Get ready to make self care a priority with Nitika Chopra

Welcome to Well+Good’s (Re)New Year—a five-week expert-led program that’s all about helping you have your best year yet. For Week Four, we’ve brought on Nitika Chopra—‎talk show host and beauty and lifestyle expert. Throughout the week, she’ll be sharing her tips for making self care a priority and giving your beauty routine the clean makeover it deserves.

It’s the age old question: Which comes first, self care or self love? And just like the chicken and the egg, the answer differs depending on whom you ask.

If you ask me, I believe that self- care has to come first; in fact, I think that self care opens up the gate to self love.

When I was younger, psoriasis and arthritis kept me from fully embracing my life and happiness. At my lowest moment, when I felt most bleak, something in my heart led me to nurture myself and my body.

And my first instinct brought me to skin and beauty—I’d spend every night in a warm bath, reminding my body and mind that it needed love and comfort. I’d use lotion, oils, and the power of intention to appreciate and care for myself as deeply as it deserved.

But I soon learned that taking care of myself wasn’t just skin deep; it’s a small, albeit important, part of living a more conscious, full, and balanced life. Women need to take a few minutes out of their busy days to create beauty rituals that can reinvigorate, renew, and refresh them.

Ever since then, I’ve cultivated a love for myself that I never thought possible—with beauty still leading my journey.

And whether you’ve worked on cultivating self love your whole life or are just jumping on the train, my goal is to get you out of your head and into your heart.

This week, we are going to get you to step out of your comfort zone just a little bit more—to reclaim your morning routine, clean out your beauty bag, and add some self-care must-haves. It’s a week all about connecting with your inner-beauty while owning how gorgeous you are on the outside, too.

The only thing I need from you?  To remember this week—and always—that it all starts with compassion: for where you’ve been, how far you’ve come, and even for the dream of where you hope to be. (And be sure to check in on Instagram for a sneak peek into my beauty routine—plus answers to any and all questions—when I take over the Well+Good account this Friday, January 27.)

Well+Good’s (Re)New Year is a five-week, expert-led program that isn’t focused on changing you. (Let’s be honest: You’re pretty great as you are.) Instead, it’s all about rebooting and reestablishing habits that will help you have your happiest (and healthiest!) year yet.

Each week we’ll be focusing on a different theme with a different ultra-inspiring pro—from eating cleaner to getting empowered in the workplace. Don’t want to miss a single day? Sign up for our newsletter to get it delivered directly to your inbox, and follow us on Instagram for regular check-ins!