Let’s begin giving self-care the place it deserves in our lives. Self-care is not a luxury and it’s not selfish. In fact, it is a crucial component to your overall quality of life and longevity. Prioritizing your health and well-being has become more important than ever due to our never-ending commitments and fast-paced lifestyles. I’m not just talking about the occasional indulgence of a pampering session, I mean a complete holistic approach to life that embodies the needs of the mind, body and soul.
I don’t know about you, but I plan to live to the ripe old age of 100. If I am going to do that and have a good quality of life, I need to take care of myself in the here and now. It’s never too early or too late to start a self-care routine. Even if you don’t dream of living to 100, I bet you want a full, active life for years to come, right? In that case, there is one key aspect that often gets overlooked and its self-care.
Aging is inevitable. It is a natural and beautiful part of life’s journey. It offers experience, wisdom, and a chance to embark on new chapters of life. As we age (and we are all aging), it becomes increasingly important to prioritize self-care practices to ensure we remain in good physical health, maintain our mental and emotional well-being, and gift ourselves with a renewed sense of purpose and fulfillment. In this post, we will explore key practices and principles of a daily self-care routine that revitalizes your mind, body, and spirit, helping you not only survive but thrive in all aspects of your life.
Understanding Self-Care: A Holistic Approach
Embarking on a journey of self-care requires an understanding of what that truly means. As mentioned before, a holistic approach embodies physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Self-care will look different for all of us and will vary day to day based on our current circumstances. That being said, it is necessary for each of us to carve out some time to figure out what self-care looks like for us. Break it down and set some goals in each of the 3 areas, mind, body, and soul. By embracing this comprehensive approach, you will create a solid foundation for your daily self-care routine.
Cultivating a Healthy Mind: Mental and Emotional Well-being
The cornerstone of self-care is a healthy mind. Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right” and that pretty much sums it up. Mindset is everything!
If you think something is impossible it will be. It doesn’t have to be that way though. There are ways to cultivate a growth mindset that fosters self-compassion and the belief that you have the ability to grow.
Set some time aside for some self-discovery and answer the questions in my mindset workbook (see the link below) for more insight. Schedule time for mindfulness, mediation, and journaling to cope with negative emotions you may be feeling. It may be as little as 5 minutes to start with. Whatever gets you going and feels manageable.
Exercise is also a great way to feel better and get into a better headspace. Practices like these are great ways to keep stress levels low, develop resilience, and enhance emotional intelligence. Get in tune with yourself and what you need to thrive. Then actually do the things. Giving yourself space to breathe and reflect is the first step to your growth. Check out my free mindset workbook to dive deeper into mental and emotional well-being. And remember, you don’t have to do this alone. Reach out to family, friends, and if necessary a therapist to get the support you need to succeed.
Nurturing Your Body: Physical Well-being
You’ve heard of the saying “your body is a temple” right? It absolutely is, but are we treating it as such? Taking care of your body is essential for overall well-being. Practices such as regular exercise, stretching, nutritious eating habits, getting enough sleep, and relaxation are keys to your ongoing physical health.
Tune into your body. What practices do you currently have in place to take care of your physical health? Celebrate what you are doing well.
Now ask yourself what areas need work? Reflecting on these questions is the first step to discovering the path you are currently on as well as gives insight on where there is room to grow.
Keep asking questions and reflecting to discover how to listen to your body’s needs as they adapt and change. The thing with self-care is that it depends on where you are and where you want to be.
The Tricky Part About Self-Care
To further complicate things, where you are today will change tomorrow and where you want to be might too. Our needs are always changing so that means what works today may or may not work tomorrow. It’s a learning process and different for all of us. There is no one size fits all approach. Be patient and compassionate with yourself. Take it one small step at a time. Focus on your weakest point first and make one change at a time until that change becomes the normal routine.
Example:
If your sleep routine is a mess and you go to bed too late and hit snooze 5 times every morning, then maybe that’s where you start. Begin with setting a bedtime. Once you establish that, the snooze part may take care of itself.
If not, set a wake-up time where you are only allowed one snooze. Stay on this step until you are doing it consistently. Then move on to no snoozes. Now you go to bed at the same time, and you wake up at the same time. Your circadian rhythm is established, and the rest of your life will feel infinitely easier from here on out provided you stick to the routine.
Once your sleep routine is established (or whatever goal you chose to work on first) choose your next weakest area to explore. Do this until you have a sustainable (key word) fitness routine, a positive relationship with food, and sufficient time to relax and relieve stress. Of course, if you need help getting started or over-coming an obstacle don’t hesitate to reach out.
Nourishing Your Soul: Finding Meaning and Purpose
Finding meaning and purpose in life is crucial for overall happiness, fulfillment, and spiritual well-being. Spiritual practices like mediation, practicing gratitude, immersing yourself in nature, volunteering, mentoring, and exploring your passions have the power to deepen your connection with yourself as well as the world around you.
For example, I love to dance. At the age of 2, I fell in love. I’m now 45 and still dancing! The music makes me happy; the exercise feels fun and exciting, the dance steps challenge my brain, and the people I dance with make me feel connected. During that 1-hour dance class each week I turn off the outside world, forget my problems, and just dance. For me, dance encompasses my body, mind, and my soul. I encourage you to find your “dance”, whatever that may be. To develop a healthy spirit, discover ways to nourish your soul and find practices that foster inner peace.
Creating a Sustainable Self-Care Routine
Now that we have defined practices for each of the areas of our well-being (mind, body, and soul), let’s talk about how to create a sustainable self-care routine using what we discovered.
Knowing what needs to be done is very different than actually putting it into practice. Once you identify your weakest areas start brainstorming ways to integrate self-care into your daily life.
Example:
You can begin your day with a warm cup of coffee or tea, eat a healthy breakfast (body), take a few deep breaths to center yourself (mind and body) and write down 3 things you are grateful for (mind and spirit). This morning routine only takes minutes and will set you up with a peaceful, positive attitude for the day. If you have time in the morning, I also recommend a work-out (body) even if it’s only 15 minutes before the day gets away from you.
If you truly aren’t a morning person, this routine could be done at bedtime to help wind you down and get you ready for quality sleep. Ideally, I recommend striving for both. In the evening you could shut your devices down and unplug from the world at least 30 minutes before bed, grab a cup of herbal tea, take a few deep breaths, and write down 3 things you are grateful for. If you named 3 things in the morning you could just journal about your day to process feelings at night for 5-10 minutes.
This will put you in a peaceful state for bed. If you can fit some stretching in that may improve the quality of your sleep as well.
These self-care routines may take some time management skills and boundary setting, but learning how to prioritize self-care amidst a busy schedule is a must. Sadly, you either spend the time to take care of yourself now as a preventative measure or you will be spending a lot more time (and money) later trying to recover after an illness. I can’t speak for you, but I would much rather put in a little time each day as a preventative measure. It just feels good to take care of yourself!
Call to Take Action
Revitalizing and thriving through self-care is an ongoing process and journey. One that requires dedication and self-awareness because each one of us will have a different journey.
By adopting a holistic approach to self-care, you will be able to live a more fulfilling and balanced life. Embrace the practices outlined in this guide and embark on a lifelong journey of self-love and self-discovery. So, take a moment today to reflect on your self-care practices and start incorporating small but meaningful changes into your life. You and your well-being deserve it!
Need a little extra help with mastering your routines? Check out my Master Your Routines E-book (see table of contents) and/or my Master your Routines Group Coaching that meets monthly for 30 minutes to help you plan ahead.
Wishing you much love, health, and happiness,
Christine
