Our steps to self care can look different for everyone and ever situation. Though, have you ever been stuck between a rock and hard place: whether to go out drinking (which you don’t really want to do) or stay home and take care of yourself?
Standing on this wobbly fence can paralyze you, where you get totally overwhelmed and would rather stuff your head in a pillow than make a decision!
But, what if we had the perfect get-out-of-jail free card? A list of wellness things to do instead of drinking that we can reference when we start to wobble?
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When I started to veer away from drinking culture and invest in my wellness, I found the top things that align perfectly for me.
You will learn the first steps to avoiding alcohol, the essential holistic practices to get aligned and grounded and extra resources for building healthy habits!
This post is all about steps to self care!
Steps to Self Care
The steps to self care can, and will, be different for everyone. You can take a few of these ideas and create your own regime that aligns with you.
Ultimately, the steps to self care are:
- Make time for yourself
- Choose your holistic self-care practices
- Build healthy habits
Sounds easy, right?! I think the hardest part is making time for yourself. We tend to be in the grind, in the hustle, and going all the time. But, sometimes we get a chance to slow down and look in the mirror and say, "hey girl, what do YOU want?"
Usually, my answer is a glass of (high end) wine and a hot shower, seriously my dream every night.
FIRST STEPS to Self Care (& Avoiding Alcohol)
As we step away from drinking, it is important we fill our time and space with something that serves us, nourishes us, and allows us to wake up feeling refreshed. Though, we must make time for ourselves to do that.
I started doing more self-care routines and practices when I decided the bar scene was not my jam anymore, and it totally changed my energy and how I show up in the world.
Here are the first steps to self-care (making time for yourself):
- Give yourself space and time to realize what you really want
- Ask yourself, "should I quit drinking or just drink less?"
- Journal it out, travel, do some self-exploration
- Slow down enough to listen
After the self-exploration, I found it challenging to slow back down enough to listen. My travels around the world were moving faster than I anticipated, and eventually it felt impossible to stop.
Once I found my ground, got into my groove, everything started to click. The same can go for you as you journey into self-exploration, and then get called back to stillness.
When we slow down, that is the time for our self-care rituals. For the bath bombs, the delicate glass of wine, the body scrub, the spa day... You get it.
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Step two: Choose your holistic practices
Onto the beautiful part, the holistic self care practices that you get to choose! These are great alternatives to going out drinking and will make you absolutely glow.
1. Spa and wine night
She is number one for a reason! We love a good wine night in... When I mean wine, though, I do not mean a cheap bottle from down the street. I mean a high end bottle of wine.
Not only is high end wine better for you, it tastes better... And if we are engaging in self-care we ought to give ourselves the best of the best.
Wine night's in are my ultimate favorite way to connect to the spirit of wine and allow my body and mind to rest and rejuvenate. Connect a spa and wine night with any of the other wellness ideas below:
2. Make homemade face cream
When I couldn't find ANY, I mean ANY, natural face cream that was actually good... I decided to make my own.
I use this recipe. Though, I add in bentonite clay, essential oils, and rose hip seed oil. It is lovely because you can tailor it to what works best for your skin.
Use tea tree oil for acne, jojoba oil for oily skin, rose hip seed oil for anti-aging, and lavender oil for redness, the list is endless!
3. Make a delicious dinner
What a better way to honor your body and nourish yourself than with a lovely homemade dinner? My husband and I adore those beautiful evenings when we make something really special and get to enjoy it with a glass of wine or fancy drink.
A great alternative to an alcoholic drink is this botanical sparkling tea from Rishi! They have two flavors, one for calming and one for energizing. Though, they are both unique and SO delicious.
4. Make herbal medicine
Another favorite is to make herbal medicine, even doing so with a face mask and glass of wine (hint hint!). You might be familiar with herbal medicine, if not, check out this guide to herbalism for beginners!
Tinctures and teas are a great way to enjoy the benefits of herbal medicine. And believe it or not, tinctures are quite easy to make at home. Either with dried herbs (get some here) or home grown herbs.
5. Play with clay, or other art modalities
Just last night my girlfriends and I got together and played with clay and had a bottle of wine. A simple and delicate alternative to going out drinking. Plus, you get to connect with your friends in a wholesome way.
