when I want to take a bubble bath...

[dancesintherain]

So--bubble baths and showers are two of my go to pick-me-up things.  Don't get me wrong--a little bit of pampering doesn't get me out of a mess head-wise (and isn't really my definition of self-care...more like self-soothing).  The problem is that I can't do either when I'm at work.

So what are alternatives that people have come up with to meet a similar desire?  I think the primary objective is sensory in nature (self-soothing with the five senses, by dbt approach).  But I can't come up with an equivalent or even something close.

[WinterRosie]

Off the top of my head: 

• Hand lotion (be really mindful of what it feels like/smells like)
• Scent (air spray, put drops of essential oil or perfume on a scarf and wear that) - assuming that your workplace isn't scent-free
• Tea if you are ritualistic about it (waiting for water to boil / waiting for it to steep / breathing in the steam and smell / waiting for it to cool) ie be mindful about it; flavoured or bubbly (or both) water works as well as long as you're mindful about sipping it and drawing your attention to what it smells like / tastes like / feels like in your mouth and as you swallow /
• Go for a walk around the block

[dancesintherain]

thanks Rosie.  I really appreciate the ideas.  I've been doing the walk around the block (or a few blocks actually) when it was warmer, but it's hard now that it's colder.  I might need to go on a good smelling and feeling hand lotion search.

[Shamrock]

When I take a bath I enjoy using bath bombs because I find it makes it so much better.