As much as I’d love my self-care routine to only consist of candles, bath bombs and treating myself, it actually consists of much, much more. Don’t get me wrong, I still love to incorporate these things, but if I just did this, it would be like trying to fix a broken arm with a band-aid – it wouldn’t work.
I’m sure we’re all familiar with the term ‘self-care’, but just in case you’re not, it’s quite simply the actions we take upon ourselves to look after our well-being, health, and wellness.
There are two very important things to recognise when starting to practice self-care. Firstly, whilst treating ourselves to luxury shopping sprees and weekly bubble baths can be nice, the feeling is only temporary, and the aim of self-care is to create a longer-lasting feeling of happiness and self-love, and sometimes the way to achieving this isn’t as glamorous as we often think. The other important thing I learned whilst seriously investing in this new phenomenon is that it can be done whether you have a spare five minutes or a spare two hours. It can take up as little or as much time as you want it to. If you can accept these two things, I promise that you’ve got a good chance of finding peace through self-care.
Keep reading to learn my simple tricks to aid your self-care journey…
1. Get something done
It may seem counterintuitive to give yourself work to do when completing self-care but this is a really important factor. By setting yourself small tasks, whether that’s tidying an area of the house or finishing some work you never got round to completing in the office, you’re not only stopping things from building up but you’re also creating a sense of achievement for yourself, and nothing can beat that.
2. Build routines
Those of you who have read some of my previous blog posts will know that I love a good routine. I personally have my morning and nighttime routine that I complete every day without fail. There’s nothing I look forward to more after a long day than a ten-minute skincare routine to bring myself back into the moment. I also occasionally make mini routines, such as listening to a podcast whilst I’m eating my lunch to ground myself.
3. Fifteen tech-free minutes
Whether you choose to do this in the morning, evening or during your lunch break, it’s something I think we all need to do. When doing this, don’t fit it into a time where you usually don’t use your phone, make an effort to put your phone down. It’s something that brings us back to the present and I quite often find that when my phone is away, these are the times I notice my real worries or my best ideas come to me. This means I can target things I didn’t know needed doing, and ultimately I feel much better for it.
4. Create a clean space
I am extremely guilty of letting my important spaces get messy and unorganized when I have too much on or when I get too much on my mind and I end up making things worse for myself. By making sure our most used spaces are clean and tidy, we’re creating a space we want to be in. A tidy room also reduces physical and mental stresses – remember the phrase ‘tidy room, tidy mind’?
5. Do something that makes you happy
Every one of us has something that makes us happy, some of us know exactly what it is, yet some of us neglect this part of our lives so much that we start to wonder what we truly love to do. It doesn’t have to be something luxurious like going to a spa (although it could be!), but more often than not, I’ve found it’s the little things like making an extra effort to see friends or just sitting and watching your favourite movie. When incorporating the things that make us happiest into our lives, we start to eliminate the feeling of tiredness and we start giving ourselves purpose. We get a taste of what the good stuff feels like and it pushes us to do more of it. You’re not only making yourself happy, but you’re looking after yourself as well – a win-win situation, I’m sure.
What are your favourite ways to look after yourself and do you think I’ve missed out on any other important things?
