Self Care Checklist: Creating a Relaxing Bath
A clear combination of lists and growth would be a self care checklist. I thrive off of lists and checking them, so wanted to share a few steps to creating a relaxing bath routine. It’s an actual checklist, but it’s more of a guide so that when you’re in the bath, you can not stress about forgetting anything and just relax.
Taking a bath is not really something that I thought I had time for. It seems like a luxury activity I, for one that has plenty of time and money to spend on fancy robes and bath equipment. it turns out I was very wrong. I'm grateful for being incorrect because I really enjoyed my back a few weeks ago, even if something was lacking. Actually, so many things are lacking. But I couldn't bring myself to keep getting in and out of the bath. Instead, I made a list so that the next time that I had a bath there wouldn't be anything missing.
I feel like I want to bring all of what a bath is into all of my senses. So first things first is sight. I'm not really wanting to take a bath in the middle of the day, because I have other things that I want to do. However, I would take a bath at dusk when the Sun is setting and I'm getting ready for bed later. but at that time, because the bathroom that I have a bath in has only one small window, it doesn't really make a lot of sense for me not to have some kind of light in there while I take my bath. I don't really like fluorescent lights, it just brings me out of the mood that I'm trying to create here, one of relaxation and rest. But you know what would work? Candles. We don't actually have a lot of candles in the house Because Austin is very sensitive to smell. We do have a couple of candles and the one that I chose for my bath is one I got from a friend, Brent. He is the best. He also gave us these really cool matchboxes that look like little books. They have sci-fi or fantasy themes on the cover of the matchbox, for example there's a pirate one, and there's one about magic. They're just really cool.
I'd also recommend throwing in a bath bomb. The one I have in the video is from Lush, but I do know that they get a little pricey. This one in particular is from my mom. She is also the best, she just sends me things sometimes and I don't know who the package comes from, but usually it's her. In the package that she sent, there were three bath bombs and one shampoo bar. But again, it's a little out of my price range, so I'm thinking of making a video about making bath bombs with my friends. It could potentially be a disaster, but a very funny one. The more I think about it, the more I commit to it because I'm pretty sure it's going to be hilarious and a great time.
Next up, we have the sense of smell. The bath bomb can contribute to this, as well as the candles, as can soap or essential oils, but at some point it gets a little bit much. Austin is not the only one with a hypersensitive nose. At some point, it becomes even too much for me. Plus I don't keep a lot of essential oils in the house oh, and this bath is kind of about creating this peaceful environment with things that I already have. Except for the food, but we'll get to that. You can also add bubbles to the bath, which is a two-fer – the sense of smell and touch. I got this Mr. Teal’s bubble bath bottle, 4 relief and relaxation. It has a mint smell also, which makes me a little bit suspicious. How is it determined that rest and relaxation and relief come from smelling this mint scent?
In my research there were a lot of videos with specialty bath items, such as this backrest. It is essentially spongy, breathable material that can get wet, but we'll also try quite easily and not have a bunch of mold in it like if you were to use a regular pillow. It's only twenty to thirty dollars, but I'm not ready to make that kind of investment and I already have something that will work - towels. The more towels the merrier in my bath. I had one behind my back, and a large one that was rolled up to serve as a pillow. At some point in the bath, it got wet. Good thing I was already in a bathtub of water.
There are at least three options when it comes to the sense of hearing: We can watch a movie or show, we could listen to some music, or we could listen to nothing at all and just be with ourselves. That last one is actually pretty frightening, but maybe one day I'll grow into it. Anyway, if you choose the music option, I would recommend making your playlist only about 30 minutes. Thirty minutes is the recommended maximum amount of time but you want to spend in the bath because your skin can dry out and you can get dehydrated, which we don't want to happen. I also recommend not having any music with many lyrics, or anything that's going to remind you of something that you need to do or something that has been done. Although it's fun to reminisce and be nostalgic, In this particular scenario at least for me, I want to relax in the bath and not think about much of anything. Take my worries away.
As far as taste is concerned, make sure to have a nice, big, cool glass of water to fend off any dehydration. You can also enjoy a nice glass of wine, or juice. And if you want chips, and get chips. If you want a donut, eat a donut. No one is judging you. This is your time to enjoy and do whatever the heck you want.
I put “mind” on this list in case you'd like to set an intention for your bath, or repeat after me Shins for your manifestations. You do you. Again, no judging here.
What I like about this list is that it's pretty inclusive. If you are unable to experience the sense of highlight, then you have all of the rest of the options available to you. This is for everyone, everyone needs a bath right now. You smell, and you need some rest. Go take a bath.
“I am sure there are things that can't be cured by a good bath but I can't think of one.” ― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
When’s the last time you took a bath?
