5 Ways To Incorporate Self Care Into Your Routine

You need to work in self care into your routine somehow. “But I don’t have any time!”  Don’t start with me. MAKE TIME. I have zero tolerance for excuses. After reading this, you can especially make some room in your life to take care of yourself. I promise you won’t regret it.

If it is scheduled in, it is mentally so much easier to complete. Whether it’s exercise, a work deadline, or your to-do list, anything in life that is scheduled in is more likely to be completed. So, do the same with your self care activities!  The people who are really successful at this are experts in scheduling self care as they would any other appointments. They have little breaks of self care during the day. 10 minutes of meditation in the morning, a 15 minute tea break, 20 minutes of reading before bed etc. Don’t wait until you have the time to engage in self care. Let’s face it, not many of us suddenly have lots of time to indulge in looking after ourselves, so make it a regular part of your routine.

Don’t wait around to be inspired— plan for success by having a list of your favorite self care activities on hand. Write your suggestions in your planner, stick a list on the fridge, include them in your weekly diary. My advice is to always have a few short, medium, and long activities, which you can choose depending on how long you have that day.

Short (10 minutes) self care ideas include: a cup of tea, some stretches, listening to a mini mindfulness exercise.

Medium (30 minutes) self care ideas include: a relaxing bath, short walk, painting your nails.

Long (30 minutes +) self care ideas include: getting a massage, coffee with friends, long meditation, taking a nap.

The alarm goes off in the morning, you roll over and… check your phone? A lot of us are guilty of this one, but perhaps consider using your phone for a positive purpose in the morning.  Make yourself a rule that you can’t check social media until you have done your 10 minutes of meditation. Or perhaps your list of 5 things you are grateful for, or 5 minutes of deep breathing and stretching.

In today’s world, we seem to be getting used to the addiction of ‘busyness’, to the point where it is often a source of pride for people.  “It’s all about the hustle, who needs sleep?!” Sound familiar?

But rather than wishing for more time, overburdening yourself with tasks, and stressing yourself out, consider creating your ‘Absolute No’ list and start saying no more often. 

Each week when you sit down to set goals and write your to-do list, also write out a list of things you will NOT do this week. Don’t check your email after a certain time, have no-tech days, don’t say yes to every opportunity, and say no to things that drain you.

Usually, self care activities are peppered throughout the day, allowing for mental, emotional, and physical stress release. But it is also important to allow for one BIGGER self care indulgence each week.  This is about prioritizing yourself, your worth, and your needs. It may be getting your nails done, getting a massage, going for a big hike, lunch with friends, an afternoon off work, social media time-out — whatever you need.

And that’s it! You see, self-care activities don’t always have to include long vacation getaways or things that take up a bunch of time on your schedule. Even the simplest and shortest activities can give you the much needed break that you deserve.

What are some things you’re adding to your schedule to better take care of yourself? I always love hearing from you, so please share your thoughts in the comments below!

Follow me now on Instagram for more and connect with me personally. Click any of the images below to view.