With all the things that have to get done day-to-day, it’s easy to treat self-care as a second-tier priority; in other words, one that you can put off forever.
But self-care really matters. Taking care of your body and your mind is essential to your ability to do everything else. It helps you create the physical capacity and the mental space to actually enjoy your life. Think of it as the oxygen mask warning in a pre-flight safety demonstration—self-care is how you sort yourself out first so that you can help the people around you.
Of course, knowing that you need to practice self-care and regularly doing it are two very different things. But these five strategies can help you find new ways to take care of your physical and mental health and incorporate them into your everyday routine.
1. Balance Your Body and Your Mind
Most people naturally emphasize one mode of self-care over others. You might be a pro at supporting your physical health, mapping out workouts and healthy meal plans with ease. Or you might focus more on caring for your mental health, regularly creating opportunities to de-stress and take part in activities that bring you joy.
To see which group you fall into, consider your past few weeks: Have you balanced efforts to care for your body, your mind, and your emotions? If you haven’t, spend some time researching self-care tips and brainstorming ways to even the mix of your physical and mental self-care tactics.
2. Put Practicing Self-Care on the Calendar
The best way to guarantee the time you need for self-care is to actually schedule it. Write your self-care priorities on the calendar, and treat that time as non-negotiable.
Start by blocking in the self-care tactics that require big chunks of time, things like your healthy meals, daily workout, or your nightly sleep requirements. Next, add in windows for taking care of your mental health — you can start small, planning even five-minute time increments to move, do yoga or a meditation session, talk to a friend, or write in your gratitude journal.
It might feel strange at first to put these items on your daily schedule alongside work and family obligations. But once you’ve established the habit, you’ll be amazed at how quickly the days begin to flow around your self-care plan.
3. Make Self-Care a Social Event
People don’t typically associate self-care with groups, but there are many ways to pair up and practice self-care with the people you love. Ask family and friends what they do for self-care, and you just might discover activities you can do together. (This strategy has the added benefit of deepening your social connections, which is solid self-care in itself.)
You might explore a personal passion by taking a class together, get a daily dose of nature and movement with a shared walk around your neighborhood, or even re-ignite your spiritual practice by going to services together.
4. Turn Chores Into Self-Care Opportunities
You’ll never eliminate all of the to-dos that can make days feel hectic. But you can look for ways to enrich them. Listen to an audiobook as you clean the house, run errands with a friend, or choose the dry cleaner next to your gym and stop in after your laundry run. Finding ways to enhance daily jobs is next-level multitasking.
5. Step Away From Your Devices
Whichever self-care tactic you’re using, you can make it even more effective by doing it without the constant intrusion of electronic devices. Take time every day to escape the buzz of notifications and updates. This can help you refocus and center yourself in a busy world, which is some of the best self-care you can find.
Zazzle’s Lifestyle Expert is here to help create life’s best & most important moments. Discover unique ideas and endless inspiration to create meaningful memories with family, friends and your community.
