How to start a sustainable self-care routine you’ll follow. Sometimes life gets so busy, we get caught up in the to-do list that we forget to take care of ourselves. It’s important to talk about “me time.” In this blog post, I’m highlighting the importance of self-care, what it is, and self-care ideas that you can follow.
If you want to start a daily self-care routine, you are looking for self-care routine ideas or need a little help to get you back on track this guide is for you. You’ll learn how to identify what types of behaviours constitute self-care in your life and how to create routines that will help keep your stress levels low and your mind clear.
What is self-care?
Much of the research on self-care comes from the field of nursing. It’s long been seen as a way to preserve overall health and prevent or manage chronic disease.
According to an article published in October 2021 in the International Journal of Nursing Sciences, self-care is a term that’s often used but rarely defined. The authors define it as the ability to take care of oneself through awareness, self-control and self-reliance in order to achieve, maintain or promote optimal health.
According to WHO, self-care is a broad concept that encompasses all aspects of life including hygiene, nutrition, lifestyle, environmental factors, socioeconomic factors, and self-medication. This is what is called a holistic approach. Involving and engaging all aspects of our being.
Although overall we all share the same basic needs, the human being is complicated and every person’s circumstances are different and that’s why it’s so important that every person finds their own “take” on self-care. What works for me may not necessarily work as well for you.
Self-care is an important part of living a healthy and happy lifestyle. We lead increasingly busy lives and it can be easy to forget to put yourself first, especially if you have multiple responsibilities and other people to care for.
Get started with a quick self-assessment
To start, take a moment to think about how you currently spend your time. Do you work long hours? Do you volunteer at the local food bank once a week? Do you go to church on Sunday mornings and watch Netflix in the afternoon? Make a list of all of the things that are important to you in life, whether they’re things that benefit only yourself or others.
Next, list all of the things that need tending within each category: self-care, family care, friends care and community care. For example: If “self-care” is one category on your list then some ways to tend to this area would include sleeping enough hours each night (say eight), exercising regularly (say three times per week) and meditating daily (say for 15 minutes). Then put check marks next to each activity as it’s completed each day/week/month so that over time you can see which activities lead to greater well-being for yourself—and which ones don’t!
Set realistic expectations
Self-care is a big word that can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. You might be surprised at how easy it is to start a self-care routine that feels natural and attainable for you.
Start small and make sure your expectations are realistic. If you’re looking at this list of things I do for self-care and think “that’s not enough!”, ask yourself: why? What more would I need? If it’s something specific like time or money, then maybe consider setting a goal around those things—but if not, maybe realise that some things don’t need to be quantified by an amount of time or money for their help us feel good!
Don’t compare yourself to others! It’s so easy these days (because there are so many platforms on which we can do so) but doesn’t fall into the trap of comparing ourselves with others all the time; they probably have different goals than ours (even if they seem similar) which means their journey will look different than ours too! And remember: everyone has different needs so what works for one person may not work well for another; try not to give up hope when something doesn’t work out immediately because there will always be something else out there waiting for us if we keep searching!
Set realistic goals
Set realistic goals. Before you start, think about what you want to achieve and why it’s important to you. What do you wish were different in your life? What situations do you want to avoid? How long do you want this self-care practice to last? And how much effort are willing to put into it every day?
For example, if your goal is “I want less stress and more energy,” ask yourself:
- Are there certain times of day when I feel most stressed out or least energetic? Is there one thing that makes me feel more stressed or less energetic than something else (e.g., work vs home)?
- How can I use my resources better so that I don’t get stressed out as easily (e.g., by taking time off from work) while still getting enough done at work (i.e., doing things faster)?
Build good habits into your routine so you do them automatically
Habits are powerful things. They can be the difference between feeling relaxed, energized and productive—or stressed out and overwhelmed.
If you have good habits in place, you’re more likely to get through your day with ease. That’s because good habits make our lives easier—they help us form positive routines that take care of our needs without much effort on our part. For example:
- Going for a run every morning before work could get you moving first thing in the morning and keeps your stress levels down throughout the day.
- Drinking water regularly will help you stay hydrated so you don’t feel thirsty or hungry (and thus reach for junk food).
- Spending time in the evening setting up and organising your morning chores could make your morning easier to tackle and you will feel more relaxed heading out into your day.
Celebrate your progress, no matter how small
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to celebrate your progress, no matter how small. When you’re trying to change your behaviour and adopt a routine, it’s easy to get discouraged when you don’t achieve every goal immediately. If that happens, think about all the things that have changed for the better in your life since beginning this self-care journey. Maybe you’re sleeping better now than before because of meditation or taking more time for self-care each day—whatever it may be, be proud of yourself!
