Easy self-care beauty rituals to try at home

self-care rituals at home
Cassie Steer,-Beauty Editor

How employing some simple techniques at home can help you to feel cool, calm and collected

For many of us, modern life is overwhelming at the best of times (inbox angst anyone?) without the added constant companion of anxiety that we're all feeling at the moment. But remaining composed and positive even through adversity doesn’t require a Gwyneth Paltrow-esque constitution or necessitate contorting yourself into a tripod headstand with lotus legs. We’ve enlisted the help of registered psychotherapist and A-list make-up artist Lee Pycroft together with author, ‘female empowerer’ and life and business coach Pandora Paloma to share their top anti-anxiety tips and how to incorporate them into your beauty regime..

‘Staying calm and grounded often means focusing on what we can control and not what we can’t,’ says Pandora. ‘What you eat, what you spend your money on, when you go to sleep, the social media you follow and setting boundaries on how you consume your information before it consumes you – these are all within your control. It’s a great opportunity to check in with what’s truly important to you and reconnect to yourself. Check in with what feels good and helpful, and do more of it. Say no to the rest.’

‘Anxiety thrives on fear of the unknown,’ confirms Lee. ‘Anxiety and stress are actually quite closely intertwined, but there’s a difference between when you’re being stretched and when you are chronically stressed. When you’re stretched you might feel some of the symptoms of anxiety for a while but then you get a completion at the end. For example you might be anxious before a public speaing event, but then you feel a sense of achievement afterwards. But when anxiety starts to dominate your life manifesting itself as sleep issues, intrusive, chaotic thoughts, a fear of the future, or physical symptoms such as a churning stomach or dry mouth it’s time to work in some rituals to re-educate your mind and body about what’s safe and unsafe.

‘Whereas many years ago the fight or flight response was necessary to remove us from life-threatening situations, the mis-use of our imagination triggers us to go into this state which results in catastrophic thinking. Rituals and behavioural techniques designed to calm the parasympathetic nervous system can teach you to manage anxiety and surf the waves rather than feel submerged by them.’

A helping hand

The power of touch has long been recognised for helping to reduce stress by decreasing blood pressure and calming the heart rate. It’s also why your beauty regime is the perfect time to employ some anti-anxiety self-care rituals. ‘While we’re all applying more handcream at the moment, incorporate a hand clenching technique where you clench your hands together (or in a fist) super tightly for 10 seconds before releasing them and then noticing the sensations; whether they feel heavy or light, tingly or warm.’ says Lee. ‘The tension and release promotes relaxation and brings a sense of mindfulness to the process.

‘This type of conscious beauty ritual can also be used when washing your face or applying your moisturiser. Take the time to do a bit of facial massage tapping around your eyes, massaging into your temples, pinching along your eyebrows and jawline to release tension while all the time taking deep breaths with a longer out-breath and noting how the muscles beneath your fingers feel, whether the product is sticky or slippery. Using products with an aromatherapy scent that’s particularly alluring to you will also help to engage all of your senses and promote a sense of calm,’ she adds. 

Mindful make-up

For most of us, our morning make-up routine is a rather hurried means to an end. And yet the act of painting our faces can actually be the perfect time to practise a little mindfulness. Drawing on the same principals as mindful colouring or art therapy, concentrating on applying our eyeshadow or grooming our brows hones our focus and draws on our creativity allowing us to indulge in a little reflective self-care. Even if you’re staying in, putting on your ‘game face’ can help give a psychological boost and make you feel more motivated – a little like the make-up equivalent of a power suit.

Don’t be afraid to experiment either; staying in might just signal the perfect time to finally venture into the colourful side of that make-up palette you’ve been keeping all this time for the ‘right occasion’.

Seeing is believing

Quelling anxiety is often about taking yourself out of your head in order to feel more grounded and this often means redirecting your imagination and putting it to better use. ‘One of my favourite grounding rituals in the evening is something I do while applying my lotions and potions to my skin,’ says Pandora. ‘I cleanse my face and then add my serum. While that is soaking in I imagine a bright white light coming from the crown of my head and down through my body, into my feet and into the earth. I imagine the light going deep into the centre of the earth and that the white light is healing and cleansing me of any struggles or stresses from the day. I then apply my moisturiser and do the same technique again. This is called grounding or “earthing” and is a therapeutic technique which is a great way to reconnect to the earth.’ 

Guided imagery and visualisation are also an important therapeutic tools for Lee too: ‘Your imagination is such an amazing resource but when people are struggling with anxiety it’s often because they’re mis-using their imaginations to catastrophise. Your body doesn’t differentiate between real or imagined feelings so it creates the same bodily and chemical responses to it. It’s why creating a safe and special place in your mind whether it’s a beach or a ride on a riverboat can be a really useful process and something that you can use whilst bathing. Start by lighting some candles and adding some sensual oils and salts to your bath then start to remember a time in your life when you felt particularly relaxed; what did you notice? If it was a beach, how did the sand feel on your feet? What did you smell and what sounds did you hear? When I’m seeing someone in a therapeutic sense I can literally see them starting to go into a more relaxed state as they start to occupy that memory so it can be hugely powerful in creating a sense of tranquility and comfort. It’s also something that people can go back to and deploy whenever they need to within their bathing ritual for example.’

Your ‘keep calm and carry on’ contingency kit

Images: Getty Images

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