We’ve discussed self-care a bit on the blog before, but it’s a topic that is always relevant. In 2020 especially, self-care has been instrumental in keeping us going in lockdown and during the pandemic. Routines in general have been a big part of keeping life as close to normal as possible this year (remember the memes of people pretending to commute by holding their shower curtains?), even when nothing else was normal. Even though life looks a lot different now than it did a year ago, there are still things we need to do every day, and there are things we can do to take care of ourselves every day. You might think of self-care as something to do once in a while, but self-care is important to practice on a daily basis. One way to make sure that you practice self-care regularly is to actively build it into your daily routine.
It might seem like a lot of work to take care of yourself every day. After all, you’ve been doing fine with a little self-care here and there up until now, right? Even if that’s true for you, this year has been unlike any other, and just because the number on the calendar is about to flip doesn’t mean things will magically change. We are in the middle of a really tough situation, and it’s only natural to need more support when things get tough.
The tricky aspect of self-care can be finding the time to do it. When the day is done, it seems like a lot of hassle to do something nice for yourself especially if the couch and Netflix are calling. That’s why it can be helpful to work in self-care to the things you already do every day.
Here are 4 tips for making self-care a part of your daily routine:
Literally write it down
Sometimes, the last thing you want to do in the entire world is make another decision. Even if there are things you know you can do in the moment to make yourself feel better, it can be hard to come up with something when you’re feeling emotionally or physically drained. That’s why it can be helpful to plan in advance.
There are probably plenty of ways you can make yourself feel better – move your body, drink a glass of water, write a letter to someone on your mind, dance to music you love, play with a pet, take a shower, get some sleep – so write them down ahead of time.
Keep a list of self-care ideas in a note on your phone or on an easy to see post it. You can even come up with categories, like self-care ideas for different emotions, like when you’re feeling sad, anxious, or tired, for example.
Anchor your habits
There are probably things you do every single day, right? Even if some things are unpredictable, you probably eat at least a couple of times a day. You probably brush your teeth, or get out of bed, or feed your pet. Since habits like those are so ingrained into our routine we barely think of them as habits, they’re perfect for anchoring new habits.
If you want to start a journaling practice, for example, try sitting down to write a page in your journal every morning after you brush your teeth. While you’re getting used to the habit, your original habit will help act as a reminder so that you get used to doing it every day.
Be willing to be flexible
Sometimes, what you need changes, or it doesn’t look like what someone else needs. That’s okay! What is self-care to you might not be self-care to someone else. The important thing to remember is that self-care is to improve the relationship you have with yourself, not with anyone else. This is one of the rare times when your opinion is the only one that matters and what you say goes!
With that being said, what works for you one day might not work the next. Taking care of yourself can be an intuitive process, so trust your gut when you’re trying to decide if something will help. It’s okay to have a wide variety of self-care tools to reach for – in fact that can be really helpful, so you always have something to turn to no matter what comes up. If you’re not sure what will work for you from one day to the next, make sure to focus on just building time for something into your routine. It doesn’t have to be the same from day to day, but adding a self-care spot to your daily routine can leave your options open while meeting your needs.
Use the buddy system
Sometimes it’s easier to follow through on things when you have someone to be accountable to. If that’s the case for you, it might help to rope in a friend or loved one to talk to about your self-care practice. You can be honest with them that you’re looking for accountability in your self-care practice, or you can even just tell them you’re interested in talking about the topic a bit more so it doesn’t feel like you’re bringing it up out of the blue.
You don’t even necessarily have to talk to someone to have them be your accountability buddy, either. You could have a shared note on your phone where you mark off self-care tasks as done so they can see your progress. Whatever you feel comfortable with works!
When it gets tough to prioritize yourself remember: you deserve to be taken care of every day. Self-care is a practice, and the more you do it the more natural it will feel.
If you’re looking for guidance while you improve the relationship you have with yourself, our clinicians can support you.
Pivotal Counseling Center is now accepting Medicaid including Blue Cross Community Medicaid, Meridian Medicaid, and Molina Medicaid for outpatient counseling.
