Aug 11

Aug 11 Love Yo'self

Singer-songwriter Annah Mac says ‘Love Yo’self’! Here's how she lifts her spirits by spending some mindful time on herself.

Dear Em,

When I’m going through a hard time I especially try to look after myself physically. Sometimes, if you’re feeling bad inside, taking some time out to look after yourself from the outside in can help you start feeling better overall.

“My mantra is treat yo’self! If I’m not feeling my best I’ll book in a spa day – at my house!
”

— Annah Mac

Here’s some ways I make my home my own little spa sanctuary…

Run a hot bath or shower, exfoliate.
If you’re broke, look up some recipes on the internet, add some raw sugar to your body gel, get creative, improvise!
Treat your senses to a nice smelling coconut butter or shower gel (Palmolive Strawberry body gel is delicious). If you have sensitive areas and skin, Dove unscented soap is really awesome.

If you are lucky enough to have a bath in your home, another great thing to do is put some oils in your bath water!
Essential oils like lavender are great and super calming, also sometimes as a treat I’ll buy Fiji Pure Coconut Oil, particular favourites for my other half and I are Star Fruit and Pineapple, they sink into your skin while you’re in the bath and you walk out feeling amaaaaazing.

I sometimes give myself a DIY hair treatment at home that a wise hairdresser friend once told me about. Here’s how:
- Put a damp towel in the microwave for 2 minutes (it shouldn’t be dripping try to get as much water out as you can)
- While you’re waiting, dampen your hair with water and layer it up with conditioner of any kind, comb through your hair.
- When you take out the towel it will be hot, so check the temperature first(or put it in for an extra minute if you’d prefer it to be hotter) and then put the hot towel directly on your head and a second dry towel over top of that one.
- Tie them up together and leave for 10 minutes then rinse or wash your hair as normal.
- While the hair treatment is doing its work, I pop on a lovely cheap face mask. You can buy them from lots of places, like the supermarket, pharmacy and Lush, and they are super awesome. Or you can find out how to make a nice natural one online!

Looking after yourself physically is really important! If you take care of yourself, you feel better in every aspect of your life, more confident especially.

I try to go for a walk or some form of exercise every day and eat well when I can. And then there are the days when I’m not feeling my best, and I’ll book in a spa day – at my house!