51 Self-Care Ideas To Deal With a Bad Day (2020)

_{*Disclosure* Some of the links in this post might be affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link & make a purchase, I’ll receive some commission- at no extra cost to you, which helps me cover the costs for this blog.}

Today, as the month of April comes to an end, I am sharing with all of you 51 ways of self-care and self-love that will give you a much needed boost a this time. We all have our bad days and good days and these self-care ideas are sure to help you cope whenever you are having a tough time.

2020 is proving to be quite a challenging year and the year of upheavals. So it is quite natural to have bad days and feel low during such a time.

Before I share with all of you these easy and fun ways of self love & care, I want to write something on this topic.

What is Self-Love/Self-Care?

Self- love means doing what is best for yourself. It does NOT mean being too proud or having a superiority complex. Infact, it’s the opposite.

Self-love keeps you humble because you know your own pluses and minuses and acknowledge that you are imperfect. Those who are vain do not love themselves since they seek validation from others & have not yet come to terms with their own imperfections. Those who are self-assured and love themselves, don’t really need any external validation.

The most important thing I have realized is that self love doesn’t mean having no self-accountability and making excuses for yourself. Making excuses also means you don’t love yourself enough to do what is needed. While it is very important to be kind to yourself and compassionate with yourself, it is also important to differentiate between being kind to yourself and making excuses Examples: I’m gonna skip my class/session/work/ meditation/workout today because I don’t feel like it. I’m going to buy myself those expensive shoes even though I know I should save that money, etc. Guys, this is not self- love. I learnt this after making some mistakes, but I have realized that self-love means inclusion of self-accountability as well.

Self love & self accountability go together. Self love and self care mean doing what you NEED and NOT just doing what you WANT. Self love & care mean knowing and doing what is best for yourself, even when it may seem tough to do at the moment. In order to know what is best for you, you need to start self-introspecting. You have to become your own best friend.

For me, self love means being honest with yourself, acknowledging the fact that you are not perfect and striving to improve yourself.

On that note, I am sharing with all of you 51 Simple Ways of Self-Care, to help you during a bad day at home.

Here’s the list:

1. Brew and drink a cup of your favourite beverage
2. Refresh your morning routine
3. Wake up early
4. Watch the sunrise
5. Have a healthy & satisfying breakfast
6. Write down or say a few positive affirmations.
7. Write 10 things you are grateful for
8. Take a detox bath
9. Try a new face mask
10. Breathe deeply
11. Do Yoga
12. Sleep well
13. Exercise often
14. Stretch yourself to relieve tension
15. Meditate daily
16. Order/make your favorite dessert
17. Write 5 things you love about yourself
18. Make a bucket list or vision board
19. De-clutter 10 items
20. Read a personal growth book
21. Skip watching & reading the news
22. Do something that makes you laugh
23. Do a kind deed for others/ help someone/donate to charity
24. Stop comparing yourself with others
25. Watch your favorite show
26. Have a video chat with family & friends
27. Give yourself (or get) a manicure or pedicure at home
28. Give yourself a head massage
29. Light your favorite candle
30. Listen to your favorite podcast
31. Cook your favorite meal
32. Do a digital detox
33. Watch funny YouTube Clips
34. Draw, paint, colour or doodle something
35. Take regular small interval breaks from work
36. Don’t criticise or belittle yourself
37. Dress up as if you are going outside
38. Click some pretty photos of yourself
39. Listen to your favorite music
40. Hug someone/ Tell someone you love them
41. Drink a full glass of water & stay hydrated
42. Read inspirational quotes
43. Watch a motivational Ted Talk
44. Wear your favourite perfume
45. Turn your phone off for a few hours
46. Do a Brain Dump
47. Plan your upcoming week
48. Leave some room for imperfection in your life.
49. Dance like crazy
50. Block/ unfollow people and social media accounts who bring down your self-confidence/ make you feel negative
51. Set an attainable challenge for yourself for the next day

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

So here was my list of 51 self-care ideas. Do let me know if you try any of these and feel better!

Take Care of yourself everyone and focus on loving yourself and taking care of your mental and physical health during these crazy Coronavirus Pandemic times.

See you all in my next post,

Till the,

Dream. Imagine. Be Crazy. Be You.

Dance Movement Therapy- The new way for holistic healing

Hello everyone! In today’s post, I am going to share my journey as Dance Movement Therapist and explain a bit about what it exactly is and how it is a new and amazing way to heal yourself holistically.

Definition of Dance Movement Therapy?

“The American Dance Therapy Association defines dance/movement therapy as the psycho-therapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration of the individual.”

In other words, it uses dance as a medium to help you achieve better physical, mental and emotional health.

My Journey

Writing has been my passion and I have been writing on this blog, while pursuing my profession i.e Physiotherapy. A few years back when I had newly graduated, I did a short course in manual therapy in Australia and came back to India; after which, I landed up in Mumbai with a job.

