Self-care #5 – Trying a face mask
I realized something as I was trying to write this; I haven’t defined self-care, and what this series on self-care is actually about. The definition I use is from the Oxford Dictionary –
- the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health. “autonomy in self-care and insulin administration”
- the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress. “expressing oneself is an essential form of self-care”
Self-care to me is intentional action to improve my physical, mental or emotional health, either by deliberately adding things to my life or changing behaviors that are hurting me. To me, selfcare isn’t a fluffy catch phrase, but actions that have impact and benefit to my body.
Which is why I’m in two minds about whether doing a face mask is really self-care. It felt weird, it was really cold, and I felt like a Halloween movie extra with it on 😂. Having a reason to sit down for 20 minutes and just breathe was very relaxing, I have to admit. But did it really do anything? To me, it was the deep breathing that did more to shut off my sympathetic nervous system and helped me to relax than the actual mask.
Clearly, I am not a face mask person. If they’re your thing, if you find that face masks completely relax you and you feel amazing afterwards, that’s great! You’ve found what works for you. For me, if I needed some time to myself, I would rather just sit and practice some deep breathing than put a face mask on, then do some breathing. If I had friends over and we were pampering ourselves, I would totally pull out the face masks! We could all look like horror extras together and have a great time chilling. But for intentionally looking after myself, I just don’t feel like face masks do it for me. There are other self-care acts that would have more value in helping me to rest and recharge.
And funnily enough, the next one on the list is deep breathing! I’m quite excited about this one and can’t wait to investigate it more. See you all next week x
