The Importance of a Self-Care Routine

Has your self care taken a back seat over the past year?  In the beginning of quarantine, many of us started out with the greatest of intentions (“Everyday I’m going to workout, do yoga, meditate, walk, read more, cook more, learn something new, etc.”) in an effort to nourish and better ourselves.  A lot of us did a great job for a while, but as the initial two-week lockdown extended month after month, the new stresses and pressures of continual quarantine took its toll.

If this happened to you and you lost your self-care routine, you’re not alone!  I did some backsliding myself.  We just have to stop and gain ground in the other direction; otherwise, we’ll never stop falling.

Putting ourselves and well-being first can be a difficult task, especially if we’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of exhaustion, poor diet, old or bad habits, easy choices vs. healthy ones, evening cocktails vs. a fitness class, sleeping in vs. morning yoga, trolling social media vs. meditation, and so on.

I’m pretty sure we’ve all been guilty of some of these examples during the past year, and that’s OK.  We’re human and the new normal we’re navigating has caused levels of stress and fatigue never before experienced.   

The important thing is that we recognize and acknowledge our choices and do not allow them to become our new autopilot responses to stress management.  If that happens, further down the rabbit hole we fall; before we know it we’re trapped in unhealthy habits and poor coping skills, and we can’t crawl out.

If you’ve noticed you’re in that downward spiral and are ready to get back into your self-care routine, here are four easy steps to help you get back on track:

1. Be loving with yourself

Don’t play the blame game.  Life is challenging enough without all the negative self-talk.  This is emotionally and mentally exhausting, and nothing good can come from it.  In fact, it’s an entirely new rabbit hole you don’t want to fall into — don’t add insult to injury!  Instead, be proud of yourself.  You realized you fell down the hole and now it’s time to climb out.  A positive and accepting attitude is the best self-care gift you can give yourself.  If you notice you’re having a negative or self-defeating thought, try to immediately replace it with a positive one.  As you continue to practice this, the positive thoughts will become the dominant ones.

2. Evaluate your diet

Have you been soothing yourself with comfort foods?  Well, I’m sorry to tell you they aren’t truly comforting; they usually make us feel more lethargic or guilty.  I’m not saying to not treat yourself once in a while (balance is important!), but when your diet becomes less nutrient rich it can affect your mental, emotional and physical well-being.  Take note and start adding more delicious and vitamin filled foods back into your meals.  As you slowly increase your consumption of healthier foods (especially fresh, plant based ones), you’ll quickly notice you have higher mental and physical energy levels.

3. Get physical

Move your body everyday.   Physical exercise increases endorphin levels (nature’s happy drug).  Who doesn’t want that?  If you used to practice yoga five days a week and nowadays you only practice once, add a second class back into your weekly schedule.  Do 15 minutes of core work, like crunches and plank holds.  Even if you only have time for a short walk one day, do it.  “I feel really depressed after that 20 minute walk” said no one ever!   Physical activity is paramount in protecting our mental health — so get moving!

4. Put yourself in time-out

You can easily grant yourself between five and 15 minutes at least once a day to take a few deep breaths, do some simple stretching, listen to your favorite music, or even a do a quick meditation.  These little time-outs will help you regain some peace and stillness in your life, which in turn will boost your mental health and support healthier decisions overall in your life. 

While these four steps may seem simple, they do require effort.  You can start with one a week and go from there!  Practicing small self-care steps, which are easy to integrate into your daily life, will create sustainable positive change over time.