It is very easy to get caught up in taking care of your home, your family, and your work commitments, and neglect looking after yourself. "Self-care" is a pretty big buzzword right now -- everything from expensive vacations to unhealthy foods are marketed as parts of self-care. In reality, taking care of yourself is as simple as eating a healthy meal, taking a walk, or performing a spell or ritual to help heal part of yourself that has not been getting enough attention. Here are a few powerful, easy healing and self-care rituals that can help you feel better:

A Spell for Better Sleep

Sleep is when our bodies and brains rest and repair themselves. If you are stressed not getting enough good-quality sleep, it will show in everything from headaches, to fatigue, to a slow reaction time while driving. Help yourself get the rest you need by performing a small bedtime spell each night. You'll need:

Blend the herbs. Hold them in your dominant hand, and visualize them filling with soft, blue light. As you do this, state your intention to have deep, restful sleep and pleasant dreams. Fill the mojo bag, and place it and the amethyst in front of the candle. Light the candle, and say,
"By lavender, chamomile, and jasmine too,
I wish to sleep the whole night through,
That I might rise and greet the day,
In a healed, refreshed, and rested way."
Sit for a moment, and breathe deeply from your belly. Lower your shoulders, relax your jaw, and let your hands fall open. (If you like, sip some chamomile tea while you do this.) When the tension has melted from your body, snuff the candle, place the mojo bag under your pillow, and set the amethyst on your night table. Sleep well, and repeat as often as needed.

A Ritual to Heal Your Self-Esteem

Good self-esteem is an important part of good health. If life has you down and feeling stressed or like you are not good enough, taking time to build yourself up again can help you avoid letting it wear you down. For this, you'll need:

Start this on a new moon. Choose one aspect of yourself that you consider a strength -- like creativity, bravery, or kindness. Pick a candle color that you feel corresponds to this quality, and light it. Close your eyes and sit for a moment, imagining a time in your life that you have embodied this quality. Write it down on a small piece of parchment paper, and hold it in your dominant hand. Say,
"I am [quality], and I am enough."
Place the parchment paper in the jar, and snuff the candle. Repeat every night until the full moon, with a different quality and memory each night. Whenever you feel a little low, open the jar, choose a random piece of parchment, read it, and remember why you are special.

A Spell to Refresh and Recharge Yourself

If you are feeling drained, you can use this spell to help your energy recharge. You will need:

Fill the bowl with fresh, clean water, and set it somewhere where it can reflect the bright afternoon sun with the candle nearby. Light the candle, and say,
"I charge this water with the sun,
For my work is not yet done.
I call forth strength and vitality,
This is my will, so it must be."
Sit for a moment, soaking up the warmth of the sun and bathing in the cleansing glow of the candle. Hold your left hand high and place your right hand on the bowl, and visualize yourself channeling energy down from the universe, through your body, and into the water. Snuff the candle. Add the water and half of the bottle of Energy Bath to a bathtub full of water, and allow yourself to soak, relax, and recharge. Repeat as often as necessary.

Finding time to take care of yourself can be tricky. When you have the time to do so, it is good to make sure that you make the most of it. Taking a few minutes to perform a small spell or ritual to help you recharge your energy, boost your self-esteem, or ensure that you get restful, healing sleep can go a long way to making sure that you are able to tackle all that life throws at you.