With Valentine’s Weekend comes to a close, we begin to reflect. We have spent so much time, money and effort on the ones we love, that we have let our own selves hit the back burner. As a supplement company, we talk a lot about physical health, but we never want to forget the importance of your mental and emotional health as well. It is crucial to maintain a positive self-care routine each day, even for just a few minutes. Take the time for yourself to unwind and appreciate your mind, body and what it does for you each and every day. This will keep you from emotionally burning out by the end of the week from all of the stress we go through, especially in the second year of a global pandemic. Here’s how you can start a self-care routine of your own that can actually be maintained.
First, understand what self-care actually means.
Self-care has become quite the trendy topic over the last few years. We’ve all seen a friend post about it on their Instagram story, but what does it really mean? Dr. Paula Lopez defines self-care as “The intentional, proactive pursuit of integrated wellness that balances mind, body, and spirit personally and professionally.” It’s a pretty broad definition because it differs for everyone and it’s important to learn what self-care means for you, which is where the next step comes in play.
Second, understand what your mind and body need – this is different for everyone.
Just as our physical needs are unique to our bodies, mental and emotional needs are as well. For some people, they already know what these needs are but for others may be more difficult. If this sounds like you, get a pen and paper and write down the five things that make you the most stressed out or worried. Then create a list of things that bring your stress levels down and allow you to feel more centered during those anxious moments.
Third, set daily accomplishable goals that fulfill your needs.
Now that we understand our personalized needs, we can create daily tasks that help relieve our stresses. There are so many amazing ways to unwind at the end of the day, in fact, our blog 10 Tips for Self Care has 10 great ideas that you can add to your routine. Once you find the self-care practices that work best for you and your needs, ensure that they are attainable goals. If you are constantly on-the-go, an hour long mediation may not work for your schedule. Try going for a 15 minute walk or mediating for only 15 minutes. After you recognize 5-10 attainable self-care goals, jot down your thoughts in a journal. This step is so important, as it will allow you to reflect.
Last, after one week, evaluate how your routine
With your journal in hand, this step will be much easier. Go through your notes after a one week trial and find what worked and what didn’t. It’s totally okay to let some of the unattainable or unnecessary goals go and even add new ones. We face different stressors all the time and this list is a very dynamic, ever-changing one. Don’t be down on yourself when something doesn’t work, it’s simply a learning experience.
