6 Ways to Celebrate International Self Care Day in Manchester

Fresh Air, Good Vibes

When you think Manchester, you probably think city centre, and no one’s about to take a hike around Piccadilly Gardens with the pigeons that own the grounds there. What a lot of people don’t realise is that Manchester has got some incredible green spaces much closer to the city centre than you’d expect – our favourite one being Heaton Park.

Jump on the Yellow Line tram at Piccadilly Gardens, and in 20 minutes you’re dropped off in Heaton Park, where you can explore and get all the fresh air you’ve been craving. There’s plenty of tracks for you to take, so you won’t get lost in the woods – there’s also events on pretty regularly, so you can go and have an explore of these, too. Coming up in June, Heaton Park hosts Park Life – and in July, Dinosaurs in the Park returns with 40 life-sized animatronics take over the place. If you’ve seen Jurassic Park, don’t worry, these ones are on their best behaviour, or so we’ve been assured.

Catch more zzz's

One of the first things to suffer when we’re in a bit of a funk is our sleep schedule, and that has a HUGE knock-on effect to our mood. Whether you’re not sleeping enough, or even sleeping too much, knowing when this is happening and having things in place to deal with it is really important.

If you haven’t got one, set yourself a solid routine before bed. Think a nice steamy shower, any skincare that you might do, a half-hour of reading, and then lights out. Where possible, try and avoid doom-scrolling on your phone in the hours before bed, as the blue light will mess with your internal body clock; not to mention it can just be downright overwhelming. It takes less time than you think to get yourself into a healthy routine, and it’ll make the world of difference, we promise.

Put that phone down!

We kinda addressed this one in the point before, but just to make a point of how much we mean it, we’re saying it again in its own dedicated spot. There’s very few people in this world who can comfortably say they don’t spend too much time on their phone, but the reality is we could all do with a screen break here and there.

Whether you start putting app timers on, so you can only obsess on insta for an hour or two a day, or you dedicate time in the morning and evening that’s completely phone-free, it’s whatever works best for you. At first, you’ll feel crippling FOMO, but it won’t take long for that to fade out and you’ll feel a sense of peace you haven’t had for some time.

Fit in a workout

We’ve all heard it before, that working out releases endorphins to make us feel better, and while that might be the LAST thing you want to hear when you’re more interested in going full burrito-mode in your bed for 10 hours straight, the facts are facts. Getting out and doing something WILL make you feel better, and while it can feel like a huge step, it doesn’t take long for it to kick in.

Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting you go out and run a marathon – unless that’s your cup of tea, in which case, you go girl – but getting out and doing ANYTHING is better than doing nothing. Think a 15-minute walk around town to pick up something you need, a mini yoga workout on YouTube if you really don’t want to leave the sanctity of your home, you can do whatever suits you and you’ll see an improvement almost right away.

Quality Time

There’s few things better than a bit of good old-fashioned quality time with those who matter most. Whether that’s your family, friends, or a significant other, having some company and doing something you love is guaranteed to lift your spirits and make you feel a bit better.

The beauty of living in good ol’ Manchester is that you’ll never run out of things to you. Whether you want to go out and try one of the hundreds of stunnin’ restaurants, have a mooch around some of the art galleries, or you’re in the mood for a serial shopping spree, Manchester has it all baby. You’ll have a smile on your face in no time.

Pamper yourself

This is one of the most obvious ones that we think of when someone says self-care, and there’s a good reason for it. Don’t worry, we’re not saying go out and spend hundreds on a head-to-toe pamper – unless you’re in a position to, in which case, do you have room for a plus one? Joking. Or are we?

Anyway, there’s plenty of ways that you can have a pamper without breaking the budget. Yes, you can head on down to your local salon and get your hair or nails done, or indulge in a facial – or you can do all of this at home, at a fraction of the budget, with the same level of freshness and relaxation that comes along with it. Make it work for you, that’s what it's all about.

No matter how you want to celebrate Self-Care Day, the key is to make yourself feel good, and only you know what’s going to work best for you. Do you have another pamper preference that we’ve missed? We’d love to hear about it! Tag us on socials today.