Article by Ceri Wheeldon
After such a prolonged period of lockdowns, isolation and uncertainty, we are all carrying an underlying level stress that we don’t usually experience in our everyday lives. Add possible home schooling and concern for elderly parents into the mix and we have recipe for burnout.
I know that I am finding the current lockdown far harder than the previous ones – the cold weather and shorter days make it far harder than the summer lockdown where at least I could spend time in the garden- and look forward to a weekend of reading in the garden while having a glass of rose wine!
“Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.”
Christopher Germer
So today’s challenge is to take out to pamper yourself – whatever ‘pamper’ means to you. Self care does not equal selfish – far from it. To be able to look after others you have to look after yourself first. We don’t expect our cars to run on empty, and we can’t either. We need to give ourselves permission to recharge.
What does ‘pampering yourself’ mean to you?
A long soak in the bath with candles?
Cocooning with a good book?
A home facial, perhaps with a face mask?
Listening to the latest podcasts?
A long walk in the countryside?
Listening to your favourite music?
Giving yourself a manicure/pedicure? With all the increased hand washing our hands need more TLC than ever!
Apply a hair mask – with all visits to the hairdresser suspended our hair also needs additional support – during the summer lockdown I had a fabulous chat with Jason and Tony of Smith and Cullen hairdressers who offered lots of tips for looking after lockdown hair in our Lockdown Chat Show.
What about a mini makeover? Experiment with your hair and makeup.
Be creative? Are you artistic? Take time out for an arts project. I was given a candle making set for Christmas so am looking forward to making them and having an artistic project of my own!
Binge watch your favourite TV series or films without feeling guilty!
Please feel free to add to the list of ideas for pampering – the longer we stay in Lockdown the more we’ll need them!
We have to invest in our own wellbeing before we can even think about caring for others.
You can share your challenge on our Facebook Pages @Fabafterfifty @StyleConfidenceandSuccesswithJulia and don’t forget to follow us if you don’t already ) and if you love using social media you can also share your looks on Instagram or Twitter with #NewYearNewYouChallenge2021.
Would love you share what you do with that extra time with our facebook community!
Ceri Wheeldon
Ceri is Founder and Editor of Fabafterfifty.co.uk She is a frequent speaker at events and in the media on topics related to women over 50 , including style and living agelessly. With 20+ years experience as a headhunter Ceri also now helps support those looking to extend their working lives.
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