How to integrate self care into your daily routine

When we think about self care it can be easy to think of it as something that needs a large amount of time in order to do it successfully. And this type of thinking has led to very few of us participating in self care because we all lead such busy lives.

Of course, if you do find yourself with a free day, a day of self care would be wonderful! But, you do not need a whole day. You do not even need a whole hour. Moments of self care can be peppered throughout your day, making each and every day that much better. And acts of self care are much more diverse than you would think.

Here we are going to give you some tips about how you can integrate self care into your daily routine.

 

Journaling 

Journaling daily is a wonderful act of self care and it is a very easy way in which to integrate self care into your daily routine. All you need is a notebook and pen, a laptop, or even just the Notes app on your phone because how you journal is not important. It is the act of journaling that will help you to change your life. 

When we journal we are able to look inward into how we are really feeling, reflecting on how and why we are feeling this way. We are able to write through what emotions we are feeling, process them and gain some perspective on it all, within a private space. 

Bringing journaling into your daily routine is extremely easy. As we have already talked about, you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment. The most important thing you need is you! 

There is also no right way to do it. You can journal first thing in the morning, on your lunch break or before you go to bed. You can set aside half an hour or write for as long as the words flow and it’s fine if that is only five minutes. Just pick a time when you can have a good level of consistency with your journaling. 

As you get started, if you find that you are struggling to know what to write (which happens to us all), you can ask yourself really simple questions such as:

• How would I like to show up today? (If you are a morning journaler)
• How has today gone? (if you are an evening journaler)

Or, if you want to go a little deeper:

• How would I spend my ideal day? 
• If I could speak to my younger self, what would I love to say to them?
• When do I feel most myself?

There is no right way to do it but you can make the whole act more magical by finding yourself a comfy spot, bringing a cup of tea and lighting a candle. Our soy candles would be an amazing addition to your journaling because, as they are made from soy, they are non-toxic and sustainable, making them better for you and the planet. 

 

Yoga

Yoga is an excellent way to bring self-care to your daily routine. An excellent way to bring some physical activity into your day-to-day life, it is also an excellent way to relieve stress and decrease feelings of worry and anxiety. 

Yoga involves both physical and mental training, improving your strength and flexibility but also alleviating the stresses of our lives, bringing forth some balance and helping us to develop the skills to navigate whatever pressures we face. 

Adding yoga into your daily routine can come in the form of attending a class at your local gym or you could choose to go down the home yoga route. Many people choose to do home yoga as it is free, you can go at your own pace, choose the length of the class and you can do it at the part of the day that works best for you. 

 

Meditation 

Meditation is an extremely potent act of self care and just ten minutes each day could change your life. 

In general, meditation is the act of staying focussed on something that calms your mind such as focusing on your breathing. Being focussed on your breathing stops you from focusing on your worries and the restlessness of your mind. 

Find a quiet spot, light one of your soy candles, lie down or sit on a comfy cushion, close your eyes and begin to focus on your breath. Breathe in, breathe out… 

Many of us find this hard and whilst meditating we can begin to think about all the tasks on our to-do list or a fall out with a friend etc. The trick to this is to not beat yourself up for thinking about something other than your breathing but instead acknowledge you have done it and then bring yourself back to focusing on your breathing. 

Both yoga and meditation are a practice and it will take consistency in order to get better at the moves and at the mindset. 

 

Reading 

Reading is a wonderful way to take a moment of self care. Proven to be a way to increase empathy, relieve stress, reduce symptoms of depression and to give your brain a good workout, making time to read is a simple way to help you live a long and healthy life. 

Many of us only allow ourselves the time to read within the stolen moment of the work commute or when we go off on holiday but it is so easy to make reading a part of your daily routine. 

You could decide to read for half an hour as you eat your breakfast or commit to heading to bed half an hour earlier to get cosy in bed. Giving yourself a consistent time and making it a part of your day to day ritual will help it to become a habit. 

You could add some extra luxury by lighting one of our soy candles, allowing yourself a true moment of self care. 

 

And all the rest 

All of these suggestions above are wonderful ways you can bring self care into your daily routine but, if you are struggling to begin, it is important to remember that acts such as having a daily shower, hoovering your home and changing your bedsheets are all important acts of self care. 

Self care is all about taking care of yourself, making your life as wonderful as it can be. Someday’s that will only be things like having a shower and that is okay. Just remember that you deserve to have self care become a part of your daily life. 

We hope our tips can help you do that and that our soy candles make it that little bit extra wonderful.