A short while after, I got an opportunity to speak at and attend a Dance Movement Therapy workshop. The concept was new for me at the time, so I did some research and study before attending and giving my take at the workshop.

The workshop was a dance therapy workshop for the physically and differently-abled people. What I saw at that workshop was inspiring. All of the participants used their wheelchairs, crutches and walkers as props, thus enabling themselves to dance to the rhythm. They were all smiling with happiness. It was indeed a special experience for me to see so much grace, strength, purpose and determination all at the same time. I was awed.

After this workshop, something changed in me and the way I perceived things. It dawned to me that apart from youth, most people of other age groups or areas are often neglected when it comes to dance. Why? Don’t they need some joy in their life, especially if they have been through a lot in their lives?

For that matter, don’t common people like you and me, need a bit of healing, joy and positivity in our lives?

That’s when, I decided to professionally study Dance Therapy and ended up doing a certified Dance Movement Psychotherapy course from Centre Of Excellence, UK.

Today as a physiotherapist, studying Dance Movement Therapy has enhanced my skills. It has helped me reach out to all kinds to people, irrespective of their age, gender and occupation and of course, now that I am in Singapore, I would say irrespective of nationalities as well. The combination of physiotherapy and dance therapy has provided me with great tools and new treatment methods, which I implement in my professional life.

I conduct workshops and I am able to help people lead a better life not just by helping them be physically fit, but also be mentally & emotionally healthy. I am able to make a difference in their lives, much more significantly than I used be able to do earlier.

I also volunteer at an NGO called AWWA in Singapore, where I teach dance therapy to senior citizens, free of cost. Seeing them smile is usually the highlight of the week for me.

Me with the lovely seniors at AWWA Singapore

So who can practice Dance Therapy?

To practice DMT one need not be a perfect dancer, professional choreographer or anything else. Anyone from any age group and gender is free to practice it, of course keeping in mind any health conditions you have (like Heart ailments, Diabetes, High or Low Blood Pressure, Asthma, etc) which you would need to inform your dance therapy instructor about.

It is especially beneficial for those with reduced mobility, developmental delays and the differently abled.

One just needs to have an open mind and show willingness to get out of the comfort zone. The more you participate, the more you will get, from each DMT session.

Who can teach Dance Movement Therapy?

Being a certified instructor is mandatory to be able to teach dance therapy to others.

For me personally, It’s a combination of physiotherapy and dance therapy both, that I use in my workshops and classes.

How is dance therapy different from normal dancing?

Now this is the most favorite and frequently asked question. Normal dancing includes high end physical activities. Also, usually most dancers stick to certain dance styles and practice them independently. In short, normal dancing helps in physical fitness.

Now, in Dance Therapy, one focuses not only on the physical aspect of dancing, but also on the emotional, mental and spiritual aspects. In short, instead of focusing on specific movements, it uses movement to heal your body, mind and spirit. It focuses on the psychological aspects and finer details in a person. It also combines and uses different forms and styles of dancing, rather than using just one. Pychology and psychotherapeutic talks are an integral and important part of dance movement psychotherapy.

It focuses on a person as whole, and thus, it is very holistic in nature.

Benefits of Dance Movement Therapy

There are multiple benefits of DMT and it is impossible to list them all here; however, sharing a few with all of you.

• Stress relief
• Improved confidence
• Improved flexibility
• Improved body and mind co-ordination
• Improved self-awareness
• Improved focus and attention
• Ability to express yourself freely
• New sense of enthusiasm
• Ability to analyse and confront your problems better

Thus Dance Movement Therapy is a perfect way to heal yourself holistically. I hope you as a reader, have gotten some insight on what dance therapy really is.

If you have any further questions about it, don’t hesitate to contact me or drop a comment. If you are in Singapore, do attend one of our Programs and get the experience yourself.

More Information on DMT Program Here

Till the next post,

Dream. Imagine. Be Crazy. Be You.

10 Myths About Meditation.

I hope you all have been enjoying our posts this month on health and the recipes that we’ve shared as well. Christmas and the New Year are around the corner and we are surrounded by festivities.

However, as the New Year will approach, everyone will be going back to their schedules, make new resolutions and get back to their life. So when you are back to your dreaded Mondays, how do you deal with them? How does one cope? 

Mental health in today’s times is of utmost importance. We all are dealing with mental stresses in our lives, in different forms and most of the times, we really don’t know how to tackle those stresses.  I am a believer of holistic health, which focuses on all aspects of a person- the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.

For me, meditation has been my solution in the last couple of years. It’s basically my go-to thing whenever I am stressed, depressed or just feeling out of sorts. 

I would love to speak about the benefits of meditation, but will probably do that in another post.

