Self Care Routine - Where to Start and How to Maintain

Chances are, if you are reading this article, you are likely struggling to find ways to restore and recenter yourself and are looking for some self care ideas.

Our daily lives can be depleting to our energy, as well as our physical and emotional health. Self care is not indulgent. It's something that requires scheduling and practice just as much as making a dentist appointment for a routine cleaning.

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Maybe you try using essential oils in the shower, or light your favorite candle while washing the dishes.

Adding in some self care to tasks you already have to do is one great way to start when your day feels just too busy!

"You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup"

Self care is essential for us to maintain our ability to be productive and giving people.

If you are not actively filling your cup, it will eventually run dry and you will feel empty and unable to give anything else - to your job, your family, your hobbies, any of it!

Ideas to Start Building Your Self Care Routine Today

Self care does not have to mean an expensive trip to a spa for the day, or spending 30 minutes getting a fresh manicure. Real, sustainable self care means we are actively attending to our needs - physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual (whatever this may mean to you).

Check out these creative ways to add in self care to your routine, and maintain focus on filling your cup before it ever has the chance to run dry.

Update your picture frames

Print some of your favorite everyday photos and update your frames around the house. This is a great way to remind yourself of beautiful everyday happenings, and have a fresh view of your life.

Make your favorite meal

My morning routine is my most cherished part of my day. If I wake up just a little bit earlier and have the opportunity to start off slow with a cup of my favorite coffee and breakfast, I feel set up for a great day.

The same is true for meal planning! Check out this post for my favorite Flexitarian recipes to add to your go-to meal prep list.

At times when our day-to-day demands tug at our attention, we're less likely to eat well in favor of something quick. Consistently neglecting our nutrition is not great for our bodies, or our wallets (shout out to those of you who hit up the drive thru when you're rushing through your days!)

Take the time to sit down and decide how you want your meals to be this week. Maybe you enjoy trying a new recipe, or meal prep in bulk and have plenty of ready-to-go meals packed in tupperware for the week ahead.

It doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming, and it will set you up to feel less stressed (and better fed!) during a busy day.

Write a letter

Writing a letter to your future self, a neighbor, or your best friend, can boost your creativity and make someone else's day a little better too!

Spending time in intentional thought about our goals, our accomplishments, and ways we'd like to improve can be easily missed. But doing so can really help clarify our wants in life, and help us adjust course to actually get there.

It is also true that expressing gratitude or doing something kind for someone else is a huge mood booster. Humans are social animals, and we are rewarded with "feel good" chemicals like serotonin when we do pro-social behaviors, like helping someone else.

Writing a letter of thanks or recognition can do just that, as well as scratch a creative itch like writing or decorating your letter in some fun way!

This is one of the easiest self care tasks to refresh your mental space.

Try an at-home cleansing face mask

While you're brushing your teeth, or even cleaning the bathroom, take a few minutes to apply a favorite face mask for a small refreshing lift.

Adding some calming sensations can be some great physical self care to instantly relax, and even improve your skin!

My favorites are anything in the Freeman line and Burt's Bees charcoal masks. Both of these are inexpensive and great quality!

Change your ringtone

It has been proven that the little "dings" our phones make send surges of feel-good (or even stressful) chemicals to our brains.

We are wired for connection, and the ringtones or notification alert tones are not only distracting, but they can be addicting.

Changing up your ringtone can be a great first step to interrupt these habits and conditioned responses, and help us use our devices more mindfully.

And who doesn't want that?

Stretch it out

Take a 5 minute break and stretch!

When we neglect our bodies, we can feel all around yucky.

Taking time to stretch can keep you from feeling stiff or cranky at the end of the day, and help support better posture, which in turn makes you feel even better!

Change your screensaver to a photo of a cherished memory

You may still have to work on your computer, but you can take a few seconds to sit with a beautiful memory!

Write it out, then throw it out

Feeling overwhelmed? Take a few minutes and write down every thought that comes to your mind - just get it all out on paper.

Then - my favorite catharisis- rip the paper to shreds and throw all the pieces in the trash.

This is a very tangible way to quiet our brains and let go of overwhelming thoughts that are crowding our brainspace. Make some room in your brain for the good thoughts by clearing out some that are weighing you down!

Make a list of gratitudes

Taking time to write down things you are grateful for can help reframe your mindset and boost your mood. It's proven! Counting your blessings is a real way to reframe some of the attention-consuming negative thoughts.

Maybe your only gratitude you can think of is that you had a pen and paper to write down your gratitudes - that's perfectly okay!

Just taking time to reflect on what we have, and what we cherish, is a great start to establishing quality self care, and helping your mind be a better place to hang out.

If you feel like you would benefit from prompts to help you write your gratitudes, check out some of these great guided gratitude journals on Amazon!

Smell some good smells

Adjusting our environment even in a small, refreshing way can help us to relax and recharge.

Try putting essential oils in a diffuser in your WFH space, light your favorite candle, or take a walk to smell some spring flowers.

Scents are a great mood booster and can have a calming affect when we are stressed.

Buy yourself some flowers!

Any way to beautify our environment is a great way to bring some positivity to any space.

Having a vase of flowers on my kitchen table is a quick way to make my space just a little more cozy.

