One of the most important outcomes of the Covid 19 pandemic is the increased awareness in self-care. People have realized that taking their own health and fitness for granted is a dangerous game. Illness and poor health are no longer things that you can ignore, and consulting a healthcare professional for every symptom is certainly not the solution.

The world over, people have begun to take preventive steps, they have become more proactive rather than reactive. Today, people work with the idea that health and wellness have to be maintained as a constant condition.

Part of this concept is self-care, and taking personal responsibility for your own well-being.

What is self-care?

When you travel on an airplane, you get the standard safety message regarding oxygen masks. Few of us pay attention to this, but it’s crucial for your survival. If there is any change in cabin pressure, the oxygen masks will drop. You need to fix your own mask first before you assist anyone else, including your children or the person in the next seat.

You can look at self-care exactly like this. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t survive, and you won’t be able to take care of anyone else either.

This concept is not just about physical fitness or healthy eating. There are several dimensions to it, including mental, spiritual, emotional, physical, environmental, social and recreational. Total self-care includes balancing all these aspects, and ensuring that each one is given equal importance. Excess focus on, or neglect of any one of these aspects leads to imbalance, creating an illness or malfunction in different areas of life.

A simple way to ensure total self-care is to become more self-aware, and to listen to your body and mind. Physically, you need to eat and sleep well, exercise preferably outdoors, maintain hygiene and stay hydrated. Mental and spiritual self-care include practicing mindfulness and gratitude, observing and appreciating nature, making time for self-reflection, meditation, connecting with family and friends.

Self-care helps you to remain well, attend to health issues immediately, manage your time and space efficiently, declutter your living and working areas, and disconnect from too much screen time. Emotionally, it enables you to nurture relationships, give and receive love and kindness, and set boundaries that filter out negative influences.

In psychological terms, self-care helps you to become more aware of your behavior, thinking patterns and the messaging you put out. Spiritual self-care is based not only on personal choices whether to pray or use religion as a medium, but also to focus on non-material aspects of life and the power of nature.

Self-Care Gifts: The ultimate top 10

No doubt you wish you could give your loved one everlasting good health, a stress-free life, more sleep, peace of mind, glowing skin and a glossy mane.

But let’s settle for the next best – when you want to show someone that you truly care about their well-being, there’s no better way to say it than self-care gifts. You can focus on any or all aspects of self-care, by selecting one of the self-care concepts, or better still, a gift hamper that includes the whole spectrum.

And while you’re about it, why not make a splash and give yourself a self-care gift too? After all, that’s what caring for yourself is all about – being kind to yourself. A little indulgence and pampering can make all the difference to the way your day goes.

  1. Luxury Bed Linen: An always welcome gift, deluxe sheets and pillowcases, with a matching comforter make a cherished gift. Silk pillowcases are great for inducing good sleep, they stay fresh and cool , prevent dry skin and sleep lines on your face, and they look great. Select neutral colors, pastels and quiet florals that don’t create visual agitation. Bamboo fabric is also very in right now, as it’s hypoallergenic, super soft and breathable.
  2. Apps: There are thousands of apps available that help you to stay connected with your fitness routine, meditate, practice yoga, watch your diet, stay hydrated, sleep and bust stress. Some of them include audio and video content that make them more attractive. You can put a variety of apps based on different aspects of self-care to make a personalized gift.
  3. Journals: With bullet journaling becoming one of the hottest trends in self-care, give a BoJo kit for that extra special self-care gift. They come with an array of colored pens, sticky notes, stickers and graphics to make it more fun. You can also give a traditional journal, with more space to write or draw, reminder lists and calendars to mark important dates. They are great for mindfulness and gratitude practice, encourage self-reflection and help you to be kinder to yourself.
  4. Home Spas and Body Treatments: They are ever popular, and choosing a more expensive one is the right way to do it, because few people buy them for themselves. You can put together a hamper of products with a common theme, such as skin care, hair or nail care. Choose a deluxe brand and it’s a gift that will be cherished! Be cautious about allergies.
  5. Yummy Treats: You’ll never go wrong with wine and cheese, chocolates, marzipan or candy, but you need to ensure that the recipient doesn’t have diet restrictions or allergies. Some may have preferences such as vegan or vegetarian food and beverages, others may be lactose intolerant. Healthy snacks, teas, gourmet coffees, or organic salad dressings are other super gifting ideas.
  6. Art and Craft: They stimulate different parts of the brain, provide excitement, challenge and a sense of achievement. Painting by numbers, diamond crystal painting, clay modeling, traditional water-color or pastels, macrame, amigurumi, DIY jewelry, crochet, embroidery or wood-working crafts are available in handy kits. They offer hours of pleasure with a definite outcome to show at the end. If you know about the recipient’s interests, choose self-care gifts that would sync with them.
  7. Subscriptions: Help your loved one to relax with a gift subscription to a club, library, or concert hall. Book of The Month subscriptions are popular among readers, while a gym membership helps them to keep the good hormones flowing.
  8. Gift Hampers: This is a gift that keeps on giving! You can put together a personalized hamper based on a theme or pick up one online from a reputed service provider. Ensure that you prioritize quality, prompt and reliable delivery and great packaging.
  9. Accessories and Gadgets: Make life a little easier for your loved one with thoughtfully selected personal or home accessories. A hand-crafted wooden tub caddy tray to hold bath products, a home foot massager, an analog bedside clock with a pleasant wake-up alarm are always welcome. Unusual picks include teeth-whitening devices, jade rollers and gua sha tools, green tea brewing kits and more. For more self care gifts see the rest and digest website
  10. Learning and Education: Give your loved one the gift of learning – it’s something that will last a lifetime and broaden horizons in unimaginable ways. Learning a language or new skill ensures that they stay mentally active. It’s an opportunity to meet new people and explore new concepts.