#HAPPYDAY: Self-care is vital for your happiness

TO commemorate International Day of Happiness self-care enthusiast and Caxton Newspapers staff member, Khethu Xulu shares self-care tips and trick that make her truly happy.

INTERNATIONAL Day of Happiness is a global event arranged by the United Nations and commemorated annually on March 20.

The day serves to remind us that being happy is a human right and worth celebrating.

I am a strong believer that you can’t pour from an empty cup, so if you have not filled yourself with the things that make you happy and smile a little- it will be difficult to make anyone else happy.

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Every week I try to do something that will be of service to my body. From a long salt bath to hiking my favourite trail.

But what makes me even happier is that I can do all this within a ‘budget’.

For skin care I try by all means to use products I already have in my home, like the sugar face scrub which I make with turmeric, plain yoghurt and brown sugar.

Here is a list of other things that contribute to my happiness, without breaking the bank, that I think you should try out:

Take a long salt soak in the bath once a week

To make bath salts I use three cups of Epsom salt with 1.5 cups of coarse salt and half a cup of baking soda.

Make your face happy- with a natural protein egg mask

Beauty products can be expensive so compliment face products that you are already using with an egg white face mask. This face mask may be the trick you need to complete your beauty routine.

It’s an easy mask to make, just separate the yolk and apply only the the egg white to your face. Leave it on for a few minutes. Once it has hardened you can wash it off with warm water. Start at wellness hobby

I recently started swimming for exercise and to help deal with my anxiety. Swimming can significantly reduced the symptoms of anxiety and depression. 

I started visiting my local pool in the morning, twice a week and the beauty of it is that it only costs R13.

Hike your local reserve

Most reserves are free to enter.

The benefits of taking a nature hike are not only for your body but your mental health too.

Use ibovu or orange clay as sunscreen

The application of ibomvu, the orange clay or soil paste used as an inexpensive sunscreen to protect one’s face and arms from the harsh sun, is a common practice amongst field workers in Zululand. You can find it for less that R10 at local African botanic pharmacies.

Cleanse your aura

I am a Zulu girl and I try by all means to use indigenous herbs and plants for wellness. My favourite aura cleansing sage is the African impepho. Its about R20 for a bundle on the street vendor’s market or African botanic pharmacies.