Self-care is important for many reasons. (1) we cannot help others without helping ourselves first, (2) it keeps us balanced, (3) we maintain a more stable mood, (4) it sets us up for success and so many more reasons I am sure everyone can come up with. Self-care is a crucial part of wellness. Without self-care, any progress we make can easily go away because we get too wired from all the work and no self-care. Self-care means doing something for yourself without others involved. Sometimes people consider in their minds that taking time off to party and socialize is self-care, but it is not because we are not giving our mind a chance to fully shut off. Of course socializing can be a little reviving, but it does not rejuvenate.
Having a daily self-care routine is ideal. Studies have shown that having a bed time routine is an important part of having beneficial sleep. This should ideally start an hour prior to your bedtime, but even 5 to 10 minutes before bed is sufficient. It can be as simple as changing your clothes, washing your face, and brushing your teeth. Or it can be something more like a cup of chamomile tea, a bubble bath, a comfy robe, climbing into bed, reading a book, praying and going to bed with the sounds of ocean waves. Whatever you are comfortable with, make that your bed time routine. Personally, my bed time routine is quite a short one since usually I am busy with my daughter, Azaria. Therefore, my bed time routine is usually simply changing into my pajamas, brushing my teeth, washing my face, reading for a little, praying and going to sleep.
I do make sure to fit in more dedicated self-care throughout the week. On Sundays, I put on a face mask, take a bath, and wind down earlier in the evening. On Mondays, I spend half an hour or so in the evenings taking time to be mindful and write in a journal. Everyday I practice self-care through exercise and healthy eating. And every so often, I try to find time to get a massage and take time for self-love.
Self-love is an important part of self-care. Treating yourself to a massage is an example. But I also enjoy practicing self-love through a good meal made at home with some music and just the right ambience. I also enjoy practicing self-care through spending maybe an hour with no work, a glass of wine and a movie or show I enjoy. An important part of self-love is also positive affirmations, take a look at my quotes wall blog which is a perfect idea for self-love through affirmations.
I hope through this post you learned various ways to practice self-care and self-love. There are so many other ways out there. Find what works best for you and being practicing it, you will be surprised to see the positive impact it has on your life.
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Neera Barot's Life 