Love yourself: Skincare as an important practice in self-care

February is the month of self-love at Little Wonderland. 

Taking the time to love yourself might sound simple, however in our busy lives self-care tends to be on top of the list when it comes to the things that get forgotten or skipped. Self-care is a necessity, not a reward. We need to deliberately and consciously take the time to care for our bodies and minds.

Actively engaging in self care has so much positive influence on your wellbeing, from reducing stress and feelings of frustration, to increasing energy and happiness. It can also play an important role as a coping mechanism for those that suffer with mental health illness.

Everyone’s self-care journey is different and personal, for one person it’s taking a daily walk while for the other it might come in the form of journaling or eating a healthy daily meal. However, skincare can also be self-care. The ritual of going through your K-Beauty routine can feel soothing for the body and mind and turn into an amazing soothing practice. 

Skincare and Mental Health

While mental illness might make self-care more challenging, it’s important to set up and stick to supporting self-care routines. Research has shown that this positively affects our brain and mental well-being.

Your self-care routine can fluctuate with how you feel, sometimes just cleansing your face will feel like climbing mount everest while other times you will find the energy to go all out on the routine and even add in a sheet mask. The important thing here is not the products or the amount of steps, but that you show up for yourself.

By showing up and consistently taking the time for self-care through a skincare routine, this allows for it to become a meditative practice. In this way you are able to create a supporting routine for your body and mind. Letting the stress fall off you, and focusing only on yourself and what makes you feel good is key here. It can help your thoughts or worries from spiraling, and going through the steps can feel rewarding.

It may take some time to find a self-care routine that works for you, that’s why patience, flexibility and self-compassion are something you should not forget throughout the process. It’s important to really find a practice that feels good to you, and only you. As soon as something becomes stressful, frustrating, or causes anxiety you should drop it.

Self-care really is all about self-love and taking care of yourself, and yourself only. The practice of self-care as a whole should not be seen as a luxury but rather a necessity. When struggling with mental illness a self-care routine won’t always feel like an easy thing, however you deserve to show up for yourself and take care of you, even when it sometimes might feel hard.

By learning to care for your skin, you can also learn to put yourself and your well-being first. Something that might feel small, like putting on a moisturizer, should not be seen as less important. We should not neglect doing even the smallest of things that make us happy. And who knows, maybe skincare could be the first step onto a path of bigger self-care practices.

How has a skincare routine impacted your life?