January: The time when your next OSAP installment comes in, and you get to experience the freezing cold Ottawa winters (or, you know, become a hermit in the tunnels).
With the stress of school assignments starting to pile up, or new extracurricular activities starting up, or just the plain old winter blues/flu season, why not treat yourself? One of my New Year’s resolutions was to practice more self care, specifically putting money away in my budget to pamper myself. I work hard in school, write for The Charlatan, work a part-time job, and mentor a robotics team—I figure I’ve earned it. If you also feel this way, here are some ideas for self pampering:
Manicure—Probably the classic salon treatment, it involves an esthetician moisturizing your hands, trimming your cuticles, filing your nails, and giving you an arm massage. Good for men or women, they can include nail polish or French tips, but not necessarily. If you’re someone who works a lot with their hands, this is a great way to make them feel great again. I particularly like The Hair Republic Beauty Lounge, which is 20 minutes from Carleton at Bank and Sunnyside. Their signature manicure is $35, and my nails came out looking better than they ever had before. They’re also a green salon, so you can be eco-friendly while treating yourself.
Reiki—More expensive, but worth it, Reiki is an ancient Japanese practice of energy healing. There are seven chakras—or energy centres—in the body, and the practitioner works with you to open or close them as needed in your life. I was healthily skeptical when I first tried it out, but the session was nothing but positive. The practitioner identified all the chakras that were too open, or too closed, and rebalanced them suitably. I found it actually helped with my thought patterns, and although she never touched me, I could feel where she was working because the energy heated the surface of my skin. It ranges from about $50-$100, but you come out feeling re-centred and energized. I had a bad week before I tried it, and came out with a brand new outlook on life. Planet Botanix on Bank offers Reiki on Thursday nights, but it is offered at a variety of places around Ottawa.
Make-up—Try out something new! I love going onto YouTube, googling a make-up tutorial, and then buying the supplies to make it a reality. Prices can range depending on what brand of make-up you buy, but this makes it accessible to almost anyone. I love Sephora, but have found that some drug store brands work just as well. Never underestimate the power of a new eye shadow palette to make you feel great.
Massage—Again on the pricey side, but if you are registered with your parents’ health insurance plan and go to a registered massage therapist, you might get it for free. Massage is the most effective way to reduce tension in the muscles, and of course it feels really good too! Instead of relying on your friend, why not go to someone who actually knows what they are doing? If it’s out of your budget, consider asking for gift certificates for birthdays or other celebrations.
All of these seemingly superficial tricks boil back down to self love, which is an important part of overall health (and beauty!). Recently I’ve learned confidence and self love are two different things, and although I’ve always been confident, self love has never come as easily. If you want the best way to beat the blues, try telling yourself, “I love you, (name).” Tell it to yourself when you’re getting ready in the morning, or when you wait for the bus stop. Say it first inside your head, and work toward saying it aloud.
Looking good may be a nice ego boost, but self love is beauty that radiates from the inside.
