Insert! It has space for you to list out your self-care routines in three areas of your life, wellness, spiritual and entertainment, because, after-all, self-care is more than just body care and I’ve been trying to establish new routines to help me feel my best mind, body and soul. So, I do hope you enjoy the insert!
Well, that is all for today! I hope you enjoyed this post and your V-Day Gift! Please be sure to share pictures of your insert with me on Instagram by tagging me @MissTrenchcoat!
Wishing you a productive week ahead!
xoxo,