LovelySkin has partnered with SkinCeuticals to bring you the latest in skin care intel.

Day-to-day life is often filled with long to-do lists and stressful situations that can leave you feeling mentally and emotionally drained. Sure, you know how important it is to make time for self-care, but this basic action can fall low on the priority list sometimes—and that’s okay! The upside is there are so many forms of self-care, and one of the easiest and most effective is performing your skin care routine, which is something you do daily anyway. Read on to learn about five easy techniques to help transform your daily skin care routine into an elevated self-care ritual to help reduce stress levels and promote relaxation, including:

• Breathwork

• Affirmations

• Facial massage

• Weekly masks

• Soothing scents

1. Breathwork

Breathwork is a practice that has been shown to help promote relaxation, creativity and mindfulness. Incorporating a breathwork technique into your daily skin care routine is an easy way to deepen your mind-body connection too. Box breathing is a simple yet effective style of breathwork you can try next time you are applying your daily skin care steps.

How to do box breathing

Step 1: Breathe in, counting to four slowly. Feel the air enter your lungs.

Step 2: Hold your breath for four seconds

Step 3: Slowly exhale through your mouth for four seconds.

Step 4: Repeat the first, second and third steps for the entirety of your routine.

2. Affirmations

Daily positive affirmations are a powerful tool to use to help increase positive thoughts and feelings. Try adding this self-care technique into your skin care routine twice daily to help support your mental and emotional health. Before you start your routine, look into the mirror and recite your positive affirmation out loud. You can repeat it a few times aloud before your skin care steps. When you are done, repeat the same affirmation or choose a different one to end your routine. If you are struggling with creating an affirmation for yourself, here are a few simple yet effective feel-good phrases:

“I am strong. I am capable. I will achieve my goals.”

“I am enough.”

“Good things are coming my way.”

If you are new to affirmations, the first time can feel a little odd. However, the more you practice, the easier it will become. You can always start with writing your affirmation on a piece of paper and taping it to your mirror to read in your head instead.

3. Facial massage

Facial massage movements are not only beneficial for skin health but can also help promote deep relaxation by alleviating facial tension. We hold a lot of tension in our faces and can feel it in our brow area and temples. Massaging your face regularly can help release tension and promote circulation by working on the connective tissue and muscles we use daily. In addition to your hands, you can also use facial massage tools such as a face roller or gua sha stone. Whichever tool you use, make sure there is enough product on your skin to provide ample slip to perform your facial massage.

Destressing facial massage steps

Step 1: Using hand-over-hand movements, start at the base of your neck and work your way up to your jawline in long, slow strokes using gentle pressure. Repeat four times.

Step 2: From there, place your hands into a prayer-like position and place them at the center of your chin. Slowly stroke your hands toward the outer edge of your face, ending at your ears. Repeat four times.

Step 3: Make a fist with thumbs out on each hand (think thumbs up) and anchor your thumbs at the base of your cheekbones, close to the corners of your nose. Scoop under your cheekbones with your thumbs, ending at your hairline. Repeat four times.

Step 4: Using light pressure and your middle finger, move in a circular motion outward along your eyebrows, then inward along the top of your cheekbones toward the bridge of your nose. Repeat two more times.

Step 5: Lastly, using both pointer and middle fingers with firm pressure, perform tiny circles back and forth across your entire forehead in a clockwise motion for a count of ten.

Step 6: End with ten firm temple circles and a final ten-second pressure hold on your temples before releasing.

4. Weekly masks

Face masks are concentrated treatments that target and help solve specific skin concerns. Depending on your skin’s needs, reaching for a face mask two or three times weekly can help improve hydration, soothe skin or decongest clogged pores.

Creating a weekly mask routine can create a spa-like experience in your own home. Take it to the next level and light a few candles, play soothing music, take a long bath, read a book or binge your favorite show—this time is all about you. Here is a cheat sheet of no-fuss, highly effective mask treatments to indulge in for your next at-home spa day.

• SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Hydrating + Calming Mask: A bright shade of green thanks to highly concentrated botanical extracts, this soothing facial mask also contains a calming dipeptide and hyaluronic acid to intensively soothe and replenish temporary skin reactivity. It cools on contact, comforts skin sensitivity and restores natural radiance and smoothness.

• SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Mask: Enhanced with a unique complex containing constituents of the skin’s natural moisturizing factor (NMF), this weekly hydration treatment re-establishes the water balance critical for maintaining skin metabolic functions at optimal levels.

• SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Mask: This non-drying mask combines kaolin and bentonite (the highest quality earth clays). It also featuresbotanicals and minerals to help calm the skin, as well as a hydroxy acid blend to gently exfoliate.

• SkinCeuticals Biocellulose Restorative Sheet Mask: Optimal for sensitive or stressed skin (and sheet mask fans) this highly efficient, sterilized mask creates a protective barrier that helps alleviate discomfort. The unique fibers distribute heat-reducing water to the skin barrier to provide immediate relief.

5. Soothing scents

The sense of smell is a powerful tool you can use to recall a memory, energize yourself or unwind after a long day. Using skin care products that provide visible benefits and harness the power of scent can provide a transformational experience. Here are a two formulas that make it easy to treat your skin and your sense of smell in one step:

• SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Essence Mist: This lightweight mist instantly hydrates with hyaluronic acid and glycerin while soothing and calming visible redness. The phyto botanical blend in the formula—which includes extracts like cucumber, rosemary and thyme—provides a refreshing fresh-from-the-spa scent.

• SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 Anti-Aging Cream: This patented corrective cream replenishes essential lipids to help strengthen the skin barrier and improve visible signs of aging, radiance and pore appearance. It is also formulated with essential oils, such as lavender and rosemary, for a cooling and nourishing experience.

Ready for more skin care advice? We can help you assemble the best morning routine to meet your skin care goals with SkinCeuticals on the LovelySkin Blog.