If your goals aren’t coming as easily as they should (or at all), don’t give up! It may seem counterintuitive but keeping at something even when it’s difficult is one of the most important parts of being successful in anything—and not just because “practice makes perfect”. Research shows that positive emotions help people perform better on tasks than negative ones do, so if nothing else try to be happy about having failed at something today because tomorrow could bring better results!
A 5-Step approach for a sustainable self-care routine you’ll follow
Self-care is a funny thing. It’s often the last thing on our minds when we’re feeling stressed, anxious or depressed. And yet, it’s often the best thing for us.
Self-care is simply taking care of yourself in ways that make you feel good and healthy. It can include things like eating well, doing things that you enjoy, sleeping well and exercising regularly.
Start with a 5-step approach to create a self-care routine:
- Find what makes you feel centred. Start by writing down as many things as you can think of that bring you joy, whether it’s the colour purple, receiving back rubs, springtime, certain smells, or music.
- Brainstorm how you can incorporate those things into your daily life. You may want to start by making small changes to your daily routine, such as adding a few scents or colours you enjoy. As you become more comfortable with making these decisions for yourself, you might find that it’s easier to make larger changes in your life.
- Set goals for incorporating self-care behaviours every day. Once you decide what self-care practices you’d like to incorporate into your life, come up with goals for how often and when.
- Find support. We all need someone to call on when we’re having a hard time, to help us through the tough times and celebrate the good. Your accountability partner keeps you honest when you’d rather stay in bed than get out the door. And your self-care partner is there when you just need to vent, or when you want a pick-me-up.
- Adjust and tweak your approach as needed. Self-care is about practice. It’s about trial and error. And it’s about learning what you need and when. It’s a journey, not a destination. This means that sometimes we try new things and they don’t work. Sometimes we stick with things even though they’re not working because it’s hard to admit that something isn’t right for us. And sometimes we find a routine that is exactly what we need, but then our needs change and we have to shift the focus of our self-care practice or add new elements. Self-care is about figuring out what works for you—which means trying different things, and sometimes learning from your mistakes.
How to get back on track if you fall off
Hey, I know what you mean. We all have times when we’re not able to follow through, but it’s important to keep in mind that this doesn’t make you a failure, it makes you human. As time goes on, I’m beginning to realize that the most successful people are those who can get back on track quickly when something gets in their way.
Small hiccups don’t make you a failure, they make you human. There will always be instances when following your regular routine is basically impossible. You don’t need superhuman willpower, you just need strategies that can pull you back on track.
James Clear talks about 7 strategies to help you bounce back after slipping up. I want to highlight four of them that can be helpful in getting you back on track in your self-care routine:
Schedule your habits into your life – You can either put it in your calendar (I personally create tasks in my Google Calendar so I can enjoy ticking them off as I go) or you could time it to your current behaviour, otherwise known as habit stacking. For example, if you want to become better at flossing your teeth, create the habit of flossing every day after you brush your teeth.
Start small and build up – It’s not the individual impact of missing your schedule that’s a big deal. It’s the cumulative impact of never getting back on track. If you can’t get the whole thing done, can you do a part of it, just to stick to the habit of it? For example, if you don’t have time to clean the whole kitchen, just clean the sink. You don’t have time to do a full workout, just do a few home exercises at the time you would otherwise do your workout.
Design your environment for success – In pedagogy the environment is seen as the third teacher. The signs we see, the things that are on our desks at work, and everything in the environment will trigger us to take different actions. For example, if you struggle with remembering to floss every day, taking the floss out of the drawer and keeping it next to your toothbrush creates a visual cue for you to actually do your flossing.
Care – It sounds simple but make sure that the habits that you’re trying to stick to are actually important to you. Some people spend a lot of time pursuing goals they really don’t care about. When they don’t achieve them, they feel like failures for not achieving something that wasn’t important to them all along. You only have so much energy to put towards your goals. Pick one thing that you care about and make it work.
Self-care is an important part of daily living and it can be tough to create a routine you can stick to
When you feel like you don’t have the time to take care of yourself, it can be impossible to start a self-care routine. But remember: it doesn’t have to be a chore or a chore list item. It can be as simple as spending five minutes in the bathtub or taking an hour out of your day to read.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of starting a self-care routine, remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect right away. Start with a simple goal and then build on it as you go along. You might not see results immediately but if you keep at it, you will get there eventually—and that is what matters most!
