Self-care, you see it almost everywhere. When you scroll through social media, go online (a quick google gave 2.5 billion results) and even out in the ‘real’ world. Personally, I get a bit resistant and itchy when some expressions become super popular. However, self-care is a bit different to me, I think it’s important to practice self-care since it will give you a different perspective on how you look at and feel about yourself. I truly believe it can result in self-love. And this is something that I wish for everyone. To be happy and feel confident with who you are and the way you look.
Of course, it’s easier said than done. Self-love is a belief or feeling that is manifested inside yourself. So it’s also really easy to fool others and yourself. Because even though you act confident or say you feel good about yourself, doesn’t mean that this is actually true. So this is where practicing self-care comes in. By practicing this on a daily basis, you will rewire your brain and you will learn to look at yourself in a different and better way.
Take it from me, if I’m able to set up a self-care routine and change my thinking about myself, you can do this too! That’s why I decided to share some of the things that have helped me to practice self-care daily.
Take it slow. This is something I had to practice myself. Often when I feel like I want certain things to change, I think of all the things that can help me and then I try to integrate everything at once. Which, of course, results in me quitting after a couple of days. I can’t keep up with all the changes. That’s when I decided that it’s better to integrate one new thing and stick to it until it has become an actual habit. So don’t try to integrate 10 new things at once. Just start with one thing you know you’ll be able to do every day and do this well. After a while you can add onto it.
Try different things. It’s really important that you find something that you actually like and that works for you. Don’t compare yourself to others or think you have to do the things that others do. Maybe (or probably) your self-care looks different from everyone else’s. So try different things and don’t be afraid to move onto something else if you don’t enjoy yourself. For me, I decided that I wanted to integrate working out into my routine. So I’ve tried a couple of different things, like yoga, personal training, Muay Thai and even CrossFit before I was introduced to The Dailey Method. And that’s when I knew: this is it for me. I really feel comfortable going into the studio and taking the classes, everyone is so open and kind. Trust yourself that when it’s right you’ll know!
Find the rhythm that works for you. Some prefer to practice self-care in the morning, others in the evening and some will schedule in a break during the day. For me, I tried several things in the morning, but I often forgot because I like to get up and immediately start work. So then I tried evenings, but often after a full day I, for example, didn’t really feel like working out anymore. So now I schedule most of my work-outs around 9:30/10:00AM. This way I can still get up and do some work, and then do a work-out as my first break.
Say yes to yourself. When you say yes to something you always say no to something else. We just can’t do multiple things at the same time, even though we often think we can multi-task ;) So especially when you say yes to something that you don’t really feel like doing, you are saying no to yourself. So remind yourself of this. You are worthy of scheduling moments for yourself.
And one last thing, take it day by day. You will probably still have days that you don’t feel your most confident self or that you just feel meh. Know that this is ok. Be gentle with yourself because tomorrow will be a beautiful new day.
I would love to hear your thoughts on how you make sure that you stick to your self-care routine.
