Practicing self-care can be very challenging for many of us because we may be juggling many tasks, wearing many hats and living crazy busy lives. We may pause for a wellness check if we are feeling exhausted, stressed out or feeling sick. But, why wait till we are not at our best to take care of ourselves?
It’s important to take care of our body, our mind and our spirit daily. Creating a routine that feeds and nourishes every aspect of our being supports us as we go about our hectic work day and helps us to have more happiness and resilience in our lives.
How To Engage in Self-Care?
There are many things we can do to incorporate a self-care routine into our lives. We can read books on self-care, motivation and personal improvement. We can join self-care programs, or work with a coach or therapist. No matter which approach is chosen, the goal is to figure out which self-care strategies work best, learn how to use these strategies, and implement them in our regular routine so we can boost our well-being for a lifetime.
8 Tips to Boost Up Your Self-care Game!
1. Organize & Declutter Your Space
Are you looking for happiness, resilience, love, wealth and health?
Are you familiar with Feng Shui?
Feng shui, is the art of balancing the energy within your home by mindful placement of objects for your overall well being and personal success. It’s an excellent way to begin to harmonize with the environment.
You don’t have to be an expert in Feng shui to incorporate some of the core components into your home when decluttering and reorganizing your space.
Organizing and decluttering your home and following some Feng Shui principles is one of the quickest and most freeing ways you can begin to remove stressors from your life and start building a more harmonious living space for yourself and your family.
Lillian Too, a world leading author and speaker on the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui offers her favorite tips in her book Easy-to-use Feng Shui: 168 ways to success. The guide is infused with all the best practical advice for harnessing the positive energy of your home and garden, to improve romance and relationships, improve health and wealth in simple to understand Feng shui terms.
Start decluttering, organizing and placing your objects in the most auspicious corners of your living space and invite positive energy into your home for a happy, resilient and successful life, in love, prosperity and health.
2. Exercise for Mind & Health Wellness
Most people will agree that exercise is good for you, but do you really know how good it is? Daily exercise can help you both physically and mentally, boosting your mood and reducing stress and anxiety, not to mention helping you shed some extra weight.
Most people also have a hard time getting to the gym every day, so it’s a good idea to try to incorporate other types of exercises, such as walking, jogging, running, yoga, tai chi, swimming, skating and/or dancing into your schedule. The most important thing is to create a routine that works for you so you can be at your optimum health physically and mentally.
Do you want more ideas to reduce stress, especially in the workplace? Click here for 21 tips to reduce stress.
3. Meditate Daily for Self-Care
Have you ever felt overburdened and over stressed like you’re living on autopilot?
Have you also felt somewhat disconnected from the present and here-and-now?
There is a form of meditation called “mindfulness” that could be a good remedy for this.
Mindfulness involves direct and nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment. When practicing mindfulness as a form of meditation, you are focused on life on it’s own terms. The intention is to just let the thoughts pass, be aware of them, but don’t judge them as good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant. In time, you will begin to see how your thoughts and feelings move in a particular pattern and you will begin to form an inner balance, that in time, you will recognize.
For an introduction to how you can master the art of mindfulness, you can also read through this mindfulness PDF along with practicing a technique for mindful breathing.
When you incorporate “mindfulness meditation” into your daily self-care routine, you will come to know some of the cumulative benefits of the practice, such as:
- Improved focus and mental alertness
- Experience more happiness
- Self-control
- Improved memory and higher overall work performance
- Lower blood pressure
- Improved blood circulation
- Lower heart rate
- Less perspiration
- Slower respiratory rate
- Less anxiety
- Lower blood cortisol levels
- More feelings of well-being
- Less stress
- Deeper relaxation
Source: Gaiam.com
3. Cook for Self-Care
Cooking can become a simple and basic form of self-care once you incorporate it into your schedule. If you don’t know how to cook, You can learn to prepare a simple meal to help build your confidence.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to take control of the foods you put into your body for health? There are many books, articles and videos available to help you build your cooking skills.
When starting out, cooking may feel like a chore. But, overtime you will begin to enjoy it and may even look forward to it.
You may find that doing the pre-work, like chopping the veggies is more meditative. It can become a mindful and therapeutic experience, as well.
Another great benefit of cooking is that you will save more of your hard earned money. You can cut down on spending it on take out or eating out. Additionally, you can end those afternoon crashes because you are fueling your body and nourishing it better.
You will also have new skills to be proud of. It may take time, but you are investing in a practice that will enhance your health and happiness. How wonderful would it be to invite your loved ones to a meal prepared by you?
4. Read Self-Improvement Books
It’s no surprise that we live in a very fast-paced world connected to all things virtual. We tend to turn to our phones for entertainment or comfort. We are constantly scrolling through news feeds and social networks that contribute to more stress and anxiety in our daily life. Instead, consider bringing motivational, self-improvement and self-care books with you when you leave your house.
Reading self-improvement books for self-care is an amazing way to flood your brain with positive words, concepts and imagery of yourself which will help you stay uplifted longer.
You may find yourself making better choices and taking more positive steps toward things you were hesitant about.
Reading self-help books may help you gain more confidence in your ability to assess yourself. You may find yourself not just improving, but expanding into new levels of awareness from a more grounded place.
5. Take a Meditative Bath or Shower
How does a relaxing warm bath or shower after a hard day’s work sound to you? I am guessing, divine!
