Cultivating a Personalized Self-Care Routine
With the busyness of life, it’s often easy to neglect our own well-being. Especially as a professional or parent tasked with important responsibilities and keeping everyone else on track. Remembering to stop and take care of your own needs is incredibly important to reduce burn out, fuel creativity, and live well. If you’re not sure where to start or if you feel that self-care is a foreign concept, here are some tips on cultivating a self-care routine that fits you and your lifestyle.
Pinpoint Your Needs - It may be helpful to first approach self-care by looking at the Seven Pillars of Self-Care, which are:
Physical
Mental
Emotional
Spiritual
Environmental
Recreational
Social
Try writing down what areas you feel are most important to you, and then ask yourself if you feel like you’re getting what you need in those areas. You can even evaluate what areas you prioritize and if there are any other areas that may need your attention. If you’re a visual learner, you could think of each pillar as a gas tank or bucket to fill. How full is your physical self-care bucket? What about your social? How important are those to you? Some buckets may be smaller than others and require less to fill them. However, it’s important to identify because you can’t really fill your own bucket without first knowing a) what fills it in the first place or b) what leaks there may be in it.
Set Realistic Goals - Once you’ve identified areas that interest you or that could use some attention, create realistic goals that are achievable. For example, if you want to prioritize your mental self-care and decide on meditation as a method, you could set a goal of meditating for five minutes, five days a week. Use an app or guided meditation if you don’t know where to start. Just start where you can, and remember, these goals should be there to add to your well-being and not detract or cause added stress.
Prioritize Your Self-Care - It is so easy to set our own needs aside. There’s always something or someone that will demand our time and attention. Prioritizing your own goals and needs is essential in achieving a balanced, fulfilling life. If you don’t prioritize yourself, no one else is going to either. So remember it’s also important to take time for yourself. Seek support from friends, family, or professionals to carve out time to take care of your needs. Just because it’s called “self”-care doesn’t mean it has to be done alone.
Create a Routine - While a routine may seem rigid and counterintuitive to relaxation or a holistic self-care experience, I often find that unless I schedule in self-care, it gets put off. Keep a date with yourself to do regular self-care. Write it in your planner or put reminders where you need them. Whether it’s monthly, weekly, or daily, keep that appointment with yourself.
Here are some ideas for if you need some self-care inspiration based on the seven pillars:
Physical: Prioritize good sleeping habits, regular exercise, nutrition, or a skincare routine
Mental: Try meditation, journaling, reading, painting, or other creative outlets, talk to a therapist or trusted friend
Emotional: Spend time with loved ones, seek therapy or counseling, keep a gratitude journal or simply make a goal to express gratitude more often, do other activities that bring you joy
Spiritual: Create a habit of meditation or prayer, spend time in nature or other experiences that ground you and create a spiritual connection
Environmental: Organize your space, declutter, decorate to create a more calming atmosphere, incorporate your senses by lighting candles, spend time outdoors
Recreational: Try a new hobby or do something you already know you love to do
Social: Prioritize relationships with friends and family, seek support from them and reach out in love, participate in group events that you enjoy; alternatively, if you are feeling overwhelmed socially, try taking a break from social media or devices, sit in silence, find some alone time
Whatever your routine, it should leave you feeling rejuvenated and ready to tackle daily life. Give yourself permission to prioritize your well-being, and remember that self-care isn’t selfish, it’s essential to a healthy, well-rounded life.