If you aren't looking to spend money on fresh flowers from the store, consider grabbing an inexpensive packet of seeds and planting perennial flowers and pick some each spring! It's the gift that will keep on giving.

If you are a houseplant person, Plants.com is a great resource to satisfy your online shopping craving and brighten up your space with a new air-purifying plant!

Play some music

Playing some of your favorite tunes during a mundane task can help pull you out of a funk.

Choose some silly songs from your childhood, or some crazy techno while you're standing at the sink washing dishes - tell me this doesn't make doing dishes instantly better!

Update your email signature

This tip is pure gold.

Help maintain boundaries by indicating that when you're out of office, you're out of office.

Something simple like, "If it is before 8:00AM or after 4:00PM, please know that I will respond to your email during my business hours."

And DONE!

The person who is emailing you knows they are valued and their needs will be addressed, and you reiterate that you are valued too.

Sit still

In a world where productivity and hustle is put on a pedestal, it can be incredibly difficult to turn off. I'm here to tell you that sitting still is productive, and necessary.

This can be one of the more difficult things to do today, but being still and giving your mind and body a rest is so important to recharge.

Call it meditation, call it mindfulness, or call it a timeout - doesn't matter, just give it a try!

"It might be tea or it might be gin, but taking a minute to sip your favorite drink is always worth the time."

taking time for some self care

Have Some Extra Self Care Time on Your Hands? Try These

Maybe you have found yourself with some unexpected free time, and are looking for more ways to restore yourself. Here a few ideas to try!

Take an online fitness class

These are becoming even more popular for many of us stuck at home right now.

Yoga with Adrienne is my favorite if you are looking to spend just 15 minutes or a whole hour in a yoga practice - check it out!

Or if you're looking for something in-person, search your local fitness studios and see what sample classes they offer.

You might even be able to snag a free trial and find something new you enjoy.

Plan a vacation or a staycation

Let your daydream abilities go wild, and plan something fun for you and your family or friends.

It might be way off in the future, but creating something to look forward to can be a fun project.

A socially distant picnic in the park, to a trip across the globe for your next big birthday - have fun with it!

Truth is, you are going to spend the time on yourself either way. You will either spend the time taking care of yourself when you are sick and rundown from life's stressors, or put the work in up front - which is obviously way more fun.

Find a new podcast

Podcasts are crazy popular right now, and there are so many great ones out there to enjoy - for free!

From upping your personal finance game, to thoughtful celebrity interviews, to learning random fun facts - these are a great way to pass the time and refresh your brainspace by learning something new.

DIY manicure/ pedicure

Even if you are not the best at painting your own nails or pushing back those cuticles, giving your hands and feet some attention is a great way to take care of yourself. These dip nails are a favorite in my family and great cost saving way to get a salon style manicure at home.

Find a fun color, a clear coat, or no color at all!

De-clutter

I don't know about you, but I am a stress cleaner!

Cleaning out closet spaces or junk drawers is instantly rewarding in my mind.

Go ahead and tackle that space you've been avoiding, and see what a difference you can make in your space.

Try a new recipe

If cooking is not your idea of self care, then definitely feel free to skip this one - and order your favorite takeout instead!

If you do enjoy cooking, take some time to watch videos or research a new recipe, and give it a try.

Filling the house with good smells, and good eats, is a great form of self care!

Maintenance - AKA, The Tricky Part

It can be easy to do one self care activity and feel like you've done your due diligence.

In order to really feel full and centered daily, it is essential to establish and honor your self care routine. It's a routine after all, not a whenever-you-have-time thing!

Here are some ways to keep up the good work, and avoid feeling drained from a lack of self care.

Put self care in the calendar

Yes, I'm serious.

Scheduling your self care is a great way to remind yourself that time for yourself is just as important as time accomplishing all the other tasks throughout your day.

Making the time can be as easy as writing it down, and treating it just like any other meeting or task that cannot be rescheduled.

Check in with yourself

Often!

Are you feeling tired today? Cranky? Sad? Or maybe amazing?

Having a daily check-in, whether it be in the morning, after lunch, or before bed, can help you remember to pay attention to your self and your needs, and address those needs when you recognize them!

Use the buddy system for self care success

There's always someone in our lives who will tell it like it is.

Find your honest person, and tell them you are developing a self care routine and may need reminding to do the things you set out to do.

Maybe your friend will be kind enough to send you a text some mornings to say, "hey! What is your self care plan today?" The buddy system is a great way to help each other and have an external reminder to take care of you!

Evaluate and adjust

Have you found yourself not doing any of the self care things you wanted to do?

Sit with your goals and identify why they are not getting accomplished.

Did you start out too big? Did you start out too small? Are you afraid to start because you think you can't maintain a self care routine?

Whatever it is, identify it and adjust the plan to something that you can do!

Keep it up!

Even on days when we feel great, we still need self care.

That is what's keeping us feeling great after all! Keeping up with your self care routine will build momentum and get you through rough days that may be ahead.

So even if you don't feel like you "need" it, do it!

Yours in caring for myself,

Emily Rose // Miss Magnolia

Feeling like your self care routine just isn’t working? Check out this post to find out the 4 most common reasons why this might be true, and how to fix it!