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Are you ready to make the commitment to take care of yourself? To cultivate a deeply nourished relationship with yourself in the same way that you would a relationship with your spouse or best friend? Then let’s dive in and explore the basics! In this article, I will share with you some ideas about how to schedule your self care so that it is built into your routine.
First of all let’s talk about what self care is not:
It is not a random mani/pedi. It is not a massage every 6 months. It isn’t a bubble bath or a glass of wine. Self care is not random! These activities can be part of your self care routine but it has to be consistent for it to be effective, and of course it must include many other activities to fill you up, too.
Most importantly, self care is NOT selfish.
Self care is a scheduled commitment to yourself to honor yourself, your body and your soul. It is the intention to get to know yourself on a soul level and to discover your true purpose. It is to help you live a fulfilled and magical life! Totally worth the time and energy right?!
Lets talk about the how. In the book A Gift from the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindburgh says that you need 3 types of self care: Daily self care, weekly and monthly. I’ve also added yearly to my personal routine.
1. Daily Self care
This is the day to day things that fill you up. These activities might include diffusing essential oils, yoga, journaling, or going for a walk. I like to schedule these into my day. My days tend to look different every single day so I schedule it when I can- I prefer mornings but to be honest, two tiny children that I homeschool and a thriving business don’t always allow for that. But if you’re able to keep it at the same time every day, more power to you!
I aim for 30 minutes of self care everyday, but you can totally start small and build up. Try creating a little ritual in the morning after grabbing your cup of coffee; sit in your favorite comfy chair or on the porch and journal. Then follow that up with a gentle yoga session. Or before bed, turn on your oil diffuser and sink into a luxurious bubble bath while you indulge in a good book. Or if you’re really in need of a little more tlc, do both morning and night 🙂
Activities that are on my daily self care list:
~ yoga
~ diffusing essential oils
~ journaling
~ meditating
~doing a card pull
~painting
~ walking
~ bubble bath
~ reading
2. Weekly Self Care
When I do weekly self care, I plan things that are just a little outside of the daily self care with a slightly longer time commitment. For instance, I allow myself 1-3 hours or half a day if I can. It might be just an amalgamation of my daily self care activities or maybe something completely new.
An example of a weekly self care activity might be taking a yoga class at the studio (instead of at home), then coffee at my favorite cafe while I journal. Then perhaps if time allows, shopping or whatever else strikes my fancy. Another example might be taking a nice long hike at a new location and treating myself to brunch and a good book. I kind of think of weekly self care as a date with myself. And I suppose that is fairly accurate, given that you are getting to know your soul when you go on these dates!
3. Monthly Self Care
Here’s where it starts getting really fun. For my monthly routine, I try to plan something for myself that I don’t ordinarily get to do. I allow myself most of the day usually.
Activities on my monthly self care list:
~ going to see a movie
~ taking a class ( yoga, reiki, painting, jewelry making, gardening- something where I can be creative!)
~ meeting a friend for lunch
~ getting a massage
~ going to the beach
I combine 1-3 of these activities from above and there it is, I have a completely soul satisfying and recharging day that gears me up for the month ahead.
4. Yearly Self care
Ahhhhhh. Yearly self care. It’s one of the highlights of my year. It’s time that I carve out that is completely for ME. It’s my escape from reality so that I can deal with reality. For yearly self care, I try to give myself 3 days. Some years its 2, some 4. But 3 is really great. I go somewhere I can relax and connect to myself and the divine. It’s often my favorite hideaway in the dessert- Two Bunch Palms. Sometimes it’s a meditation, yoga, or spiritual retreat. Whatever I plan though, I just make sure that it speaks to me and that I go into it with excitement and peace.
This is clearly an exhaustive list of how to have a well balanced self care routine. I know that this won’t seem doable to some people. I get it! I was you once upon a time. But then I learned what was necessary for me. And that’s just the thing; you have to find what works for you and what doesn’t. That is part of the beauty of this list is that you can pick and choose what works for you and create your own self care routine that keeps you balanced and whole.
Another thing to note, do not feel like you need to do all of these categories at first! I know it can feel daunting at first, especially if you are not used to having consistent self care. So start slow. Commit to a daily self care routine for a month and see how that goes. Like I said before, daily self care can be done in as little as 15 minutes a day! We all have 15 minutes to spare, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time. It just takes commitment and some refocusing of priorities.
I hope this article helps give you some ideas on how to start scheduling for your self care journey!
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