“The first rule of kindness is to be kind to yourself.” Buddha
That’s a gentle reminder we all need to give ourselves in these times of uncertainty and turmoil.
Every one of us needs self-care and love, more than ever before. If you are like most people, you forget to take care of yourself.
There are so many avenues of our lives that need attention that we fail to pay attention to ourselves.
Finding the time to take proper care of your mind, body, and soul is hard, but only until you make it a priority. Keep it at the top of your to-do list every day and everything else will fall into place.
If you don’t make it a habit, it won’t be long when you will find yourself battered with doubt, exhaustion, and in a mental fog where it’s almost impossible to care about anything or anyone. Your high tolerance for discomfort in your life is not going to serve you for long.
Here are some self-care tips you can practice at home. All of these are pretty simple yet highly effective tips that work for most people.
Self-Care Is about Every Single Day
I have made a separate heading for this because it deserves to be reminded with emphasis. It’s not a one-time deal. It is not something you do once and tick off the list.
You have to take out time for yourself every single day. It is a constant repetition of tiny simple habits that will give you a consistent feeling of being at your optimum, mentally and physically.
Self-Care for Body
Practice Deep Breathing
Breathing is what we do regularly. This is about deep breathing. Your breath is such a precious connection between your body and life.
Make small windows over the day when you take out a few minutes to practice deep breathing. Breathe into your abdomen and puff out the air from your chest and stomach.
Indulge In Physical Activity
It could be cardio, strength training, yoga, or swimming. Indulge in some sort of physical activity on daily basis to take better control of your body. It not only helps you to keep a check on your body weight, but improves coordination and balance.
Take a Long and Relaxing Bath
When was the last time you had a long and relaxing bath? When you were not worried about getting late?
Allow yourself to have an unwinding session. Get some fancy bath bombs, bring in some of your favorite essential oils, and allow yourself to enjoy.
A hot bath will instantly relax your body muscles and let your brain muscle relax too.
Dance on Any Upbeat Track
Put on your favorite upbeat track or just any popular upbeat track and shake your body. Loosen up and let go of your constraints. Whether you know any of the killer moves or not, dance-off!
Make Small Healthy Changes to Your Diet
What you eat is what you are. Start by making one small change to your daily diet. Be it drinking an extra glass of water every day or swapping any of your meals with more veggies. Small changes can make a significant difference.
Narrow down your food choices. One simple way is to pick two healthy breakfasts and dinners for the week and keep rotating them. Decide a pace for yourself and soon your small success will fuel your motivation.
Find Your Self-Soothing Systems
Surround Yourself with Good Smells
Everyone is unique and so are their self-soothing systems. It could be as simple as stroking your arm, talking to yourself, brushing your hair, moisturizing, or caressing your skin.
Get to know yourself and show compassion to your body.
Some smells kick in the nostalgia, make you feel relaxed, or motivate you to take action. Yes, smells can do all of these and a lot more. Perfume industry is relying on these links between smells and human emotions. Pick your favorite ones to surround yourself with them.
Go for a Walk
Go for a walk alone. Get closer to nature. Stay close to greenery. Depending on your current physical condition, choose to go for a walk or a run.
If possible, put off your shoes and walk barefoot on the ground. Make sure the ground is even and safe for walking before you try it!
Self-Care for Mind
Practice Guided Meditation
If you are new to it, search for online resources providing guided meditation. Find a comfortable and relaxing spot in your home for meditation. Avoid a noisy and occupied spot. Plugin your headphones and follow the instructions and open your mind to feel.
Start a Compliments File
Make a compliments file to keep a record of all the good things people say about you. It could be a small compliment from your colleague, a lady on the bus, or your friend.
Keep a record of all the good compliments because we tend to forget the positives sooner than the negative ones. Read it whenever you are feeling down.
Make sure the compliments are not just about your physical appearance but how people feel when they are around you.
Make a Realistic To-Do List
To-do lists are super-effective in getting things done. But everyone would agree that there are some “lurkers” we always keep in these lists. We never get them done and they just stay there and bring our morale down every time we see it not-done. Scratch it off from the list.
Make realistic goals and enjoy your success to keep yourself motivated for doing more and more.
Allow Yourself to Feel
What is it that you are not allowing yourself to feel? All of us tend to silence our emotions and drown ourselves in work or instant gratifications.
Allow yourself to feel without judging. Feel it, accept it and grow with it. It’s not easy and not that simple, but start with letting yourself feel it. Be kind to yourself.
Remove One Thing that’s Nagging You for Long
It could be a person, a job assignment, any commitment you made, or even a faulty appliance at your home.
Locate the things that have been annoying you. Get rid of any of them. It gives you a sense of freedom and you will soon find the courage the evict everything from your life that seems to take away your peace.
Create a Deliberate Effort to Make a New Habit
If you can’t find reasons to love yourself right now (although there are many at every moment), create a deliberate effort to make a new habit. Keep in mind that your habits are not you, they can be good or bad and subject to change.
Treat Your Mind with a Good Laugh
Watch a good comedy series to treat your mind with a good dose of dopamine.
Quit Social Media for A While
It has become a crucial part of our lives. Pick a few hours from each day to quit social media. You can also try social media detox for a week or two! It’s liberating.
Self-Care For Soul
Love Yourself
This is as simple it is. Love yourself. Imagine yourself as your best friend and think what advice would you give to yourself. How would you soothe a person going through the things you are going through? Pat yourself on the back.
It is very unhealthy to keep focusing on your shortcomings.
Forgive Yourself
One of the best gifts you can give yourself is to forgive yourself.
Write Out Your Thoughts
Write down your random thoughts for straight fifteen minutes. Put off the burden.
Help Others
Empaths find happiness in helping others. Do something for someone else without harming yourself in the process.
Ask Others for Help
Seek help. Surround yourself with positive people and don’t hesitate to talk about things that matter.
About the Author
Ella James is a professional content writer and content marketer. She has written several blogs in the past few years reaching out to thousands of readers all over the world. She is currently working on writing for waterheaterpicks.com