There’s no doubt that we are living in a fast-paced world. Every day when you wake up, you do your activities on auto-pilot mode.
Amidst all of it, it is certainly difficult to take time out for yourself. I know because I struggle to take time out and indulge in my favourite activities that bring peace and happiness to my well-being.
It is essential to unplug and permit yourself to take care. Because when you can take care of yourself, you will be able to take care of others.
While doing so, we do feel guilty about it at times. But that’s when you have to remind yourself and not hesitate to take a break when you need to.
When you save your energy and set yourself as a priority, you are not neglecting yourself. In fact, you are saying yes to freedom, peace, and support.
You Matter
We make the mistake of putting work, career, family, and loved ones in the center. Unfortunately, this often leads to burnout, anxiety, stress, and sometimes unwanted drama too.
When you take care of yourself, you affirm the belief that you deserve to be taken care of, supported, and validated. The whole idea of indulging in taking care of yourself is that you should be the center of your life.
If you are still wondering why and how to have a self-care routine on your to-do list, keep reading the blog to know more.
Sit With Yourself
From the time we wake up, grabbing a phone, checking emails and scrolling Instagram is a new habit. Again, there’s nothing wrong with it. The trick here is what to see and when to stop yourself from not falling in the loop of activities.
Not so long ago, I was listening to a podcast where the host mentioned, “The first thing to do as soon as you wake up is to ask yourself how you are feeling in a very kind way.”
That particular statement stayed with me, and ever since then, this is what I do when I wake up. It gives me clarity of what exactly I am feeling in the particular moment. When you sit with yourself, you are acknowledging your feelings and emotions.
The urge to grab the phone and check the status will arise from time to time. But, you can always start with 5 minutes every day and gradually increase or tweak around your schedule.
Mindfulness Activities
Focusing on the present without judging how we feel and think is a healthy mindfulness practice.
Nowadays, many therapists offer mindfulness therapy that gets you in tune with yourself and aids you in relieving stress.
We often end up having too many thoughts at once, and then the cycle of overthinking begins. To keep your mind from wandering, you can make a routine of practising short mindfulness activities like Yoga, deep breathing, five sense exercise, and more.
My personal favourite is the five sense exercise, where you notice five things you can see, feel, hear, smell, and even taste. It’s an easy exercise that grounds you and requires just a pen and paper—a quick way to bring your awareness to the present moment.
Journaling
Journaling is my favourite form of self-care. For one, I love collecting journals, and second, it brings clarity to my thoughts.
With so many thoughts racing in my brain, I follow religiously journalling is the one self-care activity.
And, I would recommend everyone to give it a try. But hey, not on the computer or phone. You can start in your regular notebook or just a piece of paper.
When you journal, you are having a conversation with yourself without any judgement or fear. Your mind speaks. All those thoughts that come down on paper can free up the space in your mind.
I did not journal regularly for the most time, and I still am making it a consistent practice.
When you ask questions to yourself, you receive the answers. For example, when I started journaling, my therapist recommended that I do journaling for myself because it listens to me, not impress anybody.
Exercise For Dose of Serotonin
Everyone feels the pressure to lose weight or maybe change the way we look or just fit in that perfect pair of jeans again.
I have felt that pressure, and I am sure at some point you might have felt it too.
Losing weight seemed like an unattainable goal. Like it made me think that “is exercise important?”
But a change in mindset will take you a long way. So now I add some movement in my day to take care of my physical and mental health.
There are so many activities like Yoga, strength training, and my favourite is Zumba that brings down a rush of serotonin.
We need to let go of the pressure and rules set by fitness industries. Instead, it’s all about tapping into what actually makes you feel good.
Put Away Your Phone
Our life revolves around the mobile phone. We constantly need our phones to be in reach, and thanks to social media, so many of us scroll in the apps aimlessly.
Like I mentioned before, it’s all about knowing when to stop and what content to consume. Because a lot of times, the content you consume will be toxic, thereby bringing judgement and low feeling.
Unfollow people who do not add value to your life. Set a limit for usage of the apps.
You can try to keep your phone in another room right before you sleep. On weekdays you can switch off from work and spend time, take care of yourself and your family.
Getting Organized
It’s the small habits that compound together and bring you happiness that brings me to getting organized.
When you keep things in place, you get a chance to figure out what exactly you need. A small change/habit like making your bed or organizing your work desk will assist you in taking better care of yourself.
Keeping your place clean also removes the negative energy. All it takes is you to start, which is often the biggest hurdle.
Developing a self-care routine that brings you closer to yourself and relieves stress is an essential skill. It becomes even more important to deal with it more healthily and kindly.
Your self-care activities can significantly differ from person to person. There’s no right or wrong way. Your self-care can be even simple, like going out for a walk, listing down your goals and working towards them, reading books, taking a nice bath, setting boundaries online, listening to music and much more.
There are good resources available on the internet. But you should try to communicate with yourself and know what brings you purpose, peace, and relaxation?
If it doesn’t suit you, move on to another self-care routine and find the activity that improves your overall well being.
Today, sit with yourself and ask, “What makes me feel better?” This question will aid you in finding your self-care routine.
