Are you taking care of yourself?
Are you sure?
Many people tend to take care of others and neglect taking time to care for themselves on a regular basis. You might think you are doing this, but take some time to really think about it.
- When is the last time you took a whole day to yourself?
- Did an activity of your choosing?
- Took a relaxing bath or long shower?
- Hung out in the garage tinkering with something all day long?
Your idea of self-care is important. If you want to avoid burnout or just plain cranky moods, keep your mental, physical, and spiritual aspects in mind each day and take time to invest in yourself.
Top 5 Simple Ways to Start a Self-Care Routine in Your Life
6 Easy Ways You Can Practice Self-Care on a Regular Basis
1. Early Morning “You” Time
Do you jump out of bed and get right into the day?
Does it seem like you’re rushing all morning and tuckered out by 10am? A great way to practice self-care is to get up about 15 to 30 minutes before everyone else to take some quiet time just for you. You can do whatever you like: have a hot drink, meditate, watch TV, go for a walk, etc.
What this time will do is energize you for the upcoming day. You’ll notice that you’re less snappy, have more energy, and actually look forward to ME time each morning.
2. Hang Out With Friends
Health experts assert that those who have at least one good friend feel happier than those who have none.
Do you have someone or a few people you can make time for on a regular basis?
I know life gets busy, but friendship is worth investing time into. Go out for coffee, watch a movie, go to dinner, go walking, or anything that you desire. You’ll come away feeling revived and refreshed.
3. Quiet Your Mind
It’s understandable that life can get so hectic, and stress can pile up high.
We’ve all been there. With work, family, chores, tasks, and so on, it seems sometimes that there is barely enough time to do things that you enjoy. On top of beings so busy on the outside, our minds are continually busy with inner chatter.
Try NOT to think for a minute straight and you’ll quickly find out the task seems nearly impossible.
Whether you believe in a Higher Power or not, you can connect with the Divine at various levels. Some like to pray, while others like to meditate to quiet the mind. Some love to sit in nature and connect there.
Just taking a few minutes each day or throughout the day to connect in such a way usually helps people to feel lighter, less stressed, and more joyful.
4. Treat Yourself
Once in while, go ahead and treat yourself to your desires.
Want to have one full day to yourself? Let the family know and then go do what you’ve been wanting to do. No guilt either; tell the family that you deserve a day here and there just to invest in your awesomeness.
5. Journal
Remember your younger days when you wrote in your diary almost nonstop?
Go ahead and start journaling to keep track of your thoughts, dreams, accomplishments, and whatever else you’d like to record. It’s fun to look back through the years to see how your life has changed and journaling is actually quite therapeutic.
Not sure what to write about? Check out a variety of guided journals that have insightful prompts to get you started.
6. Practice Mindfulness/Meditation
Meditation is simply the art of getting quiet and silencing the mind.
It is a technique used by those who want to live more in a state of quietness and relaxation.
Click on the video to try one of our free guided meditation videos and see what you think!
Meditation has been proven to have benefits that are worth the time and effort. People who have incorporated meditation into their lives report that they are less stressed, some have reported that their blood pressure has dropped, they feel happier, peaceful, and more hopeful in general.
How often should you meditate?
It’s a good idea to get into the habit of meditating each day. You can begin with just one minute and then increase until you get to about 15 minutes per day. Of course, some people do more than this, but it is completely up to you.
- Find a quiet spot to meditate in.
- You can sit or lie down, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and relax every part of your body.
- Then focus on your inhale and exhale.
- Be sure to breathe as you would regularly breathe.
- As you put your focus on your breath, your mind tends to keep free from other thoughts.
- Sometimes a thought will pop in and this is fine.
- Simply acknowledge the thought and let it go.
- You might think about what to have for dinner.
- Acknowledge it and then get back to your focus on your breath.
Meditation takes practice. The more you do it, the better you will be at controlling your thoughts. As you meditate, you become in tune with your body and this is beneficial for you. Talk to any hardcore meditators and they will give you a list of the positive reasons why they do it.
Looking to start a new routine? SELF-CARE PLAN -Why You Need One & How to Create Your Own
Invest in Yourself Daily
Taking care of yourself takes time and effort.
If you’re not taking care of you, chances are you’re not getting the care that you need. If you’re too busy taking care of others, give yourself permission to take regular time to tend to your own wants and needs as well.
The better you feel, the more able you will be to go back out and help everyone else again. But you have to find balance between the two.
You are worthy of taking time to invest in YOU regularly. Others will just have to understand, and chances are, they will. Simply let them know that you can’t pour out from an empty cup.
You must take time daily to fill yourself up in a variety of ways. Dedicate yourself to self-care. You deserve it!
Updated from Dec 9, 2021
Photo by Vero Photoart on Unsplash
