Self-care is as important as brushing your teeth in the morning. It’s a habit that you should establish as a matter of urgency. Many people find it hard to practice self-care. They worry it’s selfish or they can’t find the time.
The first step to take is to start going easy on yourself. The next is to understand self-care needn’t be radical. There are plenty of simple and obvious ways to practice self-care.
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Take A Break From The News Cycle
Every time you log onto social media or scroll the news, have you noticed that something terrible is happening? Guess what? If you skip a cycle or two when you return there will be another terrible thing happening.
There’s a difference between staying informed and being overwhelmed with information. In today’s world, a lot of us are dipping into the latter. You aren’t a bad person for turning notifications off. You aren’t a bad person for muting specific words on social media. You aren’t a bad person for just logging out for a day. You aren’t a bad person for logging out for a week or even a month.
Be Kind To Yourself
If you struggle to look away from the news and social media, even if you vowed you would, don’t feel bad about it. It’s hard to disconnect, especially when the world is so connected. It’s a habit we make and it’s a difficult one to make. So, be kind to yourself.
Get Gross
This act of self-care is subjective. Is it eating snacks in bed? Indulging in odd food combos (look, if you enjoy pickles and ice cream that’s fine), or skipping shaving? Whatever it is, cut yourself some slack and let certain activities slide if it’s dragging you down. Getting gross is more about ignoring what is deemed socially acceptable.
Eat The Snack
Healthy eating is important. It’s a key part of your overall health and wellbeing. However, if you try to restrict your diet, you will only make your life more difficult. If you want to eat chocolate-covered cherries, then eat chocolate-covered cherries! You certainly shouldn’t eat them for every meal and every day, but you can enjoy a treat when you feel in need of a treat. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
PJ Day
You don’t have to get dressed every day. You don’t have to get dressed up all the time. You can wear sweatpants for a month if you want. You can shower and change into a fresh pair of pajamas too. The point is, you don’t have to sit around uncomfortable, in a full face of makeup, and do your hair all the time. Sometimes you can just chill out.
Utilize Shortcuts
If you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed, you can use life hacks to avoid chores. If you hate washing dishes constantly, you can take a break. Buy eco-friendly disposable plates and cutlery. If you’re tired of being weighed under by heaps of laundry, you can wear the same pair of sweats for a week. If a dirty home affects your mental health, use shortcuts to avoid chores. You can still enjoy a clean house.
If your home gets messy because you’re struggling to find shortcuts, don’t beat yourself up. You’ll get back on track in no time.
Set a Schedule
Sleep should be your best friend. A lack of it fuels stress, anxiety, depression, and mood swings. Create a sleep schedule. Build a routine around bedtime. Stick to it for a consistent sleep schedule.
A Day of Nothing
Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is do nothing at all. Give yourself time and space to do nothing and enjoy it. That doesn’t mean scrolling social media all day. It doesn’t mean writing to-do lists or taking care of chores. It means, taking a nap, it means binging the latest release or reading a book. It’s about simply existing instead of exhausting.
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