Do you wish sometimes you can just go back to your childhood days and be carefree, not worrying about responsibilities or anything in general? Adulthood is often overrated and being an adult means sometimes we are loaded with overwhelming responsibilities like work deadlines and household chores.
When you factor in other activities like social gatherings and other activities, you find yourself often wishing to trade places with your younger self where you had nothing to worry about.
But we know that is impossible and the only way to release all these stress is to take some time to focus on what is essential amidst all the many responsibilities you have and that includes self-care.
You must be wondering what self-care is. It is a general term to describe taking time out intentionally to do everything possible to better your mental, emotional, physical and sexual well-being.
Why is it important? When you feel rested and at peace with yourself, you emit positivity inside out and this naturally transfers and influences others. You are rejuvenating yourself so you can be the best version of yourself at any point of time to the people around you and they stand to benefit from your positive energy and creativity.
Hence we have come up with a list of simple and actionable routines on self-care to cover every aspect of your life!
Here are 10 important tips on self-care routines:
1. Stop putting yourself down
Take some time and observe how you speak to yourself. In your inner mind, do you find that you are kind or critical to yourself? Most of the time, do you find your inner self mocking you for your inadequacy or that you should have been more successful etc? The list goes on.
Why put yourself down when you don’t allow others to do the same to you? Whenever these negative inner thoughts pop up, take a 3 minute break and repeat this mantra to yourself “I am a successful and capable person” and visualise a better you like a blossoming flower, giving life and beauty to the people around you.
2. Engage a hobby
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” – this is so true. Research has shown that people who have hobbies are generally healthier, have a lower risk of depression and dementia.
Making time for a hobby helps you to relax and release your stress because it serves as a diversion from your usual busy life. Hobbies should be made a priority and when you do this as a weekly self-care routine, you will soon find that you have lower blood pressure, improved work performance and increased creativity.
3. Practise 4/7/8 breathing method
This will help you relax and calm your body and mind. You do not need special equipment and it can be done any time.
- Sit with your back straight and move the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound and close your mouth, inhaling quietly as you count to 4.
- Hold your breath for a count of 7.
- Exhale through your mouth completely, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8.
- Start over again by inhaling and repeat three more times.
4. Keep a reflective journal
You may think it is rather silly to journal, it sounds more like something you would do in your childhood. When you write, you are expressing your thoughts and emotions.
Start every morning by writing three things you are grateful for – it helps to start your day on a positive note. At the end of the day, write whatever happened especially for the negative thoughts and emotions.
You will find release from the negativity that’s bugging you and at the same time, you might even find solutions to the problems you are facing as inspiration takes over upon releasing stress. Just spending 5 to 15 minutes of self-care a day can do wonders for you.
5. Get adequate sleep
It is something we should know internally but yet we often forget and fail to do so. Sometimes, a good sleep is all we need to fine tune and reset our bodies to optimum state. Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function. This includes concentration, productivity and performance.
It also affects our immune system. Everyone has different sleep requirements, some can survive with less and some with more. Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep to function well. Alternatively, you can choose to take a 20 to 30 minute power nap during the day so you can reap the same benefits during your hectic days.
6. Exercise regularly
Regular exercise or physical activity helps everyone to benefit regardless of age or sex. If you find yourself strapped for time, just go for a 20 minute walk or jog near your neighbourhood or office.
You will find that this simple and short self-care routine not only lifts your mood and energy but also boosts your immunity and combats diseases especially health conditions and diseases. It helps us to control our weight too as we are burning calories on a regular basis. This makes us feel more confident.
7. Make love often
Engaging in this activity often not only helps to release stress, but also helps both man and woman understand what gives each other pleasure, making them connect more on an emotional level and improving their sex lives as well as relationship.
One study found that men who had an average count of 4.6 to 7 ejaculations a week were 36 percent less likely to receive a prostate cancer diagnosis before the age of 70. Having regular orgasms works a woman’s pelvic floor muscles, eliminating the risk of urinary incontinence.
8. Explore your body
Sexual wellness is more accepted nowadays compared to the taboo it once was during our parents’ generations. Using a vibrator is now a norm in many individual women’s lives. Experimenting with a vibrator helps a woman to learn and discover what pleasures her the most.
Sexuality is owning your sexual feelings, thoughts, attraction and behaviour. It is about being comfortable in your own skin and feeling “free” to do whatever your body desires without any constraint of how people might feel or think. An often overlooked but yet fundamentally important aspect of self-care.
9. Manage your money
Have you heard of the JARS money management system? Basically, you split your money up into six different accounts with this system, putting percentages of your money into each account. You can use bank accounts or actual jars.
55% of your nett income goes to necessities (rent, food, utilities), 10% goes to long term purchases (big purchases, emergency fund, unexpected medical bills, vacation), 10% goes to play (spoiling yourself and loved ones), 10% goes to education (mentors, books, courses), 10& goes to investment (stocks, mutual funds) and last 5% goes to giving to charity organizations.
10. Weekly financial routine
Take 30 minutes out every week to review your financials so you can always stay on top of your expenses and stay within budget. Checking your bank accounts for 5 minutes is a good way to track your spending and monitor any fraudulent transactions. An easy way to save time on paying bills is through automation.
However, if there is no automation available, set up due date alerts to remind yourself so you won’t miss any bill payments. Use 10 minutes every week to make bank transfers or write checks. Last 10 minutes can be used to review your financial goals so it can help motivate you to develop and stick to good money habits.
Self-care is imperative for our overall mental, physical, emotional and sexual well being. When we learn to let go of the unnecessary stress and take good care of ourselves, everything falls into place.We hope these simple self-care tips will help you get started or better your self-care journey.
