You’ve heard it many times before – taking care of yourself is important. But how often do you actually make time to take care of yourself, especially when you’re a busy bee?
With societies focus on “busy-ness” we’ve subscribed to living a more rushed lifestyle, and our mental health has suffered because of it. Which makes it even more necessary to carve out time each day to focus on self care.
If you feel like you just simply “don’t have any time,” don’t worry my friend. I’ve included some tips at the end so you too can schedule in that “you time” that you deserve.
So where to begin?
If you’ve never practiced self care before, don’t worry. This guide will make it super simple so you can start practicing right away!
I suggest starting off small at first, work on a few things and then add more over time.
It’s truly a beautiful thing when you have a deep connection with yourself, you’re in tune with your body and you radiate self-confidence.
RELATED: 50 Ways To Practice Self Care
“An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.”
– Unknown
THE MIND, BODY, SOUL CONNECTION
I truly believe that there are three components to complete health: your mind, body and soul. These elements play a delicate balancing act where if one of them is off then all of them are affected.
I notice that when I’m not taking care of my body, my mental health suffers. And if I’m not feeding my soul with positivity, doing anything productive feels like a major chore.
That’s why I’m a firm believer in creating a solid morning routine that covers these three areas. When I make time for mind, body and soul self-care, it shows on the inside and outside. I’m glowing, feeling better about myself and loving life.
If you’re looking for some self-care basics to add into your daily routine, here’s some staples that you can start working on right away. Also, there’s some additional tips at the bottom to help you as you go through your own self-care journey.
MIND
1 – Manage your mindset
Your mindset is everything. It drips into every area of your life and can alter the course of your work, business, relationships, health, and just everyday life in general.
This is why it’s important to adopt healthy mindsets that support you.
The first step is to become aware of what you’re thinking. Oftentimes we don’t even recognize the self-sabotaging thoughts that bring us down.
Once we become aware of them then we can work on changing them. You do this by reframing your thoughts to new, supportive ones that you practice until they become new beliefs, new habits and eventually new results.
RELATED: 8 Mindset Hacks That’ll Transform Your Life
2 – Schedule “Me Time”
I know you’re busy, you’re hustlin’ and bustlin’, but when was the last time you made time for yourself?
Making time to relax and chill at the end of a busy workday is soooo important, and scheduling it into your calendar ensures that you actually make it happen.
When we make a commitment to improve our mental health, our bodies reward us in so many ways – we glow more, we think clearer, we feel better and we’re more productive.
Maybe your “me time” looks like sitting in a quiet, cozy space and reflecting on your life. Or, maybe it looks like pampering yourself with a warm bubble bath and a nice book. Self care gives your brain a mini vacation and allows you to step back, reflect and unburden yourself from the stresses of everyday life.
Imagine if you prioritized just 5 to 10 minutes of that a day! How would it impact your mental clarity and focus? Chances are you have a few minutes to spare, so make sure you’re carving in that “me time” that you deserve!
3 – Let go of toxicity
Life is too short to let people, or things, keep you from growing into the best version of yourself. Guard your heart and only allow people in who foster your strengths.
Surround yourself with people that empower and support you. Get rid of relationships in your life that drain your energy and cut you down.
Strong support helps guide you through the many ebbs and flows of life. So find your tribe, your people, and lean on them when times get tough.
RELATED: How to let go: Leave the past and move forward
BODY
1 – Eat healthy + exercise
I know this may seem really obvious, but it’s such an important reminder – you only have one body, so treat it with love and kindness. Nourish it with good nutrition. Move your body, release those endorphins and make sure you’re staying hydrated.
You feel better, look better and think better when you get your body movin’.
Exercise not only prevents you from getting some major health issues, but it also has a really positive affect on your mental health.
If you’re not a gym person, then try adopting a more active lifestyle in general like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking to school instead of taking the bus. Take up swimming, practice yoga or go on a hike. There’s endless options out there to fit your needs.
If you truly want to improve your life, then regular exercise is a must. Your future self will thank you.
RELATED: 13 healthy habits that’ll change your life
2 – Create a morning and night routine
Morning routines are so powerful for kicking off your day on a positive note!
Start your day right by grabbing a cup of coffee, reading a chapter of your favorite book, meditating in a cozy space – whatever puts you in a good mood.
