How to nurture your body
We nurture our relationships and our careers, but how often do we show our bodies that same awareness and care?
Life is a rollercoaster. Every day, many of us experience stress, trauma and unwanted emotions. In order to get through all of the items on our to-do list — work, side hustles, school, parenting and a social life — we try to deny or repress our feelings. But even when we feel like this is working for us, these unwelcome emotions stay locked up in our bodies, creating mysterious aches and pains that could eventually lead to illnesses.
Our stress and hurt show up in our bodies in different ways. According to Psychology Today, fear can lead to stomach and intestines pain, loss of control can cause headaches and heartbreak can literally induce chest and heart problems. To ensure that we are taking care of ourselves holistically, like working through and releasing our unwanted feelings, our self-care routines must go beyond face masks and manicures. To start, we have to learn to listen to what we need, physically, and honor nature's call.
We have to nurture our bodies. Through body movement, massages, and masturbation, we can free locked-in tension while also nourishing ourselves wholly. Not sure how to start? We’re sharing some ways you can start nurturing your body.
Move with intention
Sitting at a desk all day, it's easy to forget to move. But our bodies were designed to be active. You don't have to hit the gym every day or create a home workout routine. If you're able to, try stretching throughout the day, taking a short walk around the block midday, dancing in your room before or after work, and/or enjoying a swim, playing with children, or taking sport lessons on the weekends.
Be intentional about your movement. As you're being active, try to be aware of how it feels, naming your physical and/or emotional sensations. If you are moving to release frustration or sadness, keep that front of mind.
Give yourself a massage
Getting a massage from a professional body worker or a partner is a relaxing treat with a variety of health benefits. We've said it before: Massage therapy wakes up your muscles, improves the circulation of blood and lymph fluid and drains harmful toxins. Even more, it’s been reported to reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
These benefits are incredible, and just because we can't afford an expert or might not have a partner to assist doesn’t mean we can’t treat ourselves with this physical care. Using Relax, Bloomi’s body and massage oil, massage your hands, neck, shoulders, legs, and feet, allowing the pumpkin seed oil to nourish the skin and promote blood flow as the lavender scent puts you in a restful state.
Masturbate mindfully
The health benefits of masturbation are numerous. In fact, masturbation supports the immune system, eases body aches and pains, promotes restful sleep and builds self-confidence. Through mindful masturbation, we can prioritize our pleasure and our health. Mindfulness isn't something that's only practiced during yoga or meditation. Being mindful can help us throughout nearly every area of our lives, including during sex — partnered and solo.
To start being mindful during sex, try pleasure mapping. Through this practice, you can run your hands, or a multi-use sex toy like Bloomi’s Indulge, through different pleasure zones on your body to identify what you like, where you like it, how you like to be touched and how to get there. We recommend Indulge because it is a double-sided vibrator that allows you to explore multiple sensations. You can activate pleasure zones with the non-vibrating side or the vibrating side. If you learn that you prefer the latter, there are also multiple vibration settings that can enrich your experience.
To be mindful, it's also important to start slow, focus on sensations, pay attention to your breath and reframe your intention so that you're letting go of any expectations and simply treating your body.
Essentials that nurture your body
Explore our entire collection of clean, plant-based sexual wellness and self-care essentials, formulated for all bodies.
Get good sleep
Sleep is critical to our wellbeing. If you’re not currently getting at least eight hours of shut-eye, try to introduce habits that will help you get more rest. This can include giving yourself an earlier bedtime or creating boundaries with work and devices during the evenings.
It can also mean introducing a nighttime routine that promotes relaxation. Try following a shower or bath by lathering a body oil like Relax on your skin and/or scheduling in masturbation sessions with Indulge right before bed. As we’ve said before, masturbation is an effective (and enjoyable) sleep aid. In fact, when you orgasm, you release oxytocin and vasopressin, which counteract stress hormones and help you fall asleep quickly. Meanwhile, norepinephrine and serotonin help your body get into a flow of REM sleep cycles to ensure you stay comfortably asleep throughout the night.
Drink and eat healthfully
Of course, nurturing our bodies means we need to be aware of what we are consuming and giving ourselves what we need to feel our best and exist as healthful beings. This doesn’t just mean eating fruits and veggies, though. It’s about being mindful about what we are consuming, like ensuring we have enough water throughout the day, get the nutrients our bodies require, and enjoy the yummy meals and desserts that bring us joy.