“An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly” – Unknown

Now it may seem a bit silly to have a whole routine planned for self-care and well who has time for that? But it is actually really important and the busier you are and the more demands on your time the more likely you are going to need a really solid self-care routine in place. Taking care of yourself means that you are filled up, you are meeting your own needs daily/weekly/monthly and it also means that you will have something to give to others. We can’t give out anything to others that we don’t already have within ourselves! So that means that in order to take care of others and show love towards others we also need to be taking care of and giving love to ourselves FIRST. Whether you are taking care of a family, working outside of the home, running your own business or doing a bit of a combination women are often juggling multiple demands with little time to really give back to themselves. Some self-care is better than none at all and if you are not giving back to yourself regularly and considering your own needs you might find that your health might eventually suffer. You can achieve a lot in even a small amount of time each day so don’t neglect yourself and show yourself the same love, care and respect that you would to others!

Why do we need a routine around self-care?

Creating a routine around self-care means that it is much more likely to happen. It also allows you to monitor and possibly even keep track of how much time you are giving to yourself and adjust when necessary. We often will create routines for our work, house and family to enable us to get everything done that we need to but how often would we think to create a routine that is just for us, just for our own self-care? Creating your own unique routine around self-care enables you to be your best self every day in a busy world and also enables you to then give the BEST of yourself to others!

1. WHAT IS ON YOUR ‘LOVE LIST’?
Your love list is kind of like your wishlist of the things that you would love to include into every day/week. Have no more than 3-5 things and regularly change it up to keep life interesting and give to yourself in different ways. For example on my current ‘love list,’ I have yoga, running, listening to music, taking a regular bath, and reading. I know that if I get at the very least a few of those things in each day I am going to have a much better, happier week. Everyone is going to have a different vision of self-care and things that are important to them. For one person self-care may mean hitting the gym and making a really hearty breakfast each morning. For others it may mean that they get up early and shower, doing their makeup and hair beautifully. You take care of yourself in the ways that are important to YOU.

2. GET IT IN EARLY!
The morning is really the best time to fit in self-care. The most important tip that I can give is to get up earlier than you HAVE to – it really is so, so important. Even if you have children always get up and start your day before them (this doesn’t always work with fussy sleeping babies so, in that case, get all the sleep you need!). When you get up early you are then more in control of your day and you can then choose whether it is going to be a creative, productive, focused day or a stressed, rushed, and anxious day! It also is most likely to be the time when everything is really quiet and peaceful. Getting a jump start on the day when everyone else is still asleep is also REALLY motivating. You can fit in a sunrise walk outside (the best kind!), do some gentle yoga, food prep healthy lunches and snacks for yourself and your family, catch up on household chores, do some meditation, journal or write, read or watch a TEDx talk to feed your mind, or even just sit and reflect in silence (which is often a rarity).

3. MAP OUT YOUR PERFECT MORNING:
What would your most perfect morning look like? What would you fit in? What would you get done? What are the most important things that you would make time for? Physically write out your perfect morning on a sheet of paper to inspire you. When we write something down we are much more likely to take the steps to make it a reality in our lives. Also get creative! If you are visual you can even make a vision board or create a Pinterest board with inspiring images of your perfect morning and what it could include. It is important that we regularly put aside a set time to just take care of our own self-care. First thing in the morning is best but you could also do right before you go to bed at night and create your own little evening routine. The main thing is that you are taking back control of your days and how you spend your time so that is working with you and not against you!

4. CREATE ROUTINES:
Our bodies don’t really like surprises! Some people have the ability to be more flexible than others whereas one late night could throw someone else off for several days. The best way to get self-care in really is to make a routine out of it! Adding new habits into your day is also best done after something that is already a habit so, for example, you might always forget to floss or take your vitamins so at night time after you brush your teeth add in that extra habit to floss and then take all of your vitamins. You could also do 10 minutes of relaxing meditation, 10 minutes of in-bed yoga and then 10 minutes of reading before you sleep. Create little rituals around your self-care to make it fun and easier to remember within your current routine! The early morning and right before you go to bed are the best times to create self-care routines. For the morning you can create an empowering, physically active and motivating routine and before bed, you could include things that are going to relax you, help you to de-stress and unwind so you are in the perfect state for a great night’s sleep.

5. MAKE YOURSELF A PRIORITY!
When you choose to make yourself and your dreams and goals a priority you also choose to take back control of your time, happiness, surroundings, and lifestyle so that it is working with you to be your best self. It is also about planning ahead and knowing that if you have a busy week coming up you can plan in your self-care early before your busy days hit and know that you will be much better mentally and physically prepared to deal with the increase in life stress. Being proactive instead of reactive puts you back in control of your life, your time and your choices. It is not selfish to take your own needs into consideration so that you can keep giving the best of yourself to others! ♥

Links:

45 Self-Care Practices for a Healthy Mind, Body and Soul from Tiny Buddha

Check out Aileen Xu from Lavendaire film her morning routine and evening routine for some inspiration!

Morning Rituals of Successful Celebrities from Project Life Mastery

This great book by Hal Elrod outlines six great ways that you can take care of yourself each morning to create your own ‘Miracle Morning’ within an hour or less each day!

Check out my Miracle Morning 🙂

(Photo: Edit Sztazics)