Regardless of what you observe or celebrate, this time of year is always buzzing with anxiety, excitement, and a myriad of other emotions that can easily overwhelm. In this post, we will be focusing on 10 crystals to introduce into your self-care routine to help even things out.
As a side note, these crystals are wonderful to use throughout the entire year – not just during the holiday season! Also, I am using the blanket term ‘crystal’ when referring to stones in this list. Some are not technically crystals, but they are gemstones with the ability to transform your life just the same. So without further ado, let’s get started.
CRYSTALS FOR SELF-CARE
- AMETHYST
Starting out the list is amethyst. This well-known crystal bursting with purple hues and a long benefits list is a no-brainer for self-love. An all around crystal for things like:
- Stress relief
- Inner peace
- Balance
- Chakra alignment
- Meditation
- Positive transformation
- Enlightenment
- Spiritual wisdom
- Quality of sleep
- Purification
It’s easy to see why amethyst is a go-to crystal for a lot of practitioners. Personally, I keep a decent sized amethyst geode in my bedroom to help with sleep and my meditations as that is where I practice.
- CARNELIAN
Carnelian is a pretty intense stone, truth be told. Energy wise, it’s almost amethyst’s opposite as it instigates action and has the ability to rev you up. Traits of carnelian includes:
- Self-esteem
- Courage
- Sociability
- Passion
- Happiness
- Creativity
- Vitality
- Sexual prowress
The intense energy of carnelian is powerful and potent. So much so, the only time you want to put it in your bedroom is during intimate sessions – be sure to remove it so your sleep isn’t interrupted. A couple of good 24/7 spots in your home for this stone is your office or where you work out. You could even keep it near a mirror to aid in building your self-esteem.
- COMMON OPAL
There are two main types of opal: precious and common. While common seems a lot less glamorous than precious, when it comes to self-care the benefits are aplenty. Common opal has the ability to ground and calm us in times of turmoil. Other traits of this stone include:
- Self-expression
- Peace
- Love
- Loyalty
- Self-worth
- Anger release
- Balance
If you’re anything like me, I can overwhelm easily. To counteract this, I invested in an opal worry stone. It’s small and easily concealed in a pocket. When needed, I simply rub my worries into the smooth surface and it responds with calm, soothing vibrations that radiate over my entire being. Talk about self-care on the go!
- HEMATITE
Next up on the list is a crystal known for a lot of physical healing properties, mostly having to do with blood. In fact, hematite is aptly named for the Greek word meaning ‘blood’. However, it’s on this list for its metaphysical healing properties, which lends to self-care. These properties include:
- Self-confidence
- Courage
- Emotional strength
- Optimisn
- Balance
- Trust
- Stability
- Focus
- Willpower
- Protection
As we’ve seen with the common opal, grounding is an important facet of self-care. Hematite offers this as well. When we are grounded, mental distractions like distressing feelings and thoughts dissipate. We return to the present and are much more capable of handling day-to-day life. For this, a piece of jewelry made from hematite that touches the skin would be most beneficial for self-care.
- JADE
The jade we are referring to here is green jade. Its physical healing claims are detoxification of the body, tissue regeneration, skin and hair benefits, as well as lymphatic system support. Pretty impressive, huh? But what about self-care? Those traits are as follows:
- Balance
- Tranquility
- Stability
- Self-acceptance
- Wisdom
- Dreams
- Practicality
- Perspective
Another grounding stone, jade has the ability to welcome in feelings of stability and practicality. I especially like the feature of perspective. When we neglect to give ourselves care, perspective on how things really are can skew which can blow things out of proportion. Wearing some jade jewelry or meditating with a stone can restore that balance and really give us some peace of mind.
