florapothecarie is declaring February to be #SelfLoveMonth. To celebrate, we've asked a few of our natural beauty friends to share their self-care routines. We hope they will inspire you to take time to care for and love yourself this month and every month. See all self-care routines here.
Our second self-care routine comes from Cassidy Perry // The Arise Box:
I don’t know about you, but I fancy myself a Gilmore Girl/Wonder Woman hybrid who takes the world by storm with a little caffeine and humor… until I crash and have to deal with burnout.
Repeating the phrase “everything is fine. I’ve got this.” is both wonderful and awful. It’s amazing because grit is one of the essential ingredients to achieving big goals like starting a subscription box business that fights human trafficking called The Arise Box. But the flip side of that coin is the tendency to ignore the need to rest until it’s too late.
I’d love to be one of those people who have a self-care rituals but I’m not. I’m not that organized. My self-care isn’t a routine as much as taking advantage of the spare time I do have. So here’s my unorganized, totally random list of ways I like to treat myself:
1. Workout
Mostly, I work out to get stronger and stay healthy but also because it helps relieve stress. A workout forces me to focus on the present (and on not dying) instead of on the things worrying me. I like mixing up cardio, cross-fit, aerial silks, rock climbing… just about anything. As long as it feels like play and takes 100% of my attention, I’m in.
2. Notice Clues
For me, breakouts or dry skin = too much stress (or that time of the month is coming). When I start noticing a lot of breakouts, I carve out a little time to chill and reach for something to calm my skin back down. One of my favorites is florapothecarie’s Whipped Body Butter. It’s quick and easy to apply and add some serious moisture to dry skin. Sure, I’d love to be one of those people who have daily ritual of applying lotion but that’s not my reality. So when I finally notice dry skin, I don’t mess around.
3. Alone-Time
Hi, my name is Cassidy and I’m an introvert. The presence of any human anywhere near me means I’m not only aware of their presence but it takes energy for me to be “on” when I’m with them. So I need time to be alone. The dancing-in-your-underpants-to-an-old-Destiny’s-Child-Song kind of alone. Even if it’s only for an hour or two, I need time alone to recharge and be weird without judgement. Whenever the opportunity comes to be alone, I stop working and revel in the solitude. Work will still be there after a quick break.
4. Computer Battery Timer
I like self-imposed time limits. One of my favorite ways to do this is to work on my laptop until the battery dies. While it’s recharging, I take a break. It’s a race to see how much I can get done while the battery slowly drains throughout the day.
5. Taking My Dog Out
I have a three-legged dog who loves attention and little kids. One of my favorite things to do is take her to a local outdoor shopping center and watch everyone react to her. She gets so much attention and love and I get to sit back and watch her make other people’s day. It reminds me to embrace simple happiness.
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Cassidy Perry believes everyone can make a difference in the world. Through her ethical subscription box, The Arise Box, she introduces people to products that change the world while using part of the profits to fight human trafficking. She spends her free time attempting (often failing) to be graceful on aerial silks and trapeze, reading, baking, or hanging out with her three-legged dog.
Follow Cassidy/The Arise Box on Facebook + Instagram @thearisebox
