I’m back from my trip to Lagos, Nigeria and if you have ever traveled, you know that it can be both fun and tiring. Self care is not a luxury but a necessity in order to maintain your health and well being.
With kids also going back to school, it’s important for us parents to take care of ourselves so we can be the best we need to be in our everyday lives. I’m in need of some self care lately, so I’ll be sharing with you how to build a self care routine to help you reset after a big trip or event.
What is Self Care and Why is it Important?
What is self care? Self care means to care for one’s self and includes anything you can do to keep yourself happy and healthy.
This includes activities or rituals you do to maintain your health physically, mentally and spiritually. Prioritizing your mental health and self care might seem like an obvious thing to do, but people often get so swept up in their busy schedules that they often forget.
So why is self care important?
Living in a society that often requires us to work long hours and to be as productive as possible, can be draining and make us feel like other aspects in our life are more important to prioritize.
A self care routine can help us relieve stress and bring balance to our lives, which will allow us to maximize productivity. Without self care, there can be negative consequences such as burn out, anxiety, and depression among other negative implications.
Having a self care routine has been clinically proven to minimize anxiety, stress, depression, anger, frustration, as well as increase happiness and improve concentration and energy levels.
Focusing on a physical self care routine has been clinically proven to reduce stroke, heart disease and cancer. Although we may not think we have enough time, it’s imperative to take some time out of each of our days to take care of ourselves.
Your Self Care Routine May Look Different
Self care routines are different for everyone and it’s important to remember that self care is all about you, so what works for others might not work for you and that’s okay.
Everyone will have a different approach to self care depending on what they need, the day or their current situation. Take the time to figure out a self care routine that you enjoy, whether it’s physical activity or a skin care routine.
By sticking to a routine, over time you might significantly see an improvement in your overall health and wellbeing. What’s important is that you try and commit to doing something for yourself each day.
How I Built My Self Care Routine
When you build a self care routine, there are different aspects that you should consider that might give you some self care routine ideas. Factors that should be considered are emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual.
When there is a balance between these elements, there could be a significant improvement to your life and wellbeing.
However, there won’t always be a balance between all of these factors, that’s why it’s important that we take the time and put in the work to prioritize ourselves and ensure there is a balance in our lives.
Here are ideas on how to build a self care routine and some self care ideas you can consider based on the different aspects:
Emotional
These activities will help with your emotional well being and help stabilize or improve moods. Such as reading a good book, journaling and reflecting on your thoughts.
Talking to someone, listening to music, doing something that makes you laugh or even cry, watch your favorite movie or boost endorphins by taking a walk or working out.
Environmental
These activities will help you feel closer to nature or help the environment. Such as taking a walk somewhere scenic, taking deep breaths of fresh outdoor air, doing activities in the sun, admiring the sky, cleaning your house or doing a little redesign of a room.
You can also practice reducing waste, recycling and using reusable products.
Financial
Financial self care are routines that promote financial wellness and it helps you feel more financially stable. Some financial self care routine ideas are developing a reasonable and practical financial plan, checking your bank account balances, starting a savings account and starting saving, cutting back on unnecessary purchases, and considering what you can cut out in your everyday life so you can save more money.
Intellectual
These are activities that will stimulate the mind such as reading, listening to audiobooks, watching documentaries, being curious and trying new things, completing a puzzle, taking a class, or doing something creative and artistic.
Occupational
Our careers are a big part of our lives, so it’s important to practice some self care in this area as well.
Self care routine ideas are setting boundaries, taking a walk break at the office, creating a clean and organized desk to reduce and promote productivity.
Remember to stay hydrated since you may not be mobile. Invest in a water bottle with daily marking to keep you motivated to stay hydrated throughout the day
Physical
Physical self care is just as important as mental self care. Things you can do are develop a workout routine, take a walk or ride on your bike.
Getting an annual doctor’s check up, visiting your dentist, reducing alcohol intake, and most importantly, getting enough sleep (recommended 7-9 hours) is also important.
Social
Having a social life can make a significant impact on some. You can meet up with some friends or visit family, go out and do something new, visit your favorite restaurant, volunteer and meet new people.
It’s also important to be mindful of your social media use and keep it to a healthy level.
Spiritual
Activities can include meditation, praying, reflecting, yoga, being mindful, helping those in need, exuding love for others and even considering your higher purpose and meaning.
Share Your Self Care Routine with Me
Having a balanced self care routine is key and important to practice every day. A busy life full of events can take a toll on you, but having a well rounded self care routine can help you reset.
Considering the above self care routine ideas and implementing some of them into your daily life can bring improvement and balance to your wellness.
Do you have any self care routine ideas to share? Let me know!
xo, Gbeke
Good that you include financial. I think people forget how much stress they can put in themselves if they don’t take better care of finances.