Today, I would like to bust a few myths surrounding meditation, since there are a lot of misconceptions about it out there. As a regular meditator, I find them absurd and untrue. Today,  let’s discuss what meditation is ‘Not’.

Myth 1. You need to belong to a particular religion to practice meditation

Absolutely baseless! Whether you are a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Christian, a Jain, a Parsi, a Sindhi, a Muslim or anyone on earth, it has no connection whatsoever with practising meditation. Yoga and meditation are ancient practices that transcend everything. For meditation, there is no bar on any religion. In fact, meditation can bring religions, nations, and faiths together. Meditation has a scientific basis and millions of people around the globe benefit from it each day. So you can continue to practice your religion and meditate, both at the same time. 

Myth 2.  You can’t meditate because you think too much. 

Everyone thinks. That’s not news. Everyone’s mind is running at all times, but that doesn’t mean you cannot meditate. A lot of good teachers or guided programs will teach you correct ways to meditate and to accept your thoughts as you continue doing it. Once you start practising, you will find it it’s not that difficult after all. 

Myth 3. There is only one way to meditate.

Untrue. The world is varied and a lot of ways and people are available out there to help you start meditating.  While meditation is spiritual, and it is present in a number of world religions, you don’t have to be religious or spiritually focused to practice it.

There are a 100 different ways to practice. Some even include combining movement and meditation. As long as they resonate with you and benefit you, you can go ahead and practice them. 

Myth 4. Meditation is running way from problems

It is quite the contrary! Meditation instead gives the inner strength to cope up with day to day struggles and helps you deal better with the challenges in your life by helping you become more peaceful, centred and resilient. So, no, meditation is not about running away from problems but gaining strength to face them. 

Myth 5. Meditation is concentration.

Meditation is basically de-concentration. It is all about letting go and going in a deep state of rest. Concentration is a result or a benefit of meditation, because as the mind relaxes, one can focus better and hence concentration is enhanced. 

Myth 6. Meditation takes years to learn

While practicing meditation regularly for long periods of time definitely and surely has a lots of benefits, that doesn’t mean meditation cannot benefit you immediately. Even if you meditate for 10-20 mins in a day, you will see a lot of difference in yourself and find yourself much happier and calmer. So it doesn’t take a lot of time to learn, but yes practising it regularly and including it as a part of your daily routine is the best way to gain maximum benefit from it. 

Myth 7.  Meditation is for old people

Meditation is universal and adds value to lives of people of all age groups.  One can start meditating at the tender age of eight or nine. In fact, people of all age groups find meditation relevant to them and the things that they are facing.  Just like a shower keeps the body clean, meditation keeps the mind clear and stress-free.

Myth 8.  Meditation means giving up everything and becoming a sanyasi (monk or recluse)

This is again one of the biggest misconceptions and a myth about meditation. Meditation infact teaches you to be a better person for yourself, your loved ones and the society. Since it helps you calm the mind, you can enjoy your life to the fullest. It helps you to be happy and make others around you happier as well. In fact, it teaches one to be more open and social. Leading a monk lifestyle is an individual’s choice, not a mandatory thing to start meditating. 

Myth 9. Meditation is boring.

False. Meditation can be so much fun and beneficial both at the same time. If you include good music, chants, singing and a little bit of dancing in your meditation sessions, they are sure to be a lot of fun. In fact, meditation helps you feel more fresh and alive, quite contrary to boring I would say.

Myth 10. Meditation consumes a lot of time.

Many people have this excuse ready- I don’t have time to meditate. I would say the busier you are, the more you should be taking out some time to meditate and get in touch with your inner self. One need not sit for hours to meditate. A simple 10-20 mins of daily meditation is sufficient enough to benefit you.

So there you are. Those were the common myths surrounding meditation. Can you think of any others? Don’t wait, go ahead and start meditating now.

Don’t know where to start?

I have been involved in and inspired by, the following:

Learnt meditation, yoga and Sudarshan Kriya from-

The Art Of Living.    Founded and led by Global Humanitarian personality Sri Sri Ravishankar ji.

Joined Daily Meditation Chain Group, attended workshops and undergone Lama Fera healing-

From Dr. Satyendra Shukla. founder of Lama Fera International ( Lama means someone who follows the Buddhist philosophy. )

Spiritual/ Wisdom Blogs I like:

1. Wisdom from Sri Sri.
2. Colette Baron-Reid Blog.
3. Anna Sayce Blog
4. Erin Pavlina Blog
5. Melanie Beckler Blog

So those looking for a start, do go through the links I have shared, read the articles by these people, find what resonates with you and choose your journey and of couse do share with us any information on this topic if you would like to.

Hope you enjoyed today’s post.

Stay tuned for the next post.

Till then

Dream. Imagine. Be Crazy. Be You.

Au revoir.