Self-care is the BEST care and I am often talking about how we should be maintaining our self care because it is the best way to make sure we are giving our best as often as possible. I will be honest, when I first started looking into self care, I was trash at keeping up with it. Am I the only one who feels like some self-care ideas given are hard to keep up with because of how much work they actually are?
I am not saying that you shouldn't run extensive bubble baths with candles or go for walks early in the morning, but I am saying that if this isn't something you are used to it may be a little hard to do consistently.
So, here are some self care routine ideas for those of us who are trying to self care without so much extra hassle:
Simple Self Care Routine
Sleep better.
This is super simple. Does it take a little effort? YES. Buuuut before you click off, here me out. I didn't say go to sleep earlier. I didn't say wake up earlier or later. I said sleep BETTER. This is something you can do bit by bit.
I started taking melatonin and drinking sleepy time tea around thirty minutes before I wanted to go to sleep and it's about the QUALITY of sleep that you get. Another thing that you can do is try and make sure you are going to sleep at the beginning of your rem cycle. I don't know much about this, but I have heard that going to sleep when your body will be in it's restful state makes a huge impact on your sleep.
Smile.
This is super easy, right? At random times throughout the day, whenever it crosses your mind to, just smile. Smile when something gets on your nerves. Sounds crazy? Yes, and sometimes it looks crazy but your subconsciousness resonates smiling with positive emotion and eventually your emotions will follow suit. I smile when somebody ticks me off and before I know it I am either feeling calm again or I am laughing at the fact that I am smiling while angry. Just try it.
Stop checking your phone when you first wake up.
Give yourself some time to have your OWN thoughts before invading your mental space with the thoughts of other people. This may seem like work, but that's only because of how this generation is trained to immediately go to the media to see what recent news is afoot. But no, we are going to take care of our mental space by taking control of what we think about in the morning.
Set up positive affirmation reminders on your phone.
There are apps for this. I have used multiple in order to remind myself of the beautiful boss babe in which I am. You could also set up manual reminders in your phone to pop up with an affirmation that you personally know you'd like to hear daily.
Stay a shower longer.
Enjoy the hot water (or warm water if you all sensitive like my partner). Just let the warmth relax you and allow yourself time to sit there without thoughts or worries or stresses. You don't have to do ANYTHING right now. Just be.
Change your alarm clock sound.
Change it from that annoying buzzing to your favorite song. To something that makes you wanna dance or something that motivates you. There was a time that my alarm clock song was my FAVE song (Livin On A Prayer -Bon Jovi) and now it is 'Pretty B****** in The Trap' cause it wakes me up and makes me feel all flossy. So, choose a song that makes you feel how you want to feel in the morning.
Write down your daily achievements.
At the end of each day reflect and take note of the awesome things you did. It doesn't matter how small it is. Remind yourself that you are amazing even on a bad day. You really don't even have to write it down. You could just take intentional note in your head.
Listen to music.
Music is therapeutic. I don't care what anyone says. The right song can change your whole mood.
Spend time by yourself.
Alone time is important and too often we allow all of our time and space be filled by other people. I LOVE my alone time. When I tell you that I CHERISH it? Dude... CHERISH.
See how easy these things are? And they are all self care. I can pretty much promise that when I started practicing these things I saw a significant lift in my mental health and my overall mood and it's SUPER simple.
What do you do for self-care?
Let me know in the comments!