Incorporating Self-Care Into Your Daily Routine
At first, self-care can often be overwhelming, especially to those with a full plate. Taking time for yourself is sometimes viewed as a selfish act, when in reality, it’s crucial to take care of yourself before you can effectively help others. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so you have to take the time to fill your cup with your own needs. Creating a self-care routine and incorporating it into your daily life is a process that takes time, but there are ways to slowly ease it into each day without it feeling unbearable to accomplish.
An essential step with fitting in some needed self-care time is to find gaps in your schedule. Each day probably looks a little bit different, so it is important to take note of which days you may have more or less time to dedicate for yourself. You can even start with one or two self-care exercises and see how they go before adding on more. They don’t have to be complex or for a long time, either. Some days, you may have half an hour to put towards relaxing activities, while other days you may have only five minutes. Nonetheless, self-care is still achievable. Even though one day may not permit a lot of time towards self-care, you can still have hope and find gratitude in the short, peaceful moments of your day. However, it’s important to remind yourself that perfecting your routine is not the goal – life happens, and it’s okay if you have to miss a day here and there because things come up. Try not to be too hard on yourself, because everyday (or week) is a new chance to start fresh!
Other important factors when fitting in self-care include assessing your needs, determining goals for yourself, and figuring out how bigger goals can be divided into smaller and more manageable steps. When determining goals, it can be beneficial to create a list of 5-10 self-care exercises that you can visualize yourself incorporating into your life. With these selected activities, you can pencil them into your daily schedule in whatever way fits best.
A final step would be evaluating your plan. How does your self-care routine make you feel? If your plan isn’t helping you feel refreshed and/or at peace, you can always change it. Your self-care routine should be customized to fit your needs and work best for you. You can assess your self-care habits weekly, monthly, seasonally, or any way you want.
Though it may seem overwhelming at first, fitting self-care into your daily routine is achievable, even for those with busy schedules. Self-care reduces anxiety, stress, and burnout, increases our energy, and promotes health. Keep trying your best to fit moments of rest for yourself into your day whenever possible. Small habits really can lead to big changes!
-Written by Kristen Aufiero, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Intern