- MALACHITE
Sometimes thoughts of self-care lean towards things like bubble baths and other spa day activities. Sometimes self-care looks a lot different. Sometimes it’s doing the hard things we’ve been putting off that in the long run are extremely beneficial to the quality of our life. For uncomfortable things like tackling debt, making that dreaded phone call, facing that one closet stuffed with relics from the past, etc. malachite is the go-to crystal. Its properties include:
- Positive transformation
- Healing
- Calming
- Comfort
- Balance
- Self-understanding
- Confidence
When you need your inner goddess to show up to do the hard things, I urge you to put your trust in malachite. When you need to put solid boundaries in place, malachite will help you. If your hard task involves facing someone face-to-face, carry it with you. If it’s going through everything you’ve been putting off because you just haven’t been able to, wear it around your neck and close to your heart.
- MOONSTONE
Do you need to relax? Is your feminine energy dwindled or even non-existent? Moonstone to the rescue! Modern life is very much the hustle and bustle that is all to easy to get caught up in. When enough is enough and you want to release that hardened energy from your daily life, moonstone has your back. It features:
- Love
- Ancient wisdom
- Hope
- Spiritual insight
- Intuition
- Goddess energy
- Happiness
- Protection
- Peace
- Patience
- Emotional balance
If you find yourself going through a particularly tumultuous change in life, moonstone can help with an infusion of peace and the patience needed to see it through. If your self-care goals include developing your intuition, moonstone can help with this as well. After all, who doesn’t want to be able to trust themself more?
- ROSE QUARTZ
They say that there are only two emotions from which everything comes from: love and fear. Without the former, are we really even living at all? Developing love in all capacities is ultimately at the center of self-care. When we aren’t living from a place of love, chances are we are living from a place of fear. Rose quartz is our utmost ally when it comes to developing a self-care practice. Benefits include:
- Self-love
- Unconditional love
- Self-compassion
- Self-understanding
- Caring
- Kindness
This crystal is unsurprisingly tied to the heart chakra and is the stone of universal love. It has the capability of cleansing the heart and releasing any blocks occluding all types of love from flowing freely. It’s the perfect crystal for self-care, especially when exploring self-forgiveness and ways to dispel any negative bias we hold for ourselves.
- SERPENTINE
For those who feel they have lost touch with Mother Nature – and in turn have lost touch with themselves – serpentine is the crystal for you. What’s known as an ‘earthing’ stone, serpentine assists in opening blockages accumulated from living in concrete jungles, urban complexes, and the like. Other benefits include:
- Wisdom
- Meditation
- Mental balance
- Emotional balance
- Awakens energy centers
- Psychic abilities
When we lose touch with nature, we essentially lose ourselves. By rediscovering our bonds within nature we grow to appreciate and recognize our role in the expansive realm of earth. Working from this place of understanding, our point of view changes to include a purpose we may not have realized before. While we may not be able to change our place of residence, we can introduce serpentine into our living areas to generate vibrations that align with self-care goals.
- SMOKY QUARTZ
Last but not least on our list is smoky quartz. This is an ultimate ally for those seeking reprieve from the day-to-day drain of energy. If it feels like no matter how many lattes you chug or how early you go to bed you are always fighting the yawns, this one’s for you! It other properties include:
- Calming fear
- Stability
- Practicality
- Serenity
- Anti-depressant
- Intuition
- Positive thinking
Outside of looking for an energy infusion, smoky quartz works wonders for the stressed and the tense. For those seeking to soothe stress and relieve tension, meditating with this crystal is a must. Introduce it into your self-care plan for comfort and release.
IN CONCLUSION…
We all know by now that health isn’t just comprised of our physical makeup. Balancing our mental and spiritual health is imperative to our overall well-being. And as aforementioned, self-care looks different to different people. Sometimes it’s showing up, doing the hard thing, taking stock, or even just stopping the hustle pace for a second.
From this post I hope that you’ve found a way to add a crystal or two into your self-care routine or maybe even been inspired to start a routine altogether. Give yourself the chance to honor yourself. You deserve it. Bright Blessings!