Most of our lives are in fast-forward without a pause button {and zero space to rewind}. Between full time jobs, part time hustles, and having to update social media every 10 seconds to make sure you don’t get kicked off the algorithm, saying it’s hard to find time for yourself is a complete understatement. But it’s also one of the most sought after, important aspects of living your everyday life.
Self-care is one of those things that will make you feel completely recharged and regrouped, but can also stress you out if it’s not practiced often and practiced well. It’s non negotiable, doesn’t take excuses well, and can be done on a short amount of time {believe it or not}. So, here’s a super quick and simple list of how to self-care on a short time that will still leave you feeling good:
1. Make Mornings Magic
Your tone of the day is set off by the minute you wake up {as much as that might suck sometimes}. Create a morning ritual where you set your mind right and create a positive outlook for the day. Have a cup of coffee out of a mug rather than a travel thermos even if that means waking up 5 minutes earlier. Keep a journal and write out one sentence about what you hope the day will bring. Curate a playlist for your commute with songs that make you feel at ease, charged up, and ready to take on the day.
2. Turn Your Shower Into a Personal Spa
The latest craze on wellness websites has been to add eucalyptus to your showers by placing it hanging it over the shower-head. Whether you’re into that idea or not, making your nighttime shower into a personal spa is a serious way to create Zen. Add some candles to your bathroom, get a body wash with a relaxing scent, and take time with your skin routine. Some scents to try out — lavender, sandalwood, vanilla, and chamomile.
READ: Spa in Jersey City: om.life Wellness
3. Dedicate 10 Minutes to Moving
When you move, your body uses energy, but it also creates energy as well. Whether you’re a yogi or not, everyone can benefit from a 10-minute flow full of stretches, mobilization, and mindlessness. Put a timer on for 10 minutes and find a spot in your home where you can move. Start by standing as tall as possible, and then take it from there. Think about where you hold your stress {hint; most people hold it in their upper back and hips} and work through stretches that target those areas such as low lunges, downward dog, and child’s pose.
4. Create a Wind-Down Routine at Night
A lot of the time your energy from the night before will carry over into your next day, so as much as you want to wake up calm you want to go to sleep settled. First and foremost, get *enough* sleep – that’s the most important thing. Second, create a wind-down routine before shutting those eyelids. Take some time to read, to write, or to just chill out before actually trying to sleep. And third, give yourself a phone curfew. Lifehack: try putting your phone on ‘do no disturb’ mode before bed and check out the ‘Night Shift’ option, which dims the backlight of your phone for the hours you program it for.
See More: Acupuncture in Hoboken: Dao-Sheng {Healing the Natural Way}
5. Give Yourself a Social Media Detox
Our phones have become our lifeline whether we like to admit it or not, but we need to PUT THEM DOWN for so many different reasons {that can be a whole article in itself}. This self-care creation can be done both short term and long term. Give yourself a detox from social media by only allowing yourself a certain amount of time on social media per day. From there, think about expanding that time from hours to days.
Taking care of yourself is the most important job you’ll ever have; so don’t ever let it feel like a burden. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll have a difficult time taking care of others around you. So make it part of your everyday routine, BE in the moment, and see how much better you feel after it’s all said and done.
What do you do for self-care? Share with us in the comments so we can try, too!
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