7 Self-Care Practices That Should Be Part Of Your Daily Routine

When it comes to promoting and appreciating yourself, self-care is the first thing that should come into your mind. How to practice it? When to practice it? And how often should it be done? These are the questions that should pop into your head.

Self-care is a deliberate and intentional activity done by, to, with for, or towards yourself. It is usually done to improve one’s mental and physical health as well as the state of mind of the person. 

Though it is important to take some days to practice self-care, it shouldn’t stop you from making it a daily routine. Adding it to your daily routine makes it more effective than practicing it on only set apart days.

Making it part of your daily routine can be quite challenging at first, so it best to start them in bits and add to them later. These self-care practices should be part of your daily routine.

1. Exercises

One of the self-care practices to add to your daily routine is exercise. It doesn’t have to be vigorous or breath-taking, it is meant to keep you healthy. If you prefer, you can stretch instead. Exercising improves your mental health, mood, reduces the feeling of anxiety and depression, and reduces fatigue. Remember to do a bit of exercise so you don’t have to wake up all gloomy and tired.

2. Eat Breakfast

In taking good care of yourself, your health is paramount. Eating breakfast is a way to make sure you hardly fall sick and feel good all time. People who skip breakfast are known to have a low activity level compared to those who consume breakfast. Skipping breaking can also lead to an eating disorder such as Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa. Eating breakfast every day leaves you refreshed and energized for the rest of the day.

3. Meditation

With all the noise and chaos in the world, finding time to meditate can prove difficult, still, it is important. Meditation is simply spending time in your quiet thoughts. It eases the mind and declutters it too. It acts as a filtering agent that helps you calm down and create a moment for yourself. Meditation is best practiced in a quiet space. If you are trying it for the first time, Balance, Medito, and Atom are some of the meditation apps I recommend.

4. “Me” Time

This is common among introverts like me, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have yours. Having a “me” time is creating a time for yourself, a time to relax, recess, or reflect. You don’t have to do be productive at this point, you don’t have to do anything at all. Do anything that feels like nothing to you, whether it is going for a walk, watching a movie, or taking a nap. Creating a time for yourself gives you time to release your stress and relax, the time limit of this exercise is your decision. 

5. Decluttering

Make time to declutter your things. Declutter your room, workspace, or anything else that needs decluttering. Keep your things in order, organize your stuff, return things where you brought them from. Clutter has a way of causing stress to yourself, decluttering releases those stress. Decluttering makes work easier for us, you don’t want to wake up with a pile of work for you.

6. Journaling

As much as you need to declutter your space, decluttering your mind is important too. Journaling is pouring out your complicated and scattered thoughts out you that they can become clearer. Journaling keeps you on track of your dreams, goals, aspiration, and habits. It is the only way to talk without being interrupted. Journaling gives you time to be with yourself. If you feel clueless about how to start, you can use some journaling apps for journaling prompts.

7. Sleep Schedule

If you are going to take good care of yourself, you should be ready to give yourself enough rest. Create a good sleep routine for yourself and stick to it. Having a sleep routine regulates your body’s sleep-wake cycle and internal clock. It helps you fall asleep and wake up easily it also reduces the risk of being obese. This is because you tend to feel hungry when you are sleep deprived as a result of less Leptin, the hormone that tells you when to stop eating. Sticking to a sleep schedule makes you productive and healthy.

Self-care is personal and should be done at your own pace thus, you don’t have to rush to get it right at first. You can start by adding them, one at a time, into your daily routine. Self-care is all about prioritizing yourself and your health, it shouldn’t have to be tasking but rather pleasing.

Which one would you add to your daily routine first?