Are You Putting Yourself Last?

14 Self-Care ideas to Help Boost Your Day

Self-care is just another fancy way of saying, you are putting yourself last and you need a reminder to stop. A self-care routine can be made complex or simple, choosing what kind to start is not hard, it’s more of a preference. Here are 14 self-care ideas to help boost your day.

If you are a single female you might have a little more time, because if you have kids you might get maybe 10 minutes per day.

Regardless of what time you have, self-care has more to do with stopping for a minute and listening to your body and seeing what you need to do your best.

Creating a routine by breaking down your day to AM, Midday, and PM, or what I call self-care zones. These zones will make it easier to think about what you need to do for you and remove the restraints that a routine sometimes has when you buy into specific timing.

Morning Zone

1. Get Up Early

Get up at least 1 hour before living the house. Seriously you need this it helps to feel like you are not being rushed.

Enjoying a cup of coffee can make all the difference in your day, it can go from hurried to calm just by slowing your morning.

2. Exercise

I suggest this in the morning because if you are like most people, the day gets away from you and before you know it, its night-time.

20-minute workouts are amazingly do-able.

For most people an entire hour is daunting but 20 minutes eliminates excuses.  I find a ton of 20-minute videos on YouTube that works and I never get bored because of the choices.

I love the title of the video below from Fitness Blender, I am guilty of getting easily bored.

3. Teeth, Hair,  And Makeup

I don’t mean glam up, just comb your hair, put a clean shirt on and apply lotion that smells nice. Sometimes its just the fact we tried that makes us feel better. Wear what feels good and not what you think others like, it’s your body.

4. Pack a Healthy Lunch

Huge one here, packing your lunch gives you the opportunity to eat healthier without much trouble. Don’t make it hard, just grab a salad mix, an apple, and some nuts.

Food is not a punishment or a treat, it’s a necessity that we tend to abuse. The longest living tribes are known to eat heartily, and then fast intermittently.

Listen to your body and eat the amount that you need of the types of food that nourish you. Drink water when you are thirsty, but quit with the water bottle, the reason we normally need so much water is to detox the bad stuff we normally eat, but if you are attentive to your needs then you don’t need as much water.

If you need more healthy lunch inspirations here is my favorite vegan blogger from Pick Up Limes she is a nutritionist and has really delicious looking foods, which I have tried.

BENTO BOX » a collection of recipes March 10, 2018

Car or Commute Time:

5. Listen to Audiobooks

I have read more books since I started using Audiobooks. Listening to books is super convenient and easy. We spend an average of 26 minutes each way to work, five days a week, 50 weeks a year. That’s a lot of time we can wisely use to learn and grow.

Lunch Hour

6. Eat Your Lunch In a Quiet Setting.

Calm your nerves by eating alone in a quiet spot, its self-care believe me. Make it a treat being alone after having been around people all day.

Everything is energy and people give out a large amount of it. But this energy can take a toll on you as you interact and go about your day. Giving yourself a break from that extra energy can help your energy re-energies.

7. Read or Look At a Magazine.

Look at a magazine or read a book during your break. Stay away from Social Media, you need calm. You don’t have to avoid Facebook or Instagram but do try to decrease its use.

8. Sit Quietly and Listen to Your Breath.

Calm your brain with calm deep breathing. Try and use those breaks wisely for self-care, go to your car and meditate, even if it’s for only 5 minutes, it can make a big difference.

Car or Commute Home

9. Listen to Calm Meditative Music.

On your way home is a great time to calm down after a busy day. Listen to anything serene or even funny. Humor can relieve stress and re-boot your mood. Arriving home in a pleasant state is one of the best ways to show your loved ones you appreciate them.

I love this Bloggers collection of The Most Uplifting Podcasts

Evening

10. Eat 3 hours before bed.

Eating can disrupt sleep so let your body digest so that you get a good night sleep. Sleep deprivation is hugely discounted as a minor part of our lives, but studies have shown you suffer way more than you think just based on low sleep. You become dumber the next day, and your function decreases to that of a drunk person. In fact, some of your inability to focus could be due to lack of sleep.

11. Listen to Meditative Music While You Fix Dinner.

Relay on music instead of wine, you basically drink to calm down but you work on calming yourself all day you won’t need as much alcohol.

12. Watch Your Favorite Show.

Yes, this can be self-care. It’s fun to let go of reality and just smile at something like a funny show or even an amazing movie.

13. Take Care of Your Skin

Get ready for bed the minute you finish dinner, that way you don’t have excuses, and you are cozy. Clean your face right, use a night cream, and massage your face. There is a reason French women look 3.4 years younger on average, they’re taught to take care of their skin.

14. Plan Your Next Day

Do plan how you want your day to go the next day, it might not always stick but if you plan you have a higher chance of making it happen. I plan on 3 must do’s and 3 fun things (little things). I find that making myself accountable for those 3 things has made me more self-aware of my goals.

Be Better for You and Others

Self-Care is so simple as you can see. It can be easy or more complex depending on how much effort you want to put into it. I am not a huge overachiever when it comes to my self-care, but I do notice a big difference in how I feel after starting the above self-care habits. Taking care of your needs can help you be a better Partner, Mom, Employee, and Soul. Start focusing on yourself and boost your care, it does make a difference in how you feel.

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References:

Perry, Camille. Read on. https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/10-results-sleep-loss#1

Hall, Victoria. 5 April 2017. As read on, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/skin/do-french-women-look-34-years-younger-us/

Ingraham, Christopher. February 25, 2016. As read on, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/25/how-much-of-your-life-youre-wasting-on-your-commute/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.598467f6e896