4 Unusual Ideas for your Self-Care Routine

If you’re looking for some crazy, quirky self-care ideas, you’ve come to the right place! 

Sure, having a nice hot bubble bath, going for a walk in nature, or sneaking into your room early with a good book are all great self-care ideas. But, sometimes, trying something new and completely different is a great way to add a little fun and variety to your routine.

Today I am sharing with you 4 fun and unusual self-care ideas. Which one will you try?

1) Tongue cleaner

Yes, a tongue cleaner is actually a thing! This gadget is both inexpensive and transformative and has a number of wonderful health and mental benefits. 

The tongue cleaner is simply a thin, u-shaped piece of stainless steel. It consists of a blunted edge that removes plaque and build-up from the surface of the tongue, helping fight cavities by removing bacteria from the mouth. It also has the benefit of preventing bad breath.

The tongue cleaner comes from the tradition of Ayurveda, which asserts that people who use one are better at public speaking, express themselves more thoughtfully, and speak more sincerely and authoritatively. 

Some people ask if using a stiff toothbrush will have the same effect. Although brushing the tongue moves stuff around and is helpful, a tongue cleaner is more effective as it clears out the deep deposits and generally keeps the area cleaner, stimulated, and alive.

Another great benefit is that it reduces cravings because leftover food is removed from the tongue. When the mouth can still taste the food you’ve previously eaten, you may experience cravings for those foods. A tongue cleaner helps to reverse the process of desensitizing your taste buds.

You’ll also find that you can taste more subtle flavours in food and the taste of vegetables, fruits and whole grains will be much more enjoyable. When old residue is removed from the tongue, you will be better able to taste your food and won’t need to eat as much since you will have gained greater satisfaction from your meal.

And finally, a pretty awesome advantage is that it enhances kissing, as it makes the tongue more sweet, fresh and sensitive. This reason alone is enough to give it a try, don’t ya think?

If you’re curious and want to give it a try, here are some basic instructions on how to use a tongue cleaner:

About 2 to 3 times a day, or after brushing your teeth, apply a few quick strokes to the tongue. Use the rounded cleaning edge to scrape gently down the tongue several times, while applying slight pressure. Rinse the tongue cleaner under running water and gently scrape again until no white residue remains.

There should be no pain or gagging involved whatsoever, so if you feel any discomfort, you are probably scraping too hard or starting too far back on the tongue. 

And if you are wondering what those bumps are at the back of your tongue, they are your salivary glands and they are supposed to be there. If you found them you’ve gone too far.

2) Hot water bottle

Once you use a hot water bottle, you won't believe how you ever got along without it! The hot water bottle is one of the most useful all-purpose health care products you will ever use. It's designed to apply comfortable, soothing heat therapy easily and conveniently to any part of the body for a variety of ailments or for sheer comfort.

You can use the hot water bottle to relax particular muscles or use for any part of the body. It also helps to deliver nurturing comfort to enable a deep state of relaxation.

There are endless ways you can use a hot water bottle. Here are just a few ideas:

• For warmth: if you tend to have cold feet, it will feel great to warm up those chilly toes.
• Combat illness: use as a warm, soothing companion to help you through flu, chills, and aches.
• As a bed warmer: a warm hot water bottle placed in your bed makes for a cozy sleep, especially on cold winter nights.
• Ease back pain: it feels great on the back after a long day of back breaking work.
• Ease cramps: if you’re prone to getting cramps, the hot water bottle is sure to ease that pain.
• Ease digestion: great to ease that belly ache after eating just a tad too much of that delicious meal you made.
• Great traveling companion: great to take on trips to comfort you. 
• Encourage restful sleep: to help you sleep after a high-stress day, lie down with a hot water bottle on your stomach, close your eyes and breathe deeply, so the bottle rises and falls. Many people carry a lot of tension there and the weighted heat releases it. 
• Calm children: along with some mama love, the hot water bottle is a great warm and cuddly companion for your kids when they’re feeling upset or under the weather.

If you’re ready to give this a try, here’s what you do:

Fill your bottle with hot water from the sink. The water bottle will stay warm for up to 2 hours. You can make your bottle even more comfortable by getting a knitted cozy for it.

3) Hot towel scrub

Body scrubbing can be done before or after your bath or shower, or anytime during the day. All you need is a sink with hot water and a medium-sized cotton washcloth. 

For the maximum effect, scrub your body twice a day: once in the morning and once again in the evening. Scrub for 2 to 20 minutes, depending on how much time you have. 

The process of the hot towel scrub has a deeper physical, mental, and emotional effect when done at the sink as opposed to in the shower.

With its great health and mental benefits, hot towel scrubbing is the perfect addition to your daily self-care routine. Here are just a few of its benefits:

• Reduces muscle tension.
• Re-energizes you in the morning and deeply relaxes you at night.
• Opens the pores to release stored toxins.
• Softens deposits of hard fat below the skin and prepares them for discharge.
• Allows excess fat, mucus, cellulite, and toxins to actively discharge to the surface rather than to accumulate around deeper vital organs.
• Relieves stress through meditative action of rubbing the skin.
• Calms the mind.
• Promotes circulation.
• Activates the lymphatic system, especially when scrubbing underarms and groin.
• It can be a sacred moment in your day, especially if done with candlelight and a drop or two of essential oil, such as lavender.
• Creates a profound and loving relationship with the body.
• Spreads energy through the chakras.

Are you ready to give it a try? Here’s what you do:

Turn on the hot water and fill the sink. Add a few drops of essential oil, if you wish. Hold the towel at both ends and place in the hot water. Wring out the towel and while the towel is still hot and steamy, begin to scrub the skin gently. 

Do one section of the body at a time. For example, begin with the hands and fingers and work your way up the arms to the shoulders, neck and face, then down to the chest, upper back, abdomen, lower back, buttocks, legs, feet, and toes.

Scrub until the skin becomes slightly pink or until each part becomes warm. Reheat the towel often by dipping it in the sink of hot water after scrubbing each section, or as soon as the towel starts to cool.

4) Be Bad

Doesn't "being bad" sound exciting? I've never been one to get into much trouble growing up and was generally a rule follower. I have learned over the last several years, however, that "being bad" is something that can be good for me.

When I talk about being bad as a self-care strategy, I'm not talking about doing anything that's illegal, morally wrong, or harmful to others or yourself. Rather, it's about doing something you feel you shouldn't do. Something that makes you feel a bit excited and scared at the same time.

Nobody's perfect. Not even Super Moms like us! Shocking, I know! But we should be okay with that, because it’s just the way it is. And living as if you are perfect is living in-authentically. And living that way is no fun at all.

Are you ready to "be bad"? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about what feels “bad” to you:

• Delete two days' worth of incoming emails.
• Sleep in.
• Ignore phone calls or texts.
• Skip the gym or eat chocolate.
• Call in sick to work and take the day to pamper yourself.

The purpose behind this exercise is to put you back in charge of your life. It’s not about pleasing other people, but about pleasing yourself. 

Which one will you try?

I love trying new things and seeing how they can fit into my life. And because self-care is an absolute must for us busy moms, I invite you to take at least one of the ideas above and give it a try! 

Why one of these ideas excites you the most? Which one will you try first? Share in the comments, or send me an email at [email protected] and let me know!

Try it for a week and see the difference it makes for you. It might just become a part of your regular self-care routine!

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