Self-care is really about taking care of you and focusing on feeling good about yourself – mind and body.
Franchesca Ramsey
Self-care. It’s something you hear quite often these days. But, what is it? Is it simply taking care of yourself? To me, it’s the actions we take with my well-being in mind.
Living through a pandemic, I’ve certainly come to depend on self-care to keep me sane. Prior to the onset of Covid-19, I thought a monthly massage, regular nail appointments, and semi regular brow appointments made for a good self care routine. However, once I was in the middle of virtual learning, back to back Zoom calls, and an around the clock cleaning and sanitizing schedule, I was lucky if I could correctly name the day.
As the days went by, I came to realize celebrating self-care one day a week was not going to cut it, especially now. As the days have gone by, I have come to learn how to incorporate self-care into a routine.
Start Your Day With a Daily Stretch
It’s no secret exercise has a lot of health benefits. Exercising in the morning can be a great way to jump start your day. Plus, when you do your workout in the morning, you get it out of the way. However, I realize exercising every morning may not be an option. Even though there were days I didn’t get in a full workout, I started my day with some daily stretches. Since I’m a huge yoga fan, I tend to do the yoga poses for my stretches. Check out this YouTube video for a quick morning stretch routine. Stretching feels so good, I usually do stretching at night before going to bed!
Declutter……Everything
I don’t know about you, but clutter stresses me out. With everyone at home more often, clutter seems to be everywhere. The hidden junk drawer has spilled into the countertop, the desk, etc. Hell, even my personal email inbox is cluttered with spam mail! One thing I try to do each day is to declutter something. So before going to bed, I make it a point to remove some type of clutter. Whether it’s unloading the dishwasher, throwing away junk mail, or folding laundry, I’m going to do something to get this clutter under control. It may be a small task, but these small tasks help keep my mental state in check.
Get Outside
One of the joys I have picked up this year has been to go for outside walks. I love to put on some comfy shoes, grab my earbuds and just walk it out. The combination of music, exercise, and fresh air is a stress reliever and a mood booster. My walks have been my opportunity to prioritize myself and get some much needed “me” time.
Cook at Home
Eating well is an important part of your physical health. With everything going on, eating well has been tough for me. From skipping meals to relying too heavily on UberEats and DoorDash, this is one area I need to get better. One way I have gotten better is to start cooking at home. Whether it’s preparing a sheet pan meal or putting a bunch of ingredients in the InstantPot, I’m getting back into the routine of cooking at home for me and my family.
Self-care can certainly elevate you on your well-being journey. Finding the right components that you can include on a consistent basis is what’s truly important. So take some time to think about what matters to you, and develop your self-care routine.
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