5 Easy Ways to Practice Self-Care During the Month of Love

During the month of love, it's easy to just focus on showering the relationships in your life with love and affection, but it can be hard to turn those efforts inward and also give yourself that level of care too! Self-care is so important these days when we are all stretched thin by work, life and even relationships that can leave us feeling stressed, drained and stuck in a rut. Self-care doesn't have to be big life-changing things that require a lot of time, effort or money. Instead, prioritize simple tasks that help you find inspiration, recharge energy, relieve stress and nurture your mind, body and soul.

Nourish Yourself What you eat plays such a huge role in how you feel, but eating healthy isn't always the easiest proposition. If you start small by limiting your indulgences to only a few times a week, or moderating portions of those, you'll start noticing the change in how you feel. Another way to improve your eating habits is start meal prepping on the weekends and make sure you always have healthy and nutritious snacks on hand whenever hunger strikes.

Drink more water Staying hydrated is good for your skin, your health, and your general well-being, and so many women still don't drink enough water! Buy yourself a pretty new water bottle, and make sure you're constantly refilling throughout the day! If you crave a little more flavor, steer clear of drinks with a ton of added sugars and instead try an infuser bottles where you can add things like lemons, cucumbers or limes.

Get your beauty sleep Prioritize getting enough sleep! Create a nighttime ritual and an ideal sleeping environment that include any number of things like investing in a sleep mask, limiting screen time at least 30 minutes before bed, making to-do lists for the next day before sleep, and testing out ambient noise.

Schedule "Me" Time Don't feel guilty about deciding to take some time and dedicating it to yourself! Do whatever helps you relax, recharge and find inspiration—and that means staying away from social media! Go for a long walk while listening to an audiobook or podcast, take a bath surrounded by scented candles, read a book, put on a face mask, drink a glass of wine, or even treat yourself to an afternoon at a museum! Do something small that gives you that much-needed break.

Exercise Get your butt to class! To help get you motivated, maybe buy some cute new workout clothes, a pretty yoga mat, or new headphones. Even if you don't have time or money to go to a fancy studio, you can find so many free at-home workouts online to squeeze in when you have a spare half hour. You will feel both amazing and energized! Style Me Pretty Contributor – Julia Hurwitz is a freelance writer and Marketing Manager based in New York City. Her interests include travel, global craft, healthy baking, entertaining and exploring the outdoors.