How to Incorporate More Self-Care into Your Routine
Self-care is important, there’s no doubt about it. We’re pretty sure you’re aware of the ✨benefits✨ self-care; perform at your best 💪, supporting your overall 🌈 wellbeing, helping you build confidence 😎 and self-esteem, building resilience, and giving you more energy. It may sound like something that’s this beneficial would take up a ton of time. But it really doesn’t have to.
Our patients at Inspired Health understand the positive effects 🙌 of self-care and how crucial it is to our health and wellbeing, but they’re often struggle to fit self-care into their routines. It’s hard to fit in time for yourself when you’re juggling 🤹♀️ with a busy schedule, a crazy to-do list 📝, and looking after the needs of others. Often, we put our own needs at the very bottom of our list of priorities.
We’re here to help you find simple strategies for adding more self-care into your routine, no matter how busy you are.
Make the Most of Small Moments
Self-care doesn’t have to be long ⏳ candle-lit bubble baths 🛀 and trips to the salon. It can be something as simple as relishing in the smallest things. When you change into your comfy pyjamas in the evening, take a moment to delight in how good that feels 😁. When you take your first sip of that delicious cup of coffee ☕or tea 🍵 first thing in the morning, stop, and think about how lovely 😋 it tastes. Taking time to appreciate the small things makes all the difference and is a way of showing yourself care 💕 and appreciation. It also helps you to remain present in each moment.
Bite-Sized Chunks
Setting aside an hour a day to practice self-care can seem daunting and nearly impossible when you have a hectic timetable. The best way to fit more self-care into your routine is to break up your self-care into smaller chunks throughout your day.
Take exercise, for example. You don’t have to commit to an hour-long workout 🏋️♀️ every day. Do a five-minute ⌚ core workout routine in the morning before you get ready, do a wall sit for five minutes while talking on the phone 📞, or take a walk around the office during your breaks. By doing this, you’re sneaking in small amounts of self-care during the day rather than committing to a longer workout session.
Other ideas include listening to motivational podcasts 🎧 while cooking, thinking about three things that you’re grateful for while brushing your teeth 🦷, or telling yourself why you’re proud of yourself while walking the dog 🐶. Take the self-care activities that you love and break them down into bite-size chunks that you can tackle easily during your day, or even while you do other things.
Have A Set Bedtime
Much of the advice out there about self-care includes the recommendation that you should go to bed earlier 🕙 so that you can get up earlier in the morning 🌄 to spend time on self-care.
One of the best ways you can care for yourself is to get enough sleep. Set a bedtime ⌚ that is early enough for you to get a good amount of sleep 💤 and stick to it. Set an alarm ⏰ on your phone for 30 minutes before that bedtime and then another one for 15 minutes before. These will remind you that you need to start winding down for the evening and get ready for bed.
Do ensure that you take some time before getting into bed to unwind, whether that is 10 minutes of reading 📖 or journaling. This chill time will help you get a better quality of sleep.
More Ideas
A few other ways you can fit more self-care into your routine include:
- Drinking water 🥛 during the day to keep yourself hydrated.
- Before bed, take a quick five minutes to write down ✍ something that was great about your day.
- Pay attention to your posture and the position you’re sitting 🪑 in throughout the day.
- Turn down 👎 invitations to gatherings or activities you don’t want to attend.
- Don’t eat kale 🥬 if kale doesn’t make you happy.
- Taking five minutes to make your bed 🛏 in the morning is self-care.
- Set a conscious 💭 goal to practice more self-care.
- Keep your self-care routine simple and easy to do.
Keep an eye on Inspired News for more tips and information on taking better care of yourself.
