My personal self-care story

I have a very special treat for you that I’ve smuggled into the end of the blog. But before we get to it, we’re delving into the world of love, as Valentine’s week is officially upon us.

To be clear, I’m not covering the romantic kind of love which would be highly out of character for a BASE blog 😂 I’m specifically talking about the love and care we (hopefully), show ourselves.

Since starting BASE, I have been mesmerised by the number of messages I’ve received asking how I’m always so positive...

Those who live or work alongside me, will tell you that this is certainly not always the case…I am human after all and the 60 seconds of my day I often share, are not a reflection of the entire 24 hours.

With that being said, most of the time, I’m in high spirits and a lot of that has to do with how I take care of myself. In fact, I know this for certain as it hasn’t always been this way…

A few years ago I heard someone say that they hated it when people called themselves ‘perfectionists’, as it implied that they thought they were perfect. As a recovering one though, I can confirm absolutely nothing could be further from the truth.

I can remember striving for perfection since I was 4 years old. I was genuinely obsessed with my spellings and times tables and anything less than 100% would make me want to be sick. I don’t know where it came from or how it started, but I certainly never felt perfect and that feeling found its way into every aspect of my life. 

One of the main areas it dictated was my supposed self-care regime, where I had the most unrealistic expectations of myself too. The world around us can often make us feel as though if we’re not drinking 3 litres of water, sleeping a solid 8 hours, walking 10,000 steps, meditating for 20 minutes or writing endless pages in our journal, then we’re failing. And that’s very often how I felt until around my mid-twenties.

This was a major turning point in my life and a story for another day, but I truly began to learn how to distance myself from chasing perfection and embrace what I now know to be the true definition of self-care.

Although I still want to achieve wonderful things, I do so whilst showing myself endless kindness, compassion and most importantly, love, in all situations. For example, whilst I still track my steps, I no longer scold myself if I miss the target. I show myself grace with a gentle reminder that I’ll have been busy working on other things and as long as I’ve moved my body in some way, all is well.

I also pepper these moments of kindness in and around my day too. When I sit down to do my 5 Minute Kit routine, it’s not just about ticking skincare off my to-do list anymore. It’s about checking in with myself before the day begins and again when it draws to a close. There’s no judgement if not everything went to plan (Spoiler alert - It usually doesn’t 😂), but rather than tear myself to shreds, I reflect on all the things that went right instead.

What I can tell you, is since I implemented these new techniques, which initially felt like doing less, my life has given me infinitely more. So, I just wanted to share as a reminder that in a week that’s all about spreading love to others, don’t forget to show yourself the same appreciation every single day 🥰

And to show how grateful I am for each of you, here’s that special treat I mentioned earlier…

From now until next Sunday, when you spend £75 or more, we’ll include a complimentary pouch of our famous So-Soft Face Cloths worth £24.

They’ll automatically be added to your shopping bag and I truly hope they make you and your face feel taken care of, every time you use them. You absolutely deserve it ❤️