Self-care gets discussed a lot these days, but it often just get portrayed as a hot drink and a warm bath.
The thing is, giving yourself proper self-care involves a bit more than a bath and a cuppa. Proper self-care takes time and needs to be a change of habit that you ensure you have time for.
Give yourself a new self-care schedule and make time for the following essentials.
If you include the below activities into your routine, you’ll discover the long-term benefits of proper self care.
Find Time to Play
Just because we’re not kids any more, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t play. Taking the time to relax through play can be great for our stress levels and has long-term benefits on our minds and our bodies.
I like to play a mix of free online games, complete crosswords and wordsearches, mess around with apps on my phone, and sometimes have a go on one of my children’s games.
Playing is an essential part of your wellbeing so you should always make time for it. My favourite free game is the one pictured called Bitcoin Bubble Shooter – it’s a really easy premise and feels so rewarding to work through the levels.
Prepare Nourishing Meals in Advance
Preparing nourishing food for yourself is one thing, but preparing nourishing food in advance is a whole new world.
Food prep is one of the biggest acts of self care you can do. If done properly, it can make your day-to-day life much easier, and it has many benefits for your body too.
Having a healthy meal ready to eat after a long day saves you money and keeps you healthy (as most people who are too tired to cook will go for convenience foods or takeaways).
Spend some time on Pinterest looking for free meal prep and recipe ideas to inspire you.
This dentist who does the best dental implants in Little Falls NJ also suggests supplementing this with regular exercise and routine health checkups.
Put Pen to Paper
This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to write, you can draw, doodle, plan – whatever. Putting pen to paper and seeing what happens can help you make sense of all the thoughts swimming around your head.
When trying this out, get yourself a basic book and basic pen. Some people find the pressure of a posh new notebook a little too overwhelming. This needs to only be associated with good feelings and a reminder that there is no wrong way to do it.
If you’re not sure how to start this exercise, just try writing anything. You could jot down a shopping list, make a list of your social engagements or even sketch a plan of the room you’re sitting in. Once you get started, the rest will just flow and it’ll allow you to empty your head on the page.
Do Something You Love
The trouble with adults is, they always have something important to do. This means they put off the things they really want to do so they can get the less fun stuff done.
While there’s definitely some merit in living this way, it’s a bad idea to forgo your favourite things for the boring essentials. Make time to do a little bit of something you love in every day.
If reading is your thing, go to bed earlier and read for half an hour. If the family hog your TV all day, get up early when the house is quiet and watch your favourite show. Just make sure you do whatever it is you love.