Creating a self-care routine can be challenging, and sometimes we may feel guilty and think we don’t need one. In reality, without some time to take care of yourself, you may be spreading yourself too thin resulting in more sick days and not working at your highest potential. In a nutshell, self-care is about taking care of your well-being in all areas of your life including mental, physical, and emotional health. Having a self-care routine doesn’t need to be extravagant, it can be whatever you want it to be as long as you make the time to take care of yourself. Because of today’s busy lifestyle, it is crucial to really find the time to add a healthy self-care session to your calendar. It can be a daily or weekly session, between 30 minutes to an hour. The key is to schedule your time and make sure it’s set somewhere on your to-do list or calendar.
We all have busy schedules and may think that we cannot find time to do all this. Take 5 minutes to be creative and write down what you can do to add self-care into your everyday life.
Here are 5 tips for self-care:
- Start Small
You may feel overwhelmed with what you already have going on and adding a self-care session may be stressful. So try breaking it up in your schedule. Instead of an hour-long session of self-care tasks, do something daily for 5 minutes like drinking a refreshing glass of water every morning and writing in your journal every day. Then, before you know it, this becomes a habit and will feel more natural in your day to day schedule.
2. Improving your Gut Health
90% of serotonin, which is called the happy chemical, is produced by the gut, which plays a vital role in your overall health. It manages your immune system and controls inflammation in your body. Taking probiotics and eating fermented foods like kimchi, kombucha, and tempeh can help improve your gut health. Another way is to eat less sugars and sweeteners which cause an imbalance in your gut.
3. Beauty routine
We all know how amazing it feels when we go through our beauty routine. Whether that’s taking a relaxing bath with your favorite aromatherapy scents or grooming with your favorite beauty tools, set out time for this every week. A few other beauty rituals to try are giving yourself an at-home facial, booking a laser treatment or whitening your teeth.
4. Exercise & Sleep
Exercise and sleep go hand-in-hand when it comes to self-care. Studies have shown that regularly exercising can help improve heart health plus weight and stress management. It is recommended by the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans to engage in at least 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise 5 days a week. Additionally, getting enough sleep will help your body recover after exercising. Good quality sleep can also improve your mood, cognition, and gut health. It is recommended to have at least 7 hours of sleep per night.
5. Get organized
Organizing can help reduce stress levels long term. This includes organizing your home and even your schedule. One tip on keeping things organized is to always place things you use every day in their designated place. This allows for easy access to what you need, and helps you not waste time looking for them.
What are some of your favorite self-care tips? Leave them in the comments below!