It’s always important to remember that a lot of the joy in life can often be found in those moments that feel mundane.
Self-care is one of those essential parts of life that you should be incorporating into your routine. However, not enough people end up giving themselves the care that they need. Instead, it often ends up being given to others first.
With that in mind, it’s time to shift your perspective, not just on what it means to give yourself some self-care but to make more time for it in your life. Sometimes, the smaller moments in your life that don’t feel so important may be exactly what you need when it comes to performing some self-care magic.
Rethinking what counts as self-care
What does it mean to provide self-care to yourself? Some people often assume that to give yourself self-care, you’re being too self-indulgent. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Rethinking self-care is going from that commercialized notion of self-care spa days to a more holistic and intentional effort made in everyday practices.
While self-indulgence is often an immediate activity and feeling, self-care often provides a proactive and long-term into your wellbeing.
So what are some of the core components when it comes to authentic self-care? Well, true self-care is one that is all about developing a relationship of compassion with yourself. It’s about engaging with these practices in all aspects of your life. Here are a few examples:
Setting boundaries
True self-care is all about defining and protecting your personal limits. That means learning to say no more, especially when it demands your time and energy.
Physical wellbeing
Your physical needs are a cornerstone of self-care. That’s why it’s important to prioritize the basics of self-care that are often found in the mundane activities, like sleep and physical activity, for example. Your body needs a healthy amount of all of the above to feel good inside and out.
Mindfulness and connection
Cultivating an awareness of being present in the moment is helpful to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
These mindful practices could be as simple as pausing to focus on your breath, to social connections made with others, so that you’re keeping up with that need for connection with others and not just with yourself.
Emotional self-care
Acknowledging and managing your emotions in healthier ways rather than suppressing them will certainly make a big difference to how you feel and, therefore, how you behave in front of others.
Finding calm in your daily routines
There’s a lot of calm that can be found in your daily routines, and here lies an opportunity for self-care, too. Let’s take a look at some key steps to giving yourself a bit of self-care every day.
Delay your phone use
Giving yourself a bit of a buffer in the morning before checking your phone is important. It’ll help you wake up without having to subject your eyes to a bright screen. Instead, start with a few breathing exercises or stretching in or out of bed.
Be mindful when brushing your teeth
It’s always helpful to find points in the day when you can be more mindful. For example, when brushing your teeth with these Amazon Finds: The $19 Gadget Everyone’s Talking About (Turning Oral-B into a wellness device).
There’s nothing better than multitasking and getting your teeth clean while practicing some mindful breathing at the same time.
Connect with nature
Taking the time to connect with nature is certainly a good thing and something to do more of when it comes to giving yourself that much-needed self-care. Try to find more time to spend the time you need outdoors.
Take focused breaks
Focused breaks are pretty much an easy thing to do, especially when you need to step away from a stressful work environment or personal situation.
Prioritize your sleeping habits
One of the main and possibly most important self-care activities you can implement is improving your sleeping habits. Prioritizing this can be a great help, especially if you’re not getting a lot of sleep currently.
A good night’s sleep is important for helping with your sleep routine and ensuring you’re getting the most out of your bedtime as possible. Try to aim for around seven to nine hours of sleep per night, where you can.
It’s also good practice to experiment with your sleep hygiene, from wearing an eyemask to bed, to having white noise playing in your room to block out outside noise.
Stay active
Staying active is good for both your physical and mental well-being. Therefore, it’s good to try and find activities that keep you physically active and that also help your mental health, whether that be reducing feelings of sadness or depression.
Everyone is different when it comes to staying active, so it’s all about finding what works best for you. Think about what exercise and activities bring you joy, and try to immerse yourself in regular fitness activities where possible to help keep your body and mind in good shape.
If you’re struggling to find something you enjoy, try doing little bits of physical activity so that you’re at least doing something. Often it’s a case of trying a bit of everything until you find what you like.
Why it’s okay to romanticize the ordinary
Romanticizing the ordinary, mundane aspects of life is both a legitimate and healthy practice worth doing. It’s useful to keep you grounded, mindful, and to proceed through life with the fullest intentions.
It’s a conscious choice that will help you find the significance, beauty, and joy in daily life. Self-care is a wonderful practice to give to yourself, and so it’s important to provide yourself with it as much as possible. Whether it’s taking time off from work to do the things you love, to simply changing up your routine slightly to incorporate more self-care practices.
All of the above will help you experience those self-care moments that you deserve to have and enjoy.
