Do you ever forget to take care of yourself? It can be tough, especially if you have a family. Life gets so busy but don’t forget to step back and put yourself first. Incorporate self-care methods into your daily routine. Make yourself worth it because—guess what—you are worth it!
First, be selfish. Take time each day to do something that only involves yourself. Maybe it’s going for a jog around the neighborhood or pampering yourself for a spa day. It may be getting a massage or having tea with a friend. This activity should be something that makes you happy. Relax and have fun. This is your day and you’re allowed to invest in what you enjoy to do.
It’s also good to unplug. Social media can be a time sucker and your day can go by quickly if you get too distracted with it. Instead, every now and again put all your devices in airplane mode and give yourself the opportunity to do whatever it is you need to throughout the day without distraction. Do some meditation or yoga while you keep clear from your notifications. The world has existed without them and chances are likely nothing will happen while you’re gone. This time is just for you so give yourself the opportunity to recharge your batteries.
It also doesn’t hurt to indulge and spend time alone. Is there a hobby you haven’t gotten to lately? Turn on some music and focus on that particular task for the day. If the activity is not at home, get out and be part of your community. Go to the library, a museum or go shopping. Take part in your world and indulge in its surroundings. Use today to learn something new. Strike up a conversation with strangers and learn something new about each other.
Write positive messages or love notes to yourself and place them around your home where you can see them. Buy yourself flowers to remind yourself how special and loved you are. Listen to inspirational books or music while driving in your car and before going to sleep each night. Nourish your body, mind and spirit each day with activities, thoughts, and food that support a positive and healthy lifestyle. Create joyful rituals like lighting candles for your bath, or saying 5 positive things about yourself as you get ready for work in the morning.
Another way to practice self-care is to create a policy for living a drama-free life. Being around drama – either your own or someone else’s – can suck your energy and be exhausting. Anytime a friend, family member, or coworker tries to involve you in all the drama going on in their life, try to politely excuse yourself from the conversation so you don’t get dragged down by the negativity or gossip. If that doesn’t work, you can firmly let the person know that you’re working on some things your own life and it’s important to you to remain positive and to be around other positive people. This is usually sufficient enough to allow the person to find someone else to talk to or they may like your idea and want to jump on that train with you. There may be some individuals however, that won’t honor your decision to avoid drama. With these folks you may have to distance yourself from them for a while until their drama energy doesn’t bother you anymore, or there may be some instances where you find it’s not healthy for you to be around them.
Finally, take time to laugh and have fun each day. Studies show that laughter is healing for the body, mind, and spirit. Go to a comedy show, read a comic series, or watch a funny movie. Designate a game night and invite family or friends to play. Take turns reading jokes with your friends in the car or at lunch. Take a short trip to recharge your batteries and incorporate a new adventure to you time away such as visiting a museum, or historical site, or explore a new hiking trail.
Self-care is absolutely essential in order to create a balanced, healthy and fun life. However, you decide to incorporate self-care into your day, make sure you make yourself a priority and let others know how important and critical it is for you to have this time and these activities. This can help with getting their support as you transition from taking care of everyone else first to making sure your own needs are met so that you have energy available to be present and loving with them.
