Being good to yourself

When I had more time on my hands, I used to do home spa days. I’d take several hours away from working and I’d give myself a facial, complete with a cleansing, steam, exfoliation and masque treatment. I’d also squeeze a manicure or pedicure in there or both, if I could. While spa days are amazingly refreshing, these days I opt for spa nights.

A few nights a week, I will have a mini-spa night. I’ll apply a masque while reading or watching a show, or I’ll do a manicure right before bed. Recently, I gave myself a hand treatment with beautiful results. What’s great about a spa night is that they can be done in as little as 30 minutes and you can treat yourself while focusing on a specific part of your body. Have you been neglecting your feet lately? Give them some love. What about your neck, hands, hair, or nails? Taking time out for yourself is a great way to wrap up the day.

Take 30 to 45 minutes a night or two a week (or more if you have time) to destress and to create an atmosphere for relaxation and rejuvenation. Here are some ideas for a mini-spa night at home:
1) Set the atmosphere. This could be as easy as lighting a candle, burning incense, simmering spices on the stove, playing your favorite music, or turning off all of the noise so that there’s complete silence.

2) Decide what area(s) you will focus on. Are you going to give your hands a gentle scrubbing today? How about a moisturizing facial masque? Or a 45-minute warm bath soak?

3) Keep simple, multi-use ingredients (or products) on hand that will make your spa experience easy. I like to keep herbs and flowers like rose, lavender, neem, and calendula on hand. All of these can be used in facial masques, bath soaks, facial steams, and in a myriad of other homemade products. Be sure to check out the ANB Portal for amazing recipe ideas as well as the ANB Mall for excellent products.

4) Keep it simple. No need to go all out and make (or purchase) the most extravagant products known to man. The magic of mini-spa nights is really in their simplicity: taking time out to nurture ourselves and our souls with the blissful beauty of our earth.

For the past few weeks, I have been engaging in a mini-spa night for at least three nights a week. I no longer pine for days off so that I can have an entire spa day. In consistently dedicating such a small amount of time for self-care, I resurface feeling refreshed and fulfilled throughout the week.

Shanesha Brooks-Tatum, Ph.D. is Founding CEO of the Life Balance and Wellness Institute, whose mission is to support Black women in their quest to live well and thrive. She is a self-described wellness warrior and consults with organizations and individuals to help them identify and achieve holistic wellness and self-care goals. She is also an award-winning researcher and evaluator at Creative Research Solutions.
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Shanesha Brooks-Tatum, Ph.D. is Founding CEO of the Life Balance and Wellness Institute, whose mission is to support Black women in their quest to live well and thrive. She is a self-described wellness warrior and consults with organizations and individuals to help them identify and achieve holistic wellness and self-care goals. She is also an award-winning researcher and evaluator at Creative Research Solutions.
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