Taking care of yourself doesn't have to be hard to do. I think we, as humans, tend to always make things more difficult for ourselves, especially when it comes to doing something that's just for ourselves.
In previous posts I mentioned that self-care can be whatever you want it to be. Your ideas of self-care might be completely different from my ideas of self-care. That being said, there are some ideas that are almost universal when it comes to taking good care of yourself.
Here are 8 simple tips and ideas for taking care of yourself. Do any of these resonate with you?
Do Your Self-Care First
Just like health studies have shown exercising first thing in the morning gives the best results the same goes for self-care. Take care of yourself first to start your day off positively. When you get things out of the way you’ll feel accomplished and awesome.
Tip: Create a morning routine that works for you.
Put Self-Care on Your Calendar
Today people are more productive than ever. But, they are also distracted. The best course of action is to make appointments with yourself for the things you want to do for self-care. Schedule that haircut or massage. Schedule a short phone call with friends or family during your break at work. Schedule lunch with friends. If you write it down you’re more likely to do it.
Be More Mindful
Be aware of your surroundings as well as yourself. Your environment and knowing what you like and dislike plays a major part in self-care. If you are adding things to your routine that you don't like and don’t make you happy, look for a way to remove them or improve them.
Reward Yourself
Self-care shouldn't only be about rewarding yourself but it is a great way to get started. It could help you to get some much-needed work done and help you get the care you need. Maybe you know you need to exercise but it's not something that you really enjoy doing.
Create a reward system for yourself so that you get an immediate benefit for anything that will only provide long-term results. For example, did you do your exercise every day for a month? Schedule a facial or massage to reward yourself.
Begin a Meditation Practice
Meditation is a great way to clear your mind and help you relax. The goal is to focus on breathing and nothing else. Studies show that meditation and prayer help cut down on stress and improve memory.
Spend Time Alone
Self-care doesn't have to be about going and spending a bunch of money or doing exciting activities. Sometimes people just need alone time. Take time away from children and coworkers so that you can rejuvenate and focus on your own thoughts.
Spend Time with Friends and Family
Schedule some time with friends and family. Go out to dinner or spend an evening in playing board games. Do something different than you usually would do with them also. Make it a date so you have something to look forward to.
Buy Yourself Something New
Go buy a new outfit, a pair of hiking boots or a coffee at Starbucks. Add it to your budget so you don't go overboard. It's okay to splurge every now and then if it makes you feel good and isn’t completely unhealthy.
Self-care can, and should, be simple. The idea behind self-care is to make your life less stressful, not add to your stress. To make it work for you, you just need to figure out what is best for you and do it. Writing down your goals or creating a vision board and two ways you can do this and have your goals in front of you so that you can do something every day to meet them.
This is Part 3 of a 10-part series on Taking Care of Yourself
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Part 10 - What happens when you don't take care of yourself
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Creating New Habits and the Power of Motivation
5 Things That Might Be Holding You Back From…
20 Opportunities to Be More Mindful During Your Day
5 Tips For Developing Your Self-Care Mindset
Hello Ruth,
Good shout over here :)
Indeed taking self care is very important, that’s the only way through which we can enjoy our health along with out wealth.
In this hybrid world we people are so much thrown into working conditions and to build our self from zero to hero, so
we are forgetting about our own self and importance to take of our self.
Its always better too take energy booster to keep our self motivated towards ourself Its good to spent time around with family
and friends and also to spent some time in alone it can act as healing process.
Thanks for the share.
Shantanu.
Thanks Shantanu, Glad you liked the post. Energy management is really important. Being around people is good, but you are right.. taking some time alone to recharge is essential too.