Hygiene is critical to an overall healthy lifestyle, as well as for practicing self-care. When you take good care of your physical self, you become even more mindful of your inner self. There are a few ways to practice this self-care, so let’s get into that below.

Take A Shower!
Showering or taking a bath is a great way to not only physically wash your body but also a perfect time to wash off the day itself. You can use this time to relax, take some deep breaths, and imagine the day’s gross feelings going down the drain along with the water. Washing your hair can symbolize cleaning out negative thoughts. Washing your body can represent getting any negative emotions off of you. Then, once you’ve finished, you can feel cleansed inside and out!

Brush Your Teeth!
Brushing your teeth is necessary for keeping your mouth healthy. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy the feeling of fresh breath and smooth teeth? Taking the time after each meal to do a quick floss can work wonders for your oral health. It will also help you work on mindfulness and be sure you MAKE the time to practice everyday self-care. You can also see oral hygiene as a way to help keep your mouth full of only positive and considerate words.

Wash Your Hands!
It is SO important to keep your hands clean—especially these days. Travel is nearly limitless, and we’ve never been more connected with each other than we are right now. Unfortunately, with all this freedom comes the possibility of spreading germs and sicknesses. Think of everything you touch each day. Now imagine how many others have felt those same things before and after you. It’s a lot. IT is why it’s so important to wash your hands. It’s also an excellent opportunity to think about this lesson: it’s not the doorknob’s fault if you get sick. If you touch your face a lot and don’t wash your hands before eating, you are putting yourself at risk with your actions. The same goes for how you interact with people. If you never consider all the things that have “touched” the people around you, you can never understand them. Maybe someone is incredibly cranky today. It’s not their fault if that bothers you. What matters is how you respond to it. Do you “lick your fingers” and attack them for having a bad day? Or do you “wash your hands” and continue to be kind—knowing that there is a reason that they are not okay right now? How would you want to be treated if something was going on in your life that you couldn’t help? Remember this every time you wash your hands, and you will be less likely to get sick and more likely to be compassionate.

As you can see, hygiene can be so much more than just a part of your daily routine. You can also use it to be a more mindful and understanding person!

Until tomorrow, stay safe, and keep the faith.