How to routinise your self-care

Self-care is one of those terms that is quite popular at the moment. With people saying you should spend time on yourself, "it's okay to be selfish", and "spoil yourself occasionally", you can be fooled into thinking that self-care is more about treating yourself rather than looking after yourself. But for me self-care is about looking after me, making sure I take a shower, or have a coffee in a morning. It's about making self-care a part of my every day routine so that I don't even think about it. If you're having trouble with fitting it in below you can read about how to routinise your self-care.



How To Routinise Your Self-Care | Make time for a coffee.



Adjust your morning routine


Every day you roll out of bed and brush your teeth. Your parents taught you from a young age how important it was to look after your teeth right? And now you just do it, you don't even think about it - it's just a part of your routine. And you should think about self-care in the same way. 





Take time to do what makes your soul happy.

Unknown





Change or add to your morning routine by choosing activities that are just as quick as brushing your teeth. One of the reasons we don't stick to our self-care bits is because we think it takes too much time but by adding something quick to your morning routine you can fit it in and feel a little better. So, after brushing your teeth perhaps you should moisturise your face, or put on a little make up. Yes, you may be at home all day with the kids, or not be seeing anyone, but it may help you feel a little better about yourself. It will give you that little boost first thing in the morning, and we could all do with that sometimes couldn't we?



Routinise your self-care by making it easy


When you add new things to your routine I bet you give it up within a few weeks. It just drops out of the routine for whatever reason and a few months later you realise you gave up. And then of course you feel bad, or guilty, for dropping the new routine. 

One of the main reasons we give up on new routines or new things is that it's not as easy as we wanted it to be. Whether that's exercise (um hello treadmill covered in dust!) or promising yourself you'll do your hair every day. Sometimes it's just easier not to bother isn't it? And I totally get that - I do it myself. I get up and think "I'm not seeing anyone today so what's the point in doing my hair?". Then I wonder why I feel rubbish all day.



How To Routinise Your Self-Care | Take the time to do your hair every day.



So the answer is to make it as easy as possible to stick to your self-care routine. If doing your hair takes too long, or is too much hassle, try to think of ways you could make your hair look nice - but quickly! I love putting my hair in a bun - I have really thick hair and it's a pain to put up in a bun so I bought a roll thingy to use. I can't even remember the name of it (it could be a donut?) but it's amazing (and they're cheap) I put my hair in a ponytail, add the roll and wrap my hair around it then add a few hair grips. Then I'm done. It takes me 5 minutes and my hair looks like I've spent some time on it. That's a good win to start the day.



Exercise is self-care - make it a routine


You may hate it, you may think it's a waste of time but it's important and it's another way you take care of yourself. The key is finding the exercise you enjoy. Find something you like to do, like walking, and make it a part of your routine. It could be an exercise class - one of my friends like to dance and she attends a clubercise class every week. She gets to dance and stay fit while looking after herself. I like yoga - it's a calming exercise and helps me to take time for myself as well as getting exercise. It's an hour that is completely for myself. 



How To Routinise Your Self-Care | Take an exercise class, meet new friends.
An exercise class is a great way to get out there and make new friends too.



Build your exercise into your routine - if it's a class attend every week, if it's going on the treadmill give yourself the time. Making exercise a part of your routine is acknowledging that you need to take care of yourself. 



Routinise your journal writing


Writing in your journal should become a ritual, a little time you give yourself to vent. To write everything down, to get it out of your head and onto paper where you can either ignore it or deal with it. 



How To Routinise Your Self-Care | Write in your journal every day - it'll make you feel better.



Maybe you write in your journal whenever you get the chance, but this may mean that you end up with days going by without getting the chance. So try scheduling time for your journal writing - it could be in the morning after the kids have gone to school, or at the end of the day before you go to sleep.



Stick to your routine


As with everything the more you do it, the better you'll get. Do your best to stick to your routine and it will become like brushing your teeth - not something you think about, you just do it. In a morning you'll get up, brush your teeth, moisturise, and do your hair - maybe even put on a little make up. During the day, or in an evening you'll attend your exercise class, and then before sleep you'll write in your journal. It will just be the thing that you do, rather than having to make yourself do it.





An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.

Unknown





If you forget about new routine things easily then try setting reminders on your phone, or leave little reminders around your house. And most importantly don't beat yourself up if you forget something.



Leave the guilt behind


Forget about the guilt. Guilt is what makes you feel bad all the time, whether you take time for self-care or not. It's time to get rid of that guilt and free yourself. If you want to spend an extra 5 minutes on yourself in a morning that's okay, the kids can cope for 5 minutes. If you want an hour to attend an exercise class that's not only okay - it's awesome. You're deciding to take care of your health, and that can only be a good thing. 



How To Routinise Your Self-Care | Feel good, smile.



Take care of yourself by ditching the guilt.



Keep promises to yourself


When you promise yourself you'll take that extra 5 minutes in a morning - do it. Imagine you're keeping a promise to your best friend if it makes it easier but be sure to do the thing you promise yourself. Make you a priority.



How To Routinise Your Self-Care | Make self-care a part of your routine and you'll be a happier woman!



Self-care is essential, and while sometimes it's easy to push it to the back of the queue, eventually you'll end up feeling worse. Making self-care part of your routine will help you in the long run.



Further reading


On the topic of routinising your self-care I came across a great post over on Life Goals. In How To Create A Daily Self Care Routine That You'll Actually Stick To the writer talks about how to make simple choices and also gives a few ideas of things you could add to your routine.

I love list posts and when an article lists lots of ways to spend time on self-care it becomes one of my favourites. That's why I loved the post over on Wholefully.com from Cassie where she shares 51 Self Care Ideas to Kickstart Your Self Care Routine. There's lots to read through and some great ideas for you to add to your self-care routine.



How will you routinise your self-care?

How To Routinise Your Self-Care | Become an Organised Mama to have more time for self-care!