Did you know that splashing water on your body not only feels good, it also triggers something called the mammalian diving reflex? This reflex makes your body believe it’s going to go for a swim underwater. So, your heart rate drops quickly – making you feel calm and relaxed.
A bath meditation combines the standard benefits of meditation with the benefits of a relaxing, hot bath. It can soothe tired muscles. It can also provide a calming atmosphere, and allow a temporary feeling of escape from stressors.
This is a habit that’s easy to practice on a nightly basis. Block off at least 15 minutes where you won’t be interrupted. Do whatever you need to do to set personal boundaries and block off that time, it should be worth the effort.
When you run your bath, incorporate some of your favorite scents and oils, light candles, and you can also catch up on your favorite reading. Read up on the benefits of aromatherapy. Some studies have shown that subjectively pleasing scents brings about many stress relieving benefits that helps to increase your resilience and happiness.
6. Create a Good Sleep Routine
Did you know there is a term used for having a good sleep routine? It’s called, sleep hygiene or sleep health. When you set up and follow a good sleep routine, you are paving the way to greater mental health, happiness and resilience. A good night’s sleep affords you the ability to re-energize your mind and body in order to function optimally with the unexpected stressors you may encounter the next day.
Here are some quick “tips” to establish good sleep hygiene:
- Aim for a good eight hours of sleep (somewhere between 7-9 is optimal). Only a small number of people can function well with less.
- Avoid using electronics in bed.
- Lower your lights (get lots of bright lights in the daytime and dark at night to establish your sleep rhythm.
- Try not to nap for too long or too late in the day.
- Avoid drinking coffee or alcohol close to bedtime.
- Don’t have heavy meals too close to bedtime.
- Have a gratitude practice before going to bed (reflect on all positives from the day).
- Listen to an audio on sleep meditation to guide your body to relax if you are restless.
Don’t get frustrated if you toss and turn and/or wake up periodically during the night. Getting into a good sleep routine takes practice. Trust your efforts and trust the process. For more information and tips on good sleep practices for resilience, you can read this article from Psychology Today.
7. Take a Daily Walk
A 30-minute walk every single day is one of the easiest exercises you can do for multiple positive effects. Whether you walk in the morning, the evening, or some other time of day, making it part of your self-care routine will keep you fit not only physically and mentally, but also emotionally.
“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” —Henry David Thoreau
Walking is so accessible to everyone and all you need is something comfortable to wear and good quality shoes or sneakers and you are ready for your workout. Here are some of the benefits of a daily walk.
- A healthier heart
- Your brain gets a positive boost
- Lung capacity strengthens
- Your eyesight improves
- The digestive system picks up
- Blood sugar levels off
- Experience relief from lower back pain
- You’ll tone your muscles
- Strengthen your bones and joints
Source: Powerofpositivity.com
Now that you know some of the benefits of walking. Make it part of your self-care routine. If you are an introvert and enjoy your solitude, a mindfulness walk everyday is a great way to connect with the environment and re-energize. If you are an extrovert, get a companion or a group to walk with to support your fitness and wellness goals.
8. Learn to Say “No”
Do you tend to put other people’s needs before your own?
Do you find yourself saying “yes” to people only to regret it later?
If you answered “yes” to either questions, it may benefit you to become better at saying “no” so you can feel empowered while still maintaining your relationship with others.
Saying “no” helps you to establish healthy boundaries and enables others to have clarity about what they can expect from you.
William Ury, in his book The Power of a Positive No: Save the Deal, Save the Relationship and Still Say No, speaks to the situation we encounter when having to say “no” to someone. The internal struggle often stems from plugging into our own sense of power and an equal desire to cater to the person making the request.
Ury states that we often find ourselves doing one of three things in response to a request:
- Accomodate: We say “yes” when we really want to say “no.”
- Attack: We often do this with the ones we love and take for granted.
- Avoid: We don’t prioritize our personal power or the relationship.
Engaging in those maladaptive responses can end up undermining the relationships we’ve built in the long run, losing our connection to the other person or dishonor ourselves by leaving something unresolved or disrespect the other person by not providing them with an answer.
Here are two helpful strategies on how to say “No.”
- Make a list of the things to which you want to say “yes” to, knowing that they may change. Post them in the mirror, your car’s dashboard, fridge, laptop, etc. When someone asks something of you, check to see if it is aligned with the things you want to put your time and energy to. If the request lines up, then answer “yes.”
- Another strategy offered by Ury is to have an “anchor phrase.” You may say, “I have a policy…..,” or “I’d rather say no to you now than disappoint you later.” or “I only volunteer in connection to a particular cause.” Once you have your anchor phrase practice using it.
Being able to say “no” allows you to be more authentic and honest with others and you won’t feel as if others are taking advantage of you. As a result of being proactive and prepared, you may be able to say “no” more confidently so you can say “yes” to things that are truly important to you.
There are hundreds more activities you can add to this list of self-care tips, however, knowing what is good for your body and your mind is one thing, and putting it into practice is another.
The most important step in any self-care routine is to schedule the activity prioritized based on your needs and preferences. Figure out which one is more achievable and doable and pencil it in to your schedule and lastly, follow through. As you begin to grow your self care repertoire into your life, your life will begin to change in all wonderful and positive ways.
Self-care is a priority and an investment in ourselves! Are you ready to incorporate some of these tips? Do you have other self-care routines that are working well for you?
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