9 Ideas to Add to Your Self-Care Routine

It is easy to get so wrapped into our everyday routines that we forget to take care of ourselves. It is incredibly easy to do! With everything we have going on at work, school and at home (with kids, spouses, chores and the horrid to-do list), all you want to do is sleep. Everyday seems to be on repeat and it is never-ending. It is a good life but it's often hard to slow down and take time for yourself. By the time you think about taking care of yourself, the day seems to be over. Despite this, it is essential that we find time for self care. Self-care allows us to rejuvenate our energy and mind so that we can continue on with our busy lives with great energy and increased positivity. Here are a few ideas you can implement into your self-care routine...

Take Spa Day

Having a spa day doesn't have to be very expensive. You can have a spa day in your own home! I used to do this a lot on the weekends when I was working as a temp agent. It was a very stressful job and I would often have to take my work home. The spa day would often help relieve the stress from my job. Here is what you can do to have a spa day at home: clean and decorate your bathroom in a way that will be most relaxing for you. Personally, I love green and brown colors, plants, and flowers. Fill your bath with warm water and add any salts, bath bomb, or bubbles that you want. You can light a few scented candles or use an essential oil diffuser. I have a friend that likes to put rose petals in her bath. It's all up to you! Instead of turning on the light in the bathroom, you can use natural lighting from your bathroom window, if it is during the day. You can play music, watch your show, or listen to nature ambience. Once you are out of the bath, you could wear a fancy robe, paint your nails, and use a facial mask. Once you finish this, you could put on some comfortable pajamas or slip into a heating blanket. After I would do my spa day, I would feel rejuvenated, relaxed and more beautiful. I would come out feeling much better than when I did when I had started. There are some who do a mini spa day after they put their kids to bed and their are others who do this on the weekends. It's all up to you! How you want to relax and when you want to relax is all up to you.

Meditation

I have found this to be a great way to clear my mind of all that bothers me and to recenter it on myself and being in the moment. I have a tendency of overthinking and worrying too much and this can give me anxiety. Meditation is a great tool to help us slow down, relieve the tension in our body and mind, and focus on what we need in that moment. It helps us to reflect and be more observant to our thoughts, actions and needs. I recommend guided meditations! They have been extremely helpful for my depression, anxiety and overall mood. I believe this is something we must all schedule into our daily routine.

Treat Yourself

Sometimes we just need to get that Starbucks, that mani-pedi, that gadget, that vacation, that candy bar, that plant etc. When you work so hard, naturally you deserve to be rewarded. You deserve to treat yourself to whatever it is you need. It can be hard to treat yourself when you don't feel like you have enough time or money. However, treating yourself doesn't have to be time consuming nor expensive. It can be as simple as buying a $5 Pizza at 5 Buck Pizza for dinner or finally getting that drink you have been craving since Tuesday. It can be painting your own nails at home or reading that book you have been dying to read. You know how you can best reward yourself. So do it!

Read a Book

Personally, I have found this to be very peaceful! It has gotten me through High School and honestly, life. To go into another world via your mind is unlike anything else. It's one thing to watch a movie but it's another to create a world based on what you read on the page. It's truly incredible! Think about the type of stories you like whether it be action, adventure, comedy, romance, or horror and find a book in that area. I love adventure and horror books! They bring me out of my situation and into a world of fun and suspense! My personal favorites are The Hunger Games series, The Forest of Hands and Teeth series, and The Red Necklace series. My husband and I love to take a couple books to our favorite picnic spot and read. You could make some time to do this in bed right before sleep. It is the perfect opportunity!

Exercise

I think this is the hardest self care routine to implement. It is hard to wake up early enough and it is hard to have the energy after the work day. However, instead of devoting a lot of time to exercise in the beginning, it is sufficient to start with 10-15 minutes a day to just get into the habit. After all, the best results you get from exercise is often from small amounts of time every day rather than a couple hours a day once in a while. There are several benefits to exercise such as physical fitness, increased energy, increased metabolism, increased overall health and mood boosting. At the end of the day, isn't it worth it to have all these benefits and only sacrifice a short amount of time to do it? I definitely think so!

Disney+

I try not to encourage too much TV watching, but sometimes you just need it. Disney is such a great source for positive and uplifting content. When I feel down, my husband puts on a Disney movie because he knows as well as I do that it boosts my mood extremely well. I guess you could say it's that message of hope. It's the story of conquering all and having fun while doing it. Disney has beautiful story telling and I just love it! I can never get enough of their movies! Thus, if you ever just need a positive boost, Disney has you covered!

Jam out to Some Tunes

I don't know what it is about music, but it can really effect how you feel. If I listen to too much Evanescence, I tend to become sad. If I listen to old school music such as that from The Guardians of the Galaxy, my mood is boosted and I just want to dance. There are songs that automatically make me reminiscent of the past and their are others that make me daydream. Sometimes, the greatest feelings in the world come from listening to your favorite jams and singing and dancing! It is an amazing way to spark the life back into us!

Time with Friends

Now that I am done with college and am married, I noticed that I don't get nearly enough time with my friends. Granted, we are 7-12 hours away but we still could at least video chat more. I think this is the true for many of you as well. Family should always come first, but you also need to talk to your bestie about that Legacies episode from last night or how little Jimmy is growing up so fast. You need that time with them and so do they! You need to take time for them and together plan some fun times. Plan times to go out to lunch, or do a vacation. Stay connected with these people because when it all comes down to it, they need you and you need them in order to get through this crazy thing we call LIFE.

Get Outside

I know that we have been in quarantine for a long time now but do you remember that thing we used to call "outside?" Yeah, it's about time we go out there again. Seriously though, we need to get outside, get some sun and enjoy nature! It is my belief that nature is Heavenly Father's gift to mankind. Nature is very therapeutic. Think about all those times you enjoyed the forest, the ocean, your garden, the park, the flowers, hiking, camping, kayaking, walking, etc. Nature can give us a sense of calm and peace. When I lived in Rexburg, Idaho for school, I thought the area was very ugly and I still do. Rexburg is very flat and barren. There are several farms and some trees, and that is pretty much it. Or at least, that's how I see it. However, there was one park hidden inside the town that was just beautiful! It was very green with a beautiful duck pond and a walking route. One day in the summer, the cotton was flying through the air and some of it was coming back down to touch the water. It was a beautiful scene. As I walked through the area, the cotton was flying all around me and it felt like a scene from Avatar. At the time, I was going through depression and these moments were very therapeutic for me!

Conclusion

My friends, I know you are all super busy! I get it. There doesn't seem to be enough time in the day and when there is, you just want to sleep! Trust me, I know. I just want you to know that you are entitled to take care of yourself. It is vital for your overall well being. You are amazing and you do so much for others! You deserve to do the same for yourself. You deserve a time of rest, a time of peace, a time of fun and a time of wonder. So, let yourself have it!