6. Yoga and breathwork
A great option is to do a nightly yoga routine that even helps curb alcohol cravings. Yoga is a wonderful tool to connect to the breath and calm the mind. Here is a great nighttime yoga routine for your steps to self care!
7. Clean the house (I'm serious)
Have you ever heard the saying, you are your environment? Well, look around, what do you see? Whether you keep a tight nit house or you have left over pasta from last week on the counter... That is how your brain is operating.
Clean your house to clean your energy. Are you feeling frazzled? Overwhelmed? Well, clean your house and you will feel almost immediately better.
8. Digital/dopamine detox
Ok, let's be real. How often are you watching TV? Scrolling your phone? Eating junk food or drinking too much alcohol? A dopamine detox, even just for the evening, can reset your dopamine receptors and bring you back to alignment.
9. Make a cozy reading corner
Sometimes it can be so hard to get me to want to read. But, I have found that creating an adorable wellness reading nook is exactly what I need to love reading. You get to have a cozy blanket, a cup of tea, and gentle spa music...
A couple of my favorite books are:
10. Foot soak and essential oils
Almost nothing can be better than a foot massage and a foot soak with essential oils. This can even be part of your reading nook! Add in essential oils or carrier oils (like jojoba or coconut) for an elevated experience.
11. Self massage
Along with yoga, grab a tennis ball or another ball type thing and work out some of those kinks in the shoulders, the hips, or the lower back. My favorite is to roll out the bottom of my feet to lengthen my hamstrings.
12. Real massage!
But then again… Nothing compares to a real massage. A Chinese massage in your area might just change your life... Though, be prepared for some real work to be done. Alternatively, a spa-like massage will grant you the more relaxing and gentle experience.
13. Indoor planting
Working with plants and putting our hands in dirt actually releases serotonin, and happy hormones in our brain. It even reduces the cortisol levels in your body. Therefore, these plants can actually be a vital part of your self-care routine.
14. Coffee scrub & hot shower
Grab that glass of wine and make this coffee scrub! I love using a coffee scrub when my skin feels itchy, ashy, dry, and just needs some love.
Ingredients for coffee scrub:
- Coffee grounds
- Olive oil or coconut oil
- Just a little bentonite clay
15. Dry brushing
Dry brushing is not something I have utilized in my self-care routine. But, you might really enjoy it. Here is a guide on how to do dry brushing!
They say that is helps with lymphatic drainage and flow to help remove toxins from your body. It is quite simple and you only need the brush to get started!
16. Lavender/green tea eye pillow
Green tea actually help reduce eye puffiness, and inflammation. So if you have a cup of green tea, you can take the teabags and place them on your eyes for 10 minutes to reduce inflammation, puffy eyes, acne, etc.
Or use this lavender and thyme eye pillow for a therapeutic eye mask!
17. Hot bath with dried herbs
Start a nice hot bath and add in some dried herbs, or fresh herbs, and you can even throw in some bath minerals. Magnesium and zinc are great for relaxing the muscles in your body and getting you ready for sleep. Dribble in some essential oils for an extra boost.
18. Bentonite clay face mask
I know I mentioned bentonite clay already, have you heard of it? Bentonite clay is the ultimate detoxifier. It is electrically charged so it pulls out toxins, heavy metals, and impurities from the skin.
There is also the bentonite clay herbal supplement which I am a huge user of and love dearly.
But, for the face mask simply add water to it. Use a wooden or plastic bowl in a wooden or plastic spoon to stir it because using metal will affect the electrical charge of the clay, making it less effective for detoxifying your skin.
19. Journaling time
And of course, engaging in journaling is the ultimate step to self-care. Understanding where we are in our lives and reflecting gives us a greater appreciation for where we’ve been and where we’re going.
Especially if you are trying to avoid drinking alcohol, this is a potent time to question your relationship to alcohol!
Step three: Build healthy habits
Now that we have given ourselves the space, then the last step to self care is to continue! From nourishing morning routines to using wine as medicine we can engage in habits that support our wellbeing.
Some more resources for healthy habits, especially when it comes to drinking:
- Transformative ways to use red wine as medicine
- Red wine's daily dosage
- Early morning routine ideas
- Nourishing tips on how to drink less when going out
Our hope is you find your alignment with these steps to self care to connect better to drinking, have alternative to going out, and make deposits into your wellbeing.