Life can get busy and as the to-do list gets longer, we slowly neglect our daily self-care routine. While you might think that you’re just focusing on getting more done, by neglecting your self-care, you’re neglecting yourself. With an empty cup, you won’t be able to pour for anyone from it anymore.
To avoid neglecting your daily self-care routine, place it high on your priorities list. The following list will give you self-care ideas you can incorporate in your everyday activities. You can choose a few and practice them weekly or monthly too.
Remember, the point of self-care is to be emotionally satisfied, so you don’t want to take up too many activities that’ll make it feel like a chore.
1. Drink a Glass of Water Every Morning
It’s essential to drink enough water the first thing in the morning. After a whole night, your body is dehydrated. Therefore missing this step leads you to have a bad day all along.
It may also help you to remember to drink enough water throughout the day.
2. Practice Gratitude
Sometimes a lot of things can genuinely go contrary to our expectations. But no matter how challenging our day is, there is always something to be grateful about.
Make a list of at least five things that didn’t go wrong at the end of every day or just something you’re grateful for in your life. This helps you shift your mental focus to something good, which allows you to move forward and solve what’s wrong with positivity.
3. Make a Menu Weekly
The idea of eating healthy seems like a great idea, but when it comes to implementing it only a few people can do it. To make the transition to eating healthy easy, make a weekly menu and shop for everything you’ll need.
Doing this eliminates the temptation of falling back to your old habits when life happens, which makes it easy to commit.
4. Exercise Your Brain
The brain is a muscle. It stops expanding when you stop exercising it. You should continue to challenge your brain in different ways every once in a while. Luckily, you don’t need a fancy app to make this happen.
Even using a different route to work, trying a new sport, or learning a new language is enough to flex your brain.
5. Have a Mini Dance Party
Life gets busy and having fun suddenly becomes a luxury you can’t afford. Yet even a few minutes dancing to your favorite song can be very therapeutic. Just remember to let go and have fun.
You can also try meeting your friends for a drink and re-live the fun part of your life again. This break allows you to recharge and regain your focus to perform your daily activities well.
6. Move Around Every Day
You might not have time to do intense workouts every day but doing some kind of aerobics for at least 30 minutes a day can be beneficial for both your physical and mental health.
Learn about different forms of exercise and choose something that works best for you. You may take interest in bodybuilding, yoga or CrossFit. No matter what you choose, dedicate yourself to sticking to a schedule.
Even if you don’t feel like doing it, leave yourself reminders that help motivate you. Staying consistent with your fitness efforts will yield you the best results.
7. Practice Kegel Exercises
Toning your pelvic floor is healthy and it improves your sex life. The best thing is that no one can tell you’re doing the exercise so you can do them anytime. It’s such a small activity so it is easy to commit to.
If you aren’t sure about how to do it, think about the pressure you feel when you stop your urine in the middle. That squeeze occurs in your pelvic muscles. Once you find it, hold the squeeze for at least 3 seconds, and work your way up.
You can then try holding up the squeeze for 10 seconds, three times a day. The more you do each day, the better.
8. Have an Empowering Morning Routine
Don’t snooze your alarm, and start your day in a rush. Also, try leaving your phone on the nightstand before checking email or scrolling social media. Instead, wake up more intentionally and give yourself some time.
Set your alarm for an earlier time and have a morning ritual to set the mood of your day. You can do a visualization exercise on how you want your day to be, update your gratitude journal, say a prayer, or simply relax and take a cup of tea.
9. Get Massages
After a long day, your muscles are tired and they may even hurt a little. Planning regular spa trips or a massage once in a while is a great way to wind down. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to see a masseuse often for everyone.
You can try adding a handheld massager for your daily self-care routine. The massager has a relaxing effect on the muscles and relaxes your mind hence lowering your stress levels. The best part is you don’t even have to leave your home!
10. Practice Mindfulness
With a hectic work schedule and a huge workload to always complete, it’s becoming incredibly hard for many people to stay at the present moment. Mindfulness is about reconnecting to your environment and inner-self.
Make a habit of stopping to smell, taste, and feel what’s around you. For example, pay attention and smell your coffee. Think deeply about how it smells, it’s a little bitter and a little sweet. It’s very comforting.
Do You Want More Daily Self Care Routine Tips?
Following a daily self-care routine increases your focus and improves your performance at work. Pick up a few things from this list and incorporate them into your daily routine.
You can start with the small ones such as smelling coffee to practice mindfulness, which doesn’t take up a long time. The moment you start reaping benefits, you’ll naturally adjust to the routine. For more ideas on self-care activities, visit our blog.