My morning routine consists of morning coffee, a good read and some upbeat music or a good podcast episode. I like to enjoy my mornings and use them to really meditate on my life and my plans for the future.
Maybe you’re morning routine is spent being productive and getting your most important tasks out of the way. Whatever that looks like for you, a solid morning routine is a great way to ensure your performing your best throughout the day!
3 – Shower your body (and space) with essential oils
Essential oils and self care are the perfect dynamic duo that weave together so seamlessly.
Not only have essential oils been proven to improve your mental (and physical) health in so many ways, but it’s also so easy to incorporate into your self care routine.
Essential oil diffusers are my jam, and they’re the perfect starting point for your self care routine. I use this one every single day.
Sometimes it can be hard to find the calm among the storm that’s your workday, so just having those relaxing scents fill your space can do wonders to ease your mind and clear out any mindset blocks that are holding you back.
RELATED: 50 Ways To Practice Self Care
SOUL
1 – Practice daily gratitude
Although your physical health is important, your mental health also plays a huge role in your life and can have a serious affect on your physical wellbeing.
Whether it’s stress, worry, fear, anxiety – any of these can wreak havoc on our nervous system, immune system and more. They contribute to insomnia, depression, high blood pressure, etc.
That’s why I strongly believe in working on your mental health daily.
One great way to do this is to practice gratitude. Whenever I’m feeling down, I’ll list out things I’m grateful for and it really helps pull me out of my slump.
The goal is to keep yourself grounded and remind yourself of the positive things in your life so you don’t sink back into a negative thought-loop.
My favorite way to start the day off on a positive note is by writing down my daily affirmations and what I’m grateful for in my Five Minute Journal.
It only takes 5 minutes, but those 5 minutes make a huge difference between feeling bleh or feeling energized, inspired and ready for the day ahead.
You can learn more about the journal here.
2 – Meditate
On the outside, meditation looks like sitting in a quiet room and humming to yourself, but it’s sooo much more than that!
The purpose of meditation is to bring yourself into the present moment and become aware of how you think and feel.
If you have thoughts that run rampant in your brain and you can’t shut them off then meditation is also a great remedy for that. It also has many other health benefits such as: Lowering blood pressure, improving sleep, increasing immunity, etc.
It may take some time to get good at it, but after a few attempts you’ll get the hang of it. Like with anything else in life, it takes practice!
I suggest watching Youtube videos to help you learn the proper breathing techniques and then try it yourself at home. You can also download apps on your phone to help guide you through it.
3 – Journal
Sometimes our greatest moments of clarity comes during moments of self-reflection. Make time to reflect on your day, your year, your life – really try to process everything.
Write down in a journal your visions, your dreams, your goals, your fears, plans for your future – let yourself go in the pages. Don’t judge what you’ve written, just get it all down.
I spend anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes a day writing in my journal. There’s nothing more freeing than releasing all of those thoughts weighing heavy on your heart.
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PLAN AHEAD
In order to ensure that you’re consistent with staying on top of your self-care routine, it’s important to plan ahead. I am always planning my life out months ahead of time to ensure that I stay on top of my to-dos and that includes blocking out time for daily self-care.
Maybe you feel like you just don’t have enough time. I’d argue that you probably have more time than you think.
Even if you had 5 minutes to spare at the end of the day, that’s better than no time. Plus there’s actually a lot you could do in 5 minutes like journaling, setting your intentions, writing out what you’re grateful for, etc.
Remember – whether you’re taking big leaps or making small strides, forward is forward! And taking one step in the right direction, no matter how small, is better than nothing.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
It’s easy to get excited and carried away when adopting new habits to implement into your life. But like with anything else in life, it’s important to maintain balance. You don’t want to go overboard with your self care routine to where it’s overwhelming and taking over your life (but you also don’t want to go too far the opposite way either!)
So in order to avoid burn out, I suggest starting off simple in the beginning. Implement a couple of these habits into your routine and then slowly increase it over time. This will ensure that the new habits you adopt will actually stick.
RELATED: 101 simple habits for a better life
Final Thoughts
Remember – it’s never too late to change your life and each step you take, no matter how big or small, is one step closer to you living your best life.
When we practice self care daily, we look better, feel better and think better, so don’t wait on this. Get started right away!
Your future self will thank you.
This post was so helpful! Self care is essential, but something that tends to get placed on the backburner. I plan on trying to implement some of these, like journaling!
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