One of the best ways to love yourself is creating time to actually take care of yourself – literally speaking. Because we live in a fast-paced, everyday juggling human society where challenges are ever-present. And it’s all too easy to forget your most pertinent needs – which include catering for your mental and physical health.
So if you don’t love yourself – then who will? Honestly, who will? You are your own best caretaker anyday, with just a little help from others.
A regular self-care routine can be that heaven-sent ritual you have discovered works for you in particular. It may take some thinking and experimentation to find that routine (or those routines) that ease your mind and body. But with time you would find your own rhythm. And once you discover that self-care routine that works just for you, you need to stick to it.
A Gentle Advice on Self-Care
It does not have to be a lengthy activity or some energetic stuff. Even a quality 10 to 15 minutes of daily indulgence in that stress-relieving self-care tactic is enough to rejuvenate you.Â
And depending on immediate circumstances, sometimes you may forget or just ignore that routine. But learn to get back to it again and again. It’s a simple mental discipline that would improve the quality of your physical, emotional and mental well-being in no small measure.Â
And remember – your special self-care routine does not have to feel like serious work. It is meant to help you to relax. But sticking to it will be worth the small effort, I can bet you.
Also Read- The Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness
Self-care Routines: Some Useful Suggestions
Here I present to you a good number of self-care routines you can choose from. Combining some of them can perform a lot of magic on your mind and body.Â
Songs and Dance
Do you love listening to music? Very good. And better still, choosing to indulge in cheerful and soul-lifting songs can seriously boost your mood. If you like, combine singing and dance, and waltz your way around the house.Â
Tidy your Bed
You know what? The mere appearance of your bed can affect how you feel as you prepare for the day’s job, or even as you prepare to sleep. So learn to make your bed neat every morning. It feels even cosier to jump in-between clean fresh sheets. You might want to wash those bedsheets to feel more comfortable. Get yourself a warm, neat blanket to hide in during the cold weather as well.Â
Do Some Volunteer Work
It feels good to offer community help or serve others in a selfless way. You can consider joining a local club or volunteer service, and interacting with people. Thus you will find good reasons to smile and share quality moments with others. It can cure loneliness and social anxiety, as well as improve your feelings of self-worth.Â
Stay Active, Move Your Body
Learn not to remain sedentary, sitting in one place all day. That’s so boring and can dampen your mood. So get up and move around. Pick up and organize things around you. Do some exercise, take a stroll, just get active.
A Bubble Bath, Jacuzzi or soothing Shower
If you have a bathtub at home, that’s an asset. Prepare a bubble bath (you can even add bath salts) and soak yourself into it for some minutes. Or a relaxing warm indoor jacuzzi works like magic if you have one. Otherwise give yourself a refreshing shower. You can switch between a warm shower and a short burst of cold rinse just before you leave the bathroom to energize your body.
Have a Chat with Friends or Loved Ones
From time to time, it feels good to call (or maybe text-chat) that loved one or friend. Have a heart-to-heart talk and moments of laughter. Make good use of such great connections.Â
Read a Book
Do you know what it feels like to indulge in a good book? Get an interesting book to read. If only to get you away from that phone!
Take Enough Water
Your body needs fresh, clean drinking water on a regular basis. Water is essential for detoxifying the body and staying active. Ensure you keep your body hydrated by keeping a clean water bottle or some other such container of water close to you, so you don’t forget to take a drink from time to time.Â
Clean up Your Environment
Your mind subconsciously gets turned off, and you may not be able to focus or relax in a tardy environment. You need to declutter and tidy up your environment regularly. And excite yourself by preparing a small reward at the end – a glass of milk, a cookie, a chocolate bar, or some fun activity.Â
Keep a Gratitude Journal
You know, it counts to be grateful for those happy moments of your life. No matter how small. Go a step further to write them down. Even a beautiful day, or keeping company with your pet counts as well. And when you read them later – you would have a reason to smile. Focus more on your good moments.
Meditate: Simple Breathing Exercises will Do
You can make use of (or create) quiet moments in-between other events and use them to practice controlled breathing. Put away your phone (or any other gadget). Slowly breathe in, hold it, then breathe out, hold it repeatedly every 4 or 5 seconds thereabout while closing your eyes.Â
Have a Good Sleep
Don’t joke with a good night’s rest. It is medically recommended that everyone should have between 7 and 8 hours of quality sleep every night. That way, the body can gently recover and renew itself from daily stress. And if you need to catch a nap during the daytime, do so while you can.Â
Watch a Movie, or Listen to a Podcast. Maybe Play an Indoor Game
There is nothing wrong if you sit down to watch a favorite movie, TV show, or listen to an interesting podcast. And without focusing on anything else. Just unwind and enjoy the sights and sounds. And if you love indoor games – especially if there is an eager co-player around the house, go ahead and have fun.
Take Plenty of Fruits and Vegetables
Train yourself to replace those sugary snacks in the house with fresh veggies and fruits you can snack on periodically. You can even turn them into salads, or prepare them into smoothies.
Energize with a Cup of Tea or Coffee
That refreshing cup of morning tea – have you tried it? It could be herbal teas, green teas, black teas, whichever you can afford. Tea in general contains flavonoids that work to maintain good heart health and reduce cholesterol levels. And if you are a lover of coffee, moderate amounts of it work well to boost heart and brain health, and to lower the risk of diabetes also. You might prefer to drink your tea or coffee in the evening or as part of brunch – you know yourself better. But it is an excellent drink, whichever you prefer.Â
Essential Oils and Fragrances – Try Them
Some essential oils and fragrances are great for relieving stress. Some may even promote better sleep, or keep pests and insects away. Lavender, Bergamot, Ylang Ylang, Orange – you can go online to find out some of Nature’s best fragrances and how they can soothe the nerves. Use them as household deodorants, body oils, in candle wax, or dissolved in distilled water. Let the aroma spread around the house.
Disconnect from People with Bad Energy
Seriously, it pays to avoid people who induce negative thoughts, criticize you heavily, or drain your energy somehow. Even on social media or the internet, you should restrict your exposure to people and content that give you bad vibes. If necessary, block them. Connect more with uplifting stuff.
Check out some other useful self-care ideas you can incorporate into your evenings, weekends or free moments in the day below.
- Indulge in one good hobby you enjoy.
- Go out on a date – by yourself or with friends. Have some fun moments and happy memories.Â
- Learn a new skill. Attend classes, training, something to add value to you.
- Regular, moderate exercise is a huge plus.
- Give yourself a manicure /pedicure and a foot massage from time to time. Do it right in the house, if you can’t go to the salon.Â
- Lift weights regularly. Try dumbbells (or something similar). Get your heart pumping a little.
- Organize the desktop of your phone/computer. Arrange the apps, remove useless files and apps you don’t need. Just the same way you need to tidy up your room.
- Relieve your eyes. Just learn to put away phones and electronic gadgets for a while.
- Give yourself some ‘Alone’ moments. Away from everyone else.
- Prepare your favorite meals. And find the quickest ways of doing so.
- Indulge in taking photographs.
- Love and maintain some silent moments in the day. Get away from the noise (or switch it off).
- Switch off all electronic gadgets at least thirty minutes before going to bed.
- You need that morning sun. Open the windows, let it in. The more sun you are exposed to, the easier it gets to sleep at night.Â
- Get some fresh air. Take a walk outside. Get some oxygen and cool down. Release the tension.
- Get close to Nature. Walk around in the greenery of your neighborhood. It is soothing.
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