NURTURE & NOURISH

Sacha Van Niekerk

From small daily rituals to grand events, look after yourself, inside and out

IF THE past year and a bit has taught us anything it is the importance of self-care.

We only get one body and nurturing and nourishing it in the right way is of the utmost importance.

Health and wellness are on the rise for 2021. From small daily rituals to grand events, there is a greater focus on self-care.

Spa visits, holidays, birthdays, weddings and reunions of every kind were put on hold as we moulded ourselves to best suit the circumstances surrounding 2020.

At present, many people continue working from home without an off switch to end their day. In response, people are carving time out of their lives to be kind and listen to their minds and bodies.

Here are 5 self-care trends to try:

Healing holidays

From yoga retreats in the mountains to entire packages consisting of meditation classes and consultations with ayurvedic doctors, tourism sectors are already readying themselves for the demand for physical, spiritual and mental well-being breaks.

At the Global Wellness Summit held last year, experts predicted a boom in the demand for wellness therapies and that they may even surpass medical treatments.

“Wellness has become the cool kid on the block,” said Cecelia Girr, senior strategist at Backslash, the cultural intelligence unit.

WELLNESS holidays such as yoga retreats are going to be big. | CHELSEA GATES Unsplash

Emphasis on skincare

Pinterest’s trend predictions report for 2021 revealed a surge in searches for all things natural when it came to skincare.

Perhaps it’s because of the popularity of those Vogue Beauty Secrets videos that feature celebrities running through their daily skincare step by step or the beauty side of TikTok that’s blown up for quality tips on all things serums, sunscreen, make-up and more – but there is a serious shift in the way we view skincare and make-up than we did before.

Emphasis is now being placed on healthy glowing skin rather than concealing imperfections with caked-on make-up.

To lessen the appearance of wrinkles, promote blood circulation and give faces that “snatched” look, facial yoga, gua sha, crystal rollers and more are the natural remedies people are opting for in place of cosmetic surgery.

Of course, a more streamlined make-up routine sporting unruly brows, gloss in place of matte lipstick, and lots of blush for that flushed youthful look should follow suit as healthy skin needs very little to look its best.

Slow living

According to the website, Think With Google, “the slow living” trend has been growing exponentially on YouTube and is closely associated with popular themes of simple living and minimalism.

“Our teams dug deep into viewing habits and found a stunning 4X increase in views of videos with ‘slow living’ in the title in 2020 compared to 2019.”

With working from home now a part of our new normal, there more room in our lives to take things slow. An ideal way to turn off the chaos, this lifestyle encourages a slower approach to aspects of everyday life.

Whether that be spending less time on social media, being more mindful, spending time in the outdoors and taking up new hobbies, find an approach that works to make life feel like it is in your control and not something that just flits past.

Social media fitness

The outdoors – hikes, jogs around the neighbourhood and dog walks – along with hitting the gym, attending fitness classes and playing sport used to be how most of the world defined exercise.

However, workout apps and fitness videos on social media are becoming increasingly popular, eliminating the need to sign up for expensive contracts.

From yoga to aerobics and even skipping and running, it’s like having an array of exercise classes in the palm of your hand.

Now more than ever, it is easier to explore different forms of exercise to find what best suits you.

Additionally, fitness classes of all sorts are also moving to the online realm so you partake from anywhere in the world from the comfort of your home.

SOCIAL media fitness. | KAROLINA GRABOWSKA Pexels

Sleep-care

Better sleep is one of the best ways to care for yourself.

From a stronger immune system to lower stress levels, better mood and reducing the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease – it would seem that having a restful night really can improve your quality of life.

As the root cause of many of our day-to- day qualms, people are investing more in their sleep than ever before.

According to Pinterest’s business insights for 2021, bedtime routines will be more luxurious than ever.

From sleep yoga to comfy matching pyjama sets and essential oil diffusers, people are incorporating greater intention into their night-time routines to achieve more rest.