The lockdown has proved to be quite an anxious time for many people, but one of the best ways I've found to combat this is by having a relaxing evening of pampering myself. Not only is it really important to invest some time into yourself every now and then, but it'll also help you to feel calm and collected during this current crisis. If a pamper evening sounds up your street but you don't know where to begin, keep reading to see my evening routine for relaxing and feeling less anxious.
Set the scene
The first step to feeling calmer and more relaxed is to create a comfortable and cosy environment. At a time when I'm already prone to getting quite stressed, little things like an unmade bed can have a drastic impact on my mentality, so make sure you take care of things like this straight away. You may want to open a window to let in some fresh air, turn on a lamp to create a dimmer, cosier atmosphere, or light a candle to set the mood for your relaxing evening (which feels like quite a luxury for me now, since I couldn't light candles in my house at university).
Take care of your skin
I find it very calming and restorative to put effort into myself and look after my body, but tasks like painting my nails can be quite time-consuming and applying fake tan leaves me feeling sticky and uncomfortable for hours. Instead, I decided to indulge in my skincare routine, starting by applying a face mask. This is my go-to pamper evening activity as it always leaves my skin feeling nourished and revitalised, and it's an easy way to feel better about yourself. Afterwards, I carried out my usual skincare routine with some of my favourite products from The Ordinary, which I actually wrote a whole blog post about if you'd like to check it out.
Have a relaxing bath
Hand in hand with skincare is looking after your body, and my favourite way of doing this is by getting in a warm bath. Whether you want to go all-out with the bubbles or treat yourself to a luxurious bath bomb, the priority is unwinding and feeling pampered. I decided to use my favourite body products from Sanctuary Spa since they always leave my skin feeling incredibly smooth and smelling gorgeous, and I also relaxed with a glass of Pepsi Max (my drink of choice) and a few Youtube videos to keep me entertained.
Evening entertainment and chill
It's important to unwind and spend some time in the evening doing something you enjoy. For me, this was watching some Youtube videos and Netflix with a cup of tea and some chocolates by my side, which is my definition of the perfect evening. Especially since I'd spent most of my evenings doing university essays over the past few weeks, it felt incredibly good to enjoy watching something without the looming worry of deadlines.
Meditate or do yoga
One thing which has massively helped my anxiety during the current pandemic has been meditating, which is why I've been making time for it in the evenings. If you feel like your mind is overrun with thoughts then I'd definitely recommend giving it a go, and there are tons of apps and online meditations to guide you and help with specific struggles or worries. I also find that this helps me to feel relaxed and unwind right before going to sleep, rather than staying awake all night with uncontrollable thoughts.
Read before bed
If you're feeling anxious about the current situation then one of the best ways to minimise it is by escaping into a good book where you can put all of your worries and thoughts aside. I always find that reading before bed helps to send me to sleep and it's a much-needed break from scrolling through social media and seeing constant news updates. Now that I've finished university for the summer, I've definitely started making more time to delve into books that I'm eager to read and passionate about, rather than being restricted by a syllabus.
These are all of my pamper evening essentials for relaxing and managing anxiety, but if you have any other tips then I'd love to hear them down in the comments!
2 comments
OMG your bath looks amazing... what bath bomb did you use?!
ReplyDeleteKatie | katieemmabeauty.com
this seems like the perfect routine, and i miss applying face masks, i feel like one will call my name tonight! i loveeee the set up of your bath!
ReplyDeleteamelia x
www.bymills.blogspot.com