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In a world where we are constantly on the go, taking care of ourselves can often be left at the bottom of our to-do list. However, self-care is essential to our overall mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. I personally struggled in the early days and months after having my daughter as I share here. Feel Good Esprit started from that state of needing to navigate my way to a place where I prioritised it and made time for the simple things that brought me joy.
Self-care boxes are a fun and effective way to prioritise self-care in your life, and with Mother’s Day just around the corner here in the UK I wanted to write a blog dedicated to this as one idea that you can easily do for the special women in your life.
What is a self-care box?
A self-care box is a hamper/box of goodies that have been curated and designed to help promote relaxation, mindfulness and generally looking after yourself. They can be customised to suit your individual needs. This can include items such as candles, books, face masks and much more. Read on to find twelve ideas that you can build into your very own!
What is the benefit of creating a self-care box?
There are many benefits that you can gain by building a self-care box for a friend, colleague or family member. This includes:
Promoting self-care
The very act of providing a box of goodies related to unwinding, unplugging or de-stressing can act as a physical reminder to take care of ourselves. Plus, it’s giving them the tools to do the very thing we want to do but often don’t find time for.
Alleviating stress
The boxes themselves are created to help reduce stress and promote relaxation. The gift itself can provide that much-needed stress relief via the products whether that’s a calming chamomile tea or colouring books to help them slow down.
Improving your mood
What a mood booster receiving a self-care box can be. I mean, receiving anything these days in the post besides yet another Amazon parcel can perk you up! When was the last time you received something in the post from someone you know? How did you feel? Not only the act of receiving the box can provide a mood boost but the items themselves can be carefully selected to help promote it too.
Enabling reflection
It’s hard to find time to really pause and reflect when you’re busy taking care of your little one. A self-care box can provide items such as affirmation cards or journals to help promote and enable that reflection to happen. This can support our overall wellbeing and positive outlook on life as a mum.
How do I create a self-care box?
Ready to create one? I have enjoyed creating all sorts of hampers in the past and the same principles apply. Here are a few tips to get started:
Select a theme
Get creative and think about a theme for your box. This will help narrow down the items you choose to fill it with. For example, a relaxation box, a self-love box, a mindfulness box and so on.
Choose a box/container
Consider the type of box you’ll put the goodies in. There are so many types of containers out there. It doesn’t have to be the obvious. Could it be a crate, a wicker basket or hamper, a shoebox that you can wrap or perhaps a gift box. It’s quite nice to be able to house it all in something that can be used again.
Gather your supplies
Now you have the theme and what you’ll pop it all into, now it’s time to gather your supplies. You may wish to get this first before deciding on the box especially if you gather a lot of things! You can align the items with your theme. For example, if you’ve chosen relaxation, it could include bath bombs, a book, some tea and a face mask.
Personalise your self-care box
Think about adding some personal touches. This could be simply a card with a message or some photos of you and that person. It may be relating the gifts to a moment you have shared with them, for example, a chocolate you both used to have all the time at university.
What should I put in a self-care box?
If you can’t wait to get creating but are still stumped for ideas on what you can include, then check out these twelve ideas below:
- Aromatherapy products
Think essential oils or a diffuser. These products are brilliant for creating that sense of calm and relaxation. Lavender oil is particularly aimed at aiding a more restful sleep.
- Bath goodies
This is always sure to be a hit because it provides that big OOMPH of gorgeous smells be that a bath bomb, bath salts or a bubble bath. Bath bombs are brilliant additions as they aren’t the typical thing that you’d buy for yourself regularly.
- Candles
They come in all shapes and sizes, all different scents and different price points too. They are the perfect backdrop for providing a hygge atmosphere and can both energise or de-stress you. Here are a few different scents I love.
- Skincare products
Taking care of yourself can look like the physical act of looking after your skin. Pack the box with lotions and potions from massage oils, body creams, eye creams, face masks or even feet masks. There are lots of brands to choose from you’re really spoilt for choice.
- Cosy attire
Give the gift of feeling snug by including a cosy blanket or some fluffy socks. These are the perfect companion for self-care evening too. It provides comfort and that sense of feeling very chilled.
- Colouring books
Were you part of the adult colouring book sensation a few years back? Well, it’s still going strong and that’s because it works. Colouring acts like a mindfulness practice helping you escape momentarily from any worries or racing thoughts.
- Tea or hot chocolate
Tea or hot chocolate go hand in hand with comfort and relaxation. It’s no wonder why they are a great addition to any self-care box. There are so many varieties of tea too so you can provide all sorts of benefits. Peppermint tea is brilliant for digestion, chamomile great for unwinding while hot chocolate can feel indulgent; a right treat.
- A book or magazine
Allow your recipient the ability to escape from the chaos of their everyday through the power of reading. Choose from fiction, non-fiction, or even a much simpler book of quotes.
- A yummy snack
Whether it’s a pack of sweets or their favourite chocolate bar, consider adding a few snacks to compliment the self-care package you’re building.
- A calming playlist or guided meditation
Could you create a playlist for them, perhaps on your YouTube channel and share a link to it? Perhaps you could even gift them a subscription to a meditation app.
- A craft set
It’s time to get crafty! Colouring books provide mindfulness and so can other crafts too. Think about origami, make their own cushion, or even their own artwork sets. You could even gift them a workshop they can attend whether that’s virtual or face-to-face where they learn a new skill. I personally love trying new things, it’s a great opportunity to connect with other people but also feel a great sense of achievement.
- Affirmation cards
Empower and motivate them by adding some affirmation cards. These can be hand-made or you may choose to buy some. There are so many different kinds out there, so have fun selecting the one that’s right for your recipient.
These are just a few examples – you can tailor your self-care box to suit your individual needs and that of your recipient. The key thing is to choose items that can help them feel relaxed, happy and taken care of.
If you don’t have time to build your own, then sign up here to be the first to hear about the boxes I’ll be carefully curating to support busy mums.