5 ways to create your own self-care routine
5 Ways to Start a Self-Care Routine
Slow down and take a deep breath: Most of us live in a constant state of doing and shifting from one activity to the next. When we are operating from busy schedules and overcommittment, we are most likely reacting to situations from a place of autopilot- a place where there is little conscious awareness, choice, or pause. This place is often colored by all of our preconceived judgements, habitual thought patterns, and personal preoccupations. When we intentionally slow down and create pauses within moments, we allow ourselves to the space to tune into what we might truly need. It is from this place we can truly develop a self-care practice that honors our needs with tenderness and conscious awareness.
Check in with yourself: A lot of times we chalk consumerism up to self-care and buy unnecessary products that don’t actually help us to feel better in the long term. While bubble baths, face masks, new work out gear, and indulging in our favorite treat can absolutely be moments of self-care, my personal self-care routine focuses primarily on asking myself: “what do I need in this moment?” “how is my heart doing?” “is there anything I need to say?”" “what’s my energy level like?” “Am I doing what matters to me?”
For me, self-care is not about something to buy, it’s about looking honestly within ourselves and discovering what taking care truly means. Self-care is about better managing our time, setting boundaries with others, expressing our emotions, changing an unhealthy habit, and holding ourselves accountable.
Keep it simple: A lot of times responding to myself in a supportive way means sitting down and taking a breath. When I’m feeling anxious or overwhelmed I typically convince myself that doing more is the solution, but what truly helps is stopping. I sit on the couch, release tension in my body, or take my shoes off and feel my feet on the ground. Often, our options for self-care are in the places we may not want to look and we may have to do the hard work of looking at the ways in which we are unintentionally harming ourselves under the guise of self-care (avoidance through too much leisure, over-indulgence, excuse making). Self-care can look like saying no, asking for what you need, making a plan for the day, or identifying the excuses that are currently getting in your way.
Practice what works: When it comes to self-care, there are likely things that you’re already doing well. Spend a few moments reviewing your day and reflecting on the moments where you really attended to your needs and try leaning into that more often. Identify what feels most supportive to your own heart and find ways to infuse tiny droplets of care into every day moments. For me, frothing my coffee in the morning and looking out the window while saying “wow, what a beautiful day” to my baby gets me started in the right direction. I’ve also added drinking more water, limiting cell-phone time, and identifying my top 3 goals for the day to my self-care strategies.
Stop buying things: My dear friend, we don’t need more things. Use what you have and practice allowing that to be enough. Take care of yourself so much that we don’t have to look for external purchases to cultivate a sense of inner worth. Sometimes self-care is doing the hard thing, telling ourselves no, or leaving behind things/people that are not moving ourselves forward and we don't need to buy anything for that.
Questions to ask yourself:
What do I need in this moment?
How is my heart doing?
Is there anything I need to say?
What’s my energy level like?
Am I doing what matters to me?
What would feel really supportive to hear right now?
Is there an area of my life that needs more honest attention?