Take a snapshot of the past 24 hours of your day. How much time did you spend taking care of your well-being? You may have noticed that your energy and productivity diminish when you ignore your self-care needs. The worst part is that it takes away from your ability to serve others in the best way possible. To show up as your best self to what you care for the most, you must take care of yourself first. Let’s look at how you can incorporate self-care into your daily routines.
What is Self-Care?
This phrase has been trending for the past few years, particularly with the rise of burnout and stress in women in their mid-life years. In this season of your life, you may be juggling kids, family, work, and other personal commitments. You might throw your hands up and surrender to the throes of a busy, exhausting day, wondering when you would even have the time to practice self-care.
Perhaps, you’ve always thought of self-care as treating yourself to a day at the spa, getting a massage, or getting your nails done. While these are all ways to pamper yourself and have to set aside a good chunk of time to do it, you can also give yourself tender, loving care in more practical ways.
So here’s a definition I truly resonated with:
“Self-care is the practice of taking an active role in nurturing one’s own well-being.”
The word ‘nurture’ focuses on growth and development. No matter what age, we can continue to grow and develop so we don’t become stagnant and lackluster. I’ll go far as saying that our innate being strives to thrive. We want to look good and feel good both inside and out.
Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors = Self-Care
The positive lifestyle behaviors that boost our energy and well-being have been known for a long time. However, in today’s society, many have taken it for granted. To nurture our mind, body, and spirit requires us to have a firm foundation of the following behaviors:
- Healthy Eating Habits
- Movement and Exercise
- Coping with Stressors
- Good quality sleep
- Loving Connections with Others (and a Higher Being)
There’s no question that when these behaviors are front and center, you’ll notice a difference in your energy level, productivity, and overall well-being.
Your Daily Routines – Evening, Morning, and In-between
Evening:
What sets up an awesome, energized morning?… An equally awesome evening. In other words, you get a full night of good-quality sleep. And for you to have a good night of sleep, an evening routine to wind down your mind and body is the answer.
Here are some ideas for a relaxing evening routine:
- Set a screen curfew 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime
- Connect with your family – cuddle with your kids or spouse before bed
- Read a book or write in a journal
- Say a prayer of gratitude and concerns
What ideas do you have that can help you to calm down and have a peaceful night’s sleep?
Morning:
You may have heard it said by Tim Ferris, a NYT bestselling author of 4-Hour Workweek (and several other books), “When you win the morning, you win the day.” So how do you win the morning? By establishing a self-care routine the moment you get out of bed. What might that look like? Throwing a few ideas your way:
- Saying an affirmation or a prayer immediately after waking
- Practicing a mindfulness meditation or breathing exercise
- Going outside for a walk or run and getting sunshine on your skin
- Preparing a healthy meal
In-between:
Between your morning and evening routines, can you take a 5 to 10-minute break every hour to do something positive for your well-being? How about an exercise snack break?
New research that emerged last year shows that vigorous activity as short as 1 to 2 minutes throughout the day can improve metabolic health, raise endurance, and strengthen muscles. If you have access to stairs, try to go up and down vigorously for at least a minute and see how you feel afterward!
And a few more ideas for you:
How to Make Self-Care a part of your Daily Routine
To practice self-care routinely requires making changes to your routine. But how can you get yourself motivated to do so?
- Have a compelling reason WHY. Think about what makes this practice vital for you. If you’re looking for a resource to help gather your thoughts and write them down, check out our Wellness Vision Guide
- Surround yourself with a strong support system. Talk to your family and friends about the changes you’re making and ask for their support. See if one of them would be willing to be your accountability partner.
- Start SMALL. While there are many things you can stack up in your favor, the best approach to avoid overwhelm is to start with a tiny action. What could that be for you?
Looking for additional resources? Download a Self-Care Guide Today.
