Setting yourself up for a positive and productive day is vital; your morning routine usually sets the bar for that. While your relaxing cup of tea or energizing yoga workout might create a great day, what you need is a great and balanced life. Find out today why self-care is the key to a balanced life and how you can incorporate self-care into your life.

As women, we often forget to take care of ourselves: always putting the needs of others first. It’s an instinct, but one that you need to limit. After all, if you don’t take care of yourself, then you won’t have the energy to give out to others. Self-care is vital to a healthy relationship with yourself and others and a happy, healthy, and balanced life. 

So What Exactly Is Self-Care?

Many people think of self-care as a time-consuming pampering session that you need to disappear to a salon or a spa to enjoy. It has an image of unnecessary self-indulgent activities, but the opposite is true. 

Self-care is any action to preserve or improve one’s health, well-being, or happiness. 

How you choose to do this is up to you and will be unique to each of us. While Jan might love to go salsa dancing to feel young and vibrant and boost her energy and mood, Sam might prefer to relax and unwind in a bubble bath with soothing music to calm her mind and refresh her from a busy day.  There is no one-size-fits-all. 

But what is essential for all of us is that we create a self-care routine that is easy to implement, brings little complications, and no extra stress so that we get the full benefit of it, both physically and mentally.

 

How To Implement Self-Care

Plan your self-care.  Like anything, going in without a plan means your time is not used effectively. You end up more stressed than you were to start with. Look at your schedule, think about the things that you enjoy, and then figure out how to combine them. 

Maybe you prefer to have a yoga session in the morning, or perhaps once a month, take an hour for a massage or even a weekly date night. Whatever you choose, you need to know in advance what you are doing and when you will do it so that it doesn’t get swept to the side and forgotten.

The next step is to ask yourself, “Why”? Why have you chosen this thing? Why do you enjoy it? How will you benefit from it? Knowing the why behind your choice means that you can appreciate its benefits and make you more likely to follow through. 

Most importantly, in your plan – put it on your calendar! Pin it on the wall or in your phone or diary. Wherever you create your schedule, make sure it’s there so you don’t skip out on it! 

Ideally, you should try to schedule in 30 minutes every day, and you will know where it’s possible to fit that in. I have an undisturbed cup of tea in the morning, leave the office for a brisk walk at lunchtime, and have some ‘me-time’ before bed. 

Or perhaps, like Oprah, you prefer to find a full day every week month to connect with yourself and recharge your energy. Whatever works for you – find it and use it. 

“I always give myself Sundays as a spiritual base of renewal—a day when I do absolutely nothing. I sit in my jammies or take a walk, and I allow myself time to BE—capital B-E—with myself.” – Oprah Winfrey

Self-Care: The Key To A Balanced Life

What is self-care to you?

It’s so different for all of us that overlooking things that could benefit us is easy to do. In contrast, sometimes we find ourselves behaving in specific ways, not realizing that it’s our inbuilt self-preservation tool.  Did you know that these all count as self-care?

• Saying “NO.” No phones at the dinner table, no eating late at night, no TV before bedtime – whatever brings you more relaxation and peace. 
• Stop doing the things you hate but feel obligated to do…..outsource your laundry, hire a cleaner, and get your groceries delivered instead of going to the supermarket. You can use that time to do something that benefits your body and mind more. 
• Eating a healthy and nutritious diet. Meal planning is an easy way to keep on track with this. 
• Ensure you get enough sleep (7-8 hours) to be rested and energized. If you struggle to get enough sleep, check out my podcast episode on how to help this
• Spending time with people you love and that make you happy…you don’t have to be around negative people – say “no.” 

How Can I Fit Self-Care Into My Everyday Routine? 

As we’ve already established, self-care is not an extravagant act. It can take just a couple of minutes at a time, and it includes everyday essential jobs that give you a few moments to focus entirely on yourself. Practice mindfulness in your daily life to notice when these moments pop up and be thankful for them. Some daily tasks that benefit your physical and mental health that you are already doing include: 

• Brushing your teeth (yes, really!)
• Your daily wash ritual – bath, shower, etc. How fresh and vibrant do you feel after it?
• Exercise – boosts your mood and energy as well as keeping your body healthy.
• Laughing! You can never smile too much.
  

Things To Try Adding To Your Self-Care Routine

• Spending time outside
• Writing in your journal
• Do something new and fun at least once a week. Try new experiences.  
• Find things that you love doing and maybe haven’t done since before the kids, husband, job ……. (dancing, journaling, rock climbing….anything!)

Fitting self-care into your day is essential to a happy and fulfilled life.