Hello friends!

Did you know May is Mental Health Awareness month? While there is never a bad time to indulge in some self-care, Mental Health Awareness month seems like the perfect time to make sure you indulge (even though its basically over now)!

JOURNALS

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love the versatility of journalling! It’s one of my favourite forms of self-care as well. You can go for the classic stream-of-consciousness confession writing in any journal your heart desires (like this Calligraphuck journal) or you can go for a guided-journal with prompts and quotes to keep you motivated (like this Ups & Downs journal and this Write It Down, Let It Go journal).

Get Outside

Summer is coming (apparently–not entirely sure what season it is in Toronto right now)! What better time to explore? If you’re in Toronto, keep it local and explore your neighbourhood (with the latest Urban Stroll guide: Toronto Street Art Strolls)! Or, go big and explore the whole country (Lonely Planet has you covered here). Or, for the really ambitious–go global (this Rough Guide should help)!

Bath Bombs

Okay, this one isn’t bookish, per say, but a good bath isn’t complete with a book, am I right?? And maybe a glass of wine, or two.

BOOKS

Take some time to knock some books off that never-ending TBR list! Personally, my TBR grows exponentially faster than I can read, so I could use a few vacation days to just devour as many books as possible! These are just a few at the very top of my TBR.

Learn Something New

Find a new hobby! Try doing something you’ve always wanted to do but just haven’t gotten around to yet. I’ve always wanted to try hand lettering, but maybe you’ve always wanted to up your baking game or take up yoga? No matte what it is, I can assure you: there’s a book for that!

No matter what form of self-care you choose, be sure you’re indulging as often as you need to (and then some)! Did I miss any of your favourite self-care activities? Let us know on Twitter: @ampersandinc.

• Laura