The last few years have felt disproportionally hard – so Capsule, powered by our pals at Shark and Ninja, are here to figure out how to make life easier, without breaking the bank, as well as diving deeper into WHY we do what we do, the struggles we all collectively face and all that’s glorious and good about being a strong, confident woman.
This series is brought to you by Shark and Ninja – click here for our previous installments!
Look, if you’re sitting on your couch at home right now and wondering, ‘IS it actually quite a grim mood out there?!’ then yes, we’re happy to confirm that the vibe of the motu right now is slightly more grim than usual.
It’s winter. Cossie livs is still biting us in the bum. The international situation is…. well, dire. And, on a less-catastrophic but still niggly note, there’s a looming chocolate shortage (stock up on your Whittaker’s now).
The ebbs and flows of life are as inevitable as death, taxes and the Warriors just falling short of the NRL Premiership (but still, up the Wahs). And while we’re in a little ebb, it’s never been more important to focus on your own self-care.
Yes it can seem trivial when you’re looking at bigger pictures, but we, the wāhine, have this bloody annoying habit of putting everyone else first before we look at ourselves and it’s just not a recipe for success in any way, shape or form.
If you’re a regular Capsule reader (first of all, thank you) then you’ll know we’ve harped on about self-care since we started this website and hell, we’ll harp on some more because a self-care routine that works for you (everyone’s different ofc) has clinically been proven to reduce anxiety, depression, frustration and anger, and improve focus, concentration, happiness and energy.
So, as well as offering our own tried and true self-care tips, we also reached out to our amazing Capsule readers for their number-one piece self-care advice that you might like to give a go if you’re in the market for something new:
– “Walks on the beach and a dip all year round is a must for keeping me grounded”
– “Monthly therapy”
– “Go for a run, even if I’m busy and it’s inconvenient”
– “Don’t feel guilt about resting”
– “A cup of tea solves everything (even just for five minutes)”
– “Walk in nature, it’s so good for the mental health”
– “Shut Up and Danve classes (check them out on Insta) – SO good”
– “I love trying new restaurants, so having a reservation to look forward to”
– “A massage – it works every time”
– “A bed rot day – I don’t get out of bed, order my favourite food and cue up all my favourite trashy shows. It gives a guilt-free reset day”
– “I cook something long and complicated and delicious”
– “Turn off my phone, light a candle and get cosy with a book. It’s nice to enter another world for a few hours”
The Capsule Collective – Our Biggest Self-Care Lessons:
And here are our own tried and true biggest tips for absolutely dominating the self-care game – and if you have any others, please feel free to let us know on our socials, or email us at hello@capsulenz.com. We’d love to know what works for you!
Capsule’s co-founders: From left Alice Hampson, Emma Clifton, Kelly Bertrand
KELLY: Self-care for me takes on a lot of different forms, depending on what I need, but my biggest one is my skin and hair routine. When I need to pause for a minute and be mindful, slow and almost meditative, I start with the everything shower, a shower beer (or wine, I use a thermos with ice in it and it works a bloody treat) and then a long, luxurious skin and hair routine. I pull out all my favourite serums, moisturisers, treatments and balms for the face and body (don’t forget to dry brush before the shower) and apply slowly and deliberately (oh, with my favourite show or playlist on in the background and candles lit of course). Then I move onto my hair with a treatment and then a style that makes me feel like I’m in one of those old Pantene ads, I’m currently obsessed with my Shark FlexStyle because I can choose if I want a bouncy blowout, curls or a straight look that still has some damn body in it because it’s not 2007 anymore). It never fails to put a smile on my face, and make me feel like I have my shit together, even when I clearly don’t. (I’ve done a review of it HERE if you’re interested!)
The other big thing, and I can’t stress this enough, is a gratitude journal. Even if you’re a sceptic, please, please give gratitude a go, even if it’s just writing down three things you’re thankful for in your Notes app before you get out of bed. It’s the biggest gamechanger, I promise you.
EMMA: My biggest self-care tip is reading before bed – it is one of the favourite parts of my day and acts as the perfect buffer between life and sleep. It’s the perfect winddown and stops me from doomscrolling before bed (which always messes up my dreams). Every few months or so, I will do a giant bulk order in to my local library of all the bestsellers/books I’ve seen recommended on Instagram, so there is always a book on my bedside table. Often I’ll go and then buy books I love, but because I’m reading them for free the first time, there is zero pressure to finish it. Life is too short to finish bad books – or even books you’re just not 100% into.
Secondly, my biggest beauty self-tip is painting my toe and fingernails every week. As someone who is trying to curb a shopping habit this year, changing my fingernail colours can often scratch that ‘I want something new’ itch and brightens up my day (and, feet!)
ALICE: In the years before the pandemic, my self-care routines were elaborate and intense. I did a daily Headspace meditation, an infra-red sauna once a week – there were magnesium baths, celery juices, prioritising getting eight hours sleep… and yet, I still barely felt human. A couple of auto-immune illnesses felt like they were running my life… but, in actual fact, my ridiculous job was the one running my life and exacerbating (look, I’d go as far as saying also causing) my ill health.
It turned out getting out of a job that wasn’t serving me was the biggest self-care practice I could try. I’d say I’m a lot busier now (co-running a business, while also raising kids will do that to you), but I’m still a lot healthier and happier, and do only a wee slice of the selfcare I used to. These days, self-care to me means making sure I have a cup of coffee or tea every day while it is still hot, leaving the house to do something ‘for me’ every week, whether that’s catching up with a friend or going to a café by myself, and, when I know I’m running on empty, giving myself a treat like an afternoon or night all to my own. The little things really matter when it comes to self-care, but it’s also worth taking a step back every now and then and making sure the big things in your life are also serving you well.