You haven't been neglecting your self-care have you?
Self-care is something that none of us can afford to neglect. But many people aren’t sure where or how to begin one. If that sounds like you, then you’re in the right place because in this post will cover the basics of starting your self-care practice. Because one of the greatest things about self-care is that it helps you to manage your stress before your stress manages you.
This post will cover the things to think about when you’re starting with self-care.
If you’ve read my previous posts on self-care then you know what self-care is and the benefits it can deliver. So, you’re probably keen to get started. However, as self-care focuses on so many different things, it can be difficult knowing where to start.
Below, you’ll discover some of the best ways to start self-care and a few things you’ll want to avoid.
Most Important Tasks First
You’ll want to start off by ensuring you’re focusing on the most important self-care tasks first. That is, the area of your life which needs the most improvement.
For example, if it’s your health you’re trying to improve, think about the tasks that will help you tackle the issue. It could be that you’re constantly tired because you don’t get enough sleep. So, focusing on tasks which help to improve your sleep would be the first thing you’ll focus on.
You’ll often find that when you focus on the most important tasks first, it sets other improvements in motion. When you start getting sleep for example, it will boost your physical and mental health as well as boost your energy levels.
Schedule Self-care Into Your Calendar
If you find it difficult to find time to focus on self-care, start scheduling it in the calendar. Even just setting aside 15 minutes each day for self-care will deliver a lot of benefits.
When you schedule self-care into your schedule, you’re marking it as a priority. This is a key way to ensure your new self-care routine actually sticks. Treat your scheduled self-care time just as you would any appointment. Don’t cancel it and try and fit it into your regular routine, rather than trying to keep it separate.
Keep It Simple
A great tip when starting out with self-care is to keep it simple. There might be lots of things you want to change but trying to focus on too many at the same time can actually cause you to give up on your routine.
While that initial motivation to get everything done is awesome, it’s not possible to maintain it. So, if you want to stick to your new routine, make sure you’re focusing on simple habits first.
Consider Taking A Self-care Trip
As well as adding simple self-care tasks into your daily routine, it can be a great idea to find time to take an actual self-care trip. That is, a little break away to focus solely on self-care.
This could be a spa day, a day trip somewhere or even a camping trip. Just getting away from it all can help you to relax and rejuvenate. Short breaks away are an important part of self-care and they really don’t need to be costly.
Know Yourself
If you want to get the best results form your self-care practice, you’re going to need to really know yourself. The best way to do that is through self reflection. What do you want from life and who do you want to be? What kind of things do you like and what don’t you want from life? These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself.
The more you know yourself, the easier you’ll find it to practice self-care that really resonates with who you are and what you want.
Avoid These
There are a few things you’ll want to avoid when getting started with self-care. These include:
Over-compensating
Over-indulging
Eating for comfort
Too many “you” days
It’s easy to go from one extreme to another when you’re starting with self-care. If you haven’t done anything for yourself for a while, it’s tempting to start over-compensating and over-indulging. However, this isn’t healthy, and it’ll only lead to frustration and unhealthy results.
So that's it. It’s really easy to get started with self-care. What's listed above are just some of the tips you can use to start making self-care a part of your normal routine. It's all about Making Time.
Let's talk. What will you do to start your self-care practice? Let me know in the comments section.
Cassandra Martin-Himmons is a facilitator, stress management coach and author of “Yes I’m Grateful,” a gratitude journal. She believes in empowering her clients to help them manage their stress and increase self-care. In her spare time, she enjoys papercrafting, volunteering and travel. Connect with her on Instagram or LinkedIn