To help you get your own self care ritual into place, I have put together some simple self care tips. Starting to look after yourself after years of unhealthy habits is not always the easiest thing. It can seem a bit overwhelming at times. Instagram and Facebook are full of seemingly perfect yoga selfies and ‘perfect’ people who seem far removed from everyday folk simply trying to live their lives better. Then there is the ‘new age’ movement that can be very concerning to those trying to balance their faith with their nurturing habits.
Here’s the thing… self care looks different to everyone. To the super healthy and fit yogini who is able to do headstands on the beach flawlessly, it may be about improving yoga and deepening a meditation practice or trying a raw vegan diet. To the spiritual person who is in tune with their own self, it may be about finding balance through chakra healing and crystals or Reiki. To the Christian or Muslim whose faith plays a vital role, it may be about making time to reduce stress and relax after work. To those like me who are simply trying to find balance, it could be about deepening a meditation practice, getting back to yoga and removing unhealthy habits. We are all on the same journey, even if we have different paths and goals.
If you are new to the idea of self pampering, here are a few simple self care tips that will help you ease into your routine, whatever path you may be on at this point.
Self Care Tips for Beginners
Try these self care tips for beginners to get more from your practice of looking after yourself.
Get to know yourself.
Before you get started, think about where you are at in life right now and what you need. Are you battling to sleep? Are you feeling stressed out at work or home? Are you facing a major change in life? Are you trying to get healthier? Are you interested in meditation or yoga? Is mindfulness something you