5 Self-care Habits for Your Daily Routine
When thinking about daily routines, sometimes we forget that not all habits should feel like a ‘chore’ to complete, and that it should also be about enjoyment too. Creating a healthy lifestyle by adding in a few small self-care habits to your daily routine can really make a difference.
Self-care to each individual person can look very different, and is a broad term which could refer to many different areas. It can be something which impacts your health, wellbeing or even overall happiness. It is all about trying different things and finding out what works for you. What makes you feel more like yourself.
Below I will list 5 things which I have found to have an impact on my day-to-day life once I started implementing them into my daily routine.
1. Plan your meals ahead of time
Eating a balanced diet can have a huge affect on how you feel, and what you are able to achieve in any given day. Planning meals ahead of time means that you are less likely to opt for convenience by having to make a last minute decision. It also usually means less waste, as when you go shopping for the week ahead you are only buying ingredients that you will hopefully use all of during the set meals.
Adding in a mixture of different fruits and vegetables gives your body extra nutrients and allows it to function better. Some foods for example are better for energy, concentration and ultimately leave you feeling much less sluggish than perhaps some fast-food convenient equivalents.
Something which I personally do is meal prep a lot of things ahead of time on a Sunday (when I know I have more free time). These don’t have to be anything fancy, even throwing a handful of spinach into a pasta dish is some extra greens that you wouldn’t have had otherwise!
Cook up extra of recipes that you would already be making, and box these up for the fridge (or freezer) to use as future meals / lunches.
2. Get outside or add movement
Lots of studies have been conducted regarding the impact that getting outside in the fresh air can have on our bodies and mindset during the day. Set yourself a target to try to add in a walk outside, even if this is just a quick 10-15 minutes around the block to stretch your legs in-between work.
A change of scenery can also really help if you have hit a bit of a block, or fatigue stage in your working day. You’d be surprised how often even a brief walk can refresh you into working better when you sit back down to your laptop.
If it is dark or the weather is terrible (I feel for anyone else who also lives in Manchester), then walking might not always be the best option. In this case, getting your body moving with some stretching, a short online yoga routine, or a few pilates poses will also do the trick.
It is very easy with so many work from home jobs now to find that we sit in the same one singular pose for most of the day at a desk. Make a conscious effort to increase your movement and see how much of an impact this has.
3. Getting enough sleep
Whilst it may be true that everyone functions differently on certain levels of sleep, making sure that you aim to get 8 hours of solid sleep is a good starting point. If you are aiming to get up earlier to add in any extra habits in the morning, then I strongly suggest you go to bed earlier to off-set this.
Turning off technology just before you go to bed, and not drinking alcohol or caffeine too late at night will help you in falling asleep.
Our bodies are more productive when we have had enough hours to recharge overnight. Having a good evening or night routine also helps in creating natural habits for your body.
4. Drink enough water
Some people naturally drink lots of water in a day, and this is fantastic. However sadly, some people need to focus on drinking water and do not do it automatically. Try to focus on increasing how much water you drink and set yourself a daily target.
Drinking more water can reduce the number of headaches you get, alongside making you also feel a little fuller.
Some people work this out by the number of glasses they would like to drink, whilst others choose to purchase larger water bottles to hold themselves accountable.
5. Take 10 minutes each day to do something you enjoy
Write a list of small activities which you enjoy doing, or a list of your interests. The key here is to list nothing too large or time-consuming since we are going to aim to add this into our daily lives.
For example, if you are interested in baking then it may not be practical to aim to bake everyday. However, there may be a podcast on baking which you could listen to, or a food magazine which you could read a bit of.
Our daily lives can feel so busy at times then we can forget to also do things for ourselves. Even just playing your favourite song and having a quick dance around the kitchen can be a great self-care activity to add to your day!