Start & End Your Day With A Little Self Care

Like any new habit, adding self-care into your life can seem kind of tricky. You probably wonder how you’ll manage to find time to do anything extra for yourself, let alone how you’ll actually remember to do these things. One of the best ways to get started is to build your activities into predictable parts of your day. It may take a little practice to get in the habit at first. Eventually, you'll be able to tell the difference when you let it slip, and you'll WANT to do it so much that you will MAKE it a priority. Remember, if your excuse is not enough time, chances are it is more likely just not a priority yet. Keep reading, and I’ll show you some tricks to making self-care a routine part of your life.

Make It Personal

The first thing that will help you in creating your self-care rituals is to choose activities that are meaningful to you and that you enjoy. This is your practice, so you want to be sure it’s customized in order to get the most out of it. Consider making a list of things that help you to feel relaxed, peaceful, excited or happy. These activities/indulgences should be able to be done in a short amount of time and easily fit into your life without special equipment or tools. At least as you begin your practice, the things you choose to do should be as simple as possible.

Fit It In

You can add your self-care rituals to the most convenient parts of your day. Choose times that are already somewhat flexible so that incorporating something new into that space will be less stressful. Many people go with morning or evening routines, right when they wake up and before going to sleep each night. Getting up fifteen minutes earlier than usual and setting aside a window during the usual night-time schedule are usually things most folks can do. (And before you say you're not a morning person, I encourage you to try it. I PROMISE it will be worth it!)

However, maybe designating your daily lunch break as your self-care time might work better for you. Consider activities like writing a gratitude journal entry before bed, listening to music while having your morning coffee or going for a short walk over your lunch hour. Then, try adding in little fun pleasures to your usual daily grind. Light a candle, take a dance break, use a colored pen to take notes. Little fun things infused into your day will increase your JOY factor and make you more productive!!! Trial and error may be required, but find some happy throughout your day!

Be Flexible

It’s best to come up with a routine that works for you and stick to it. Committing to a particular schedule will help you to create a habit and ensures that you get the self-care you need. AND always cut yourself some slack. Perfection is impossible! Some days are more hectic than others. You may not be able to fit in your anticipated self-care activity, and that’s okay. Tomorrow is a new day, and you can try again. Soon, you’ll find yourself wanting to take part in these rituals, and getting back on track will be easy.

Getting into the practice of regular self-care doesn’t have to be difficult...in fact, it should be exciting and fun! Making a few adjustments to your existing schedule can free up some space in your day. Choose things that will refresh you and that are simple in nature will make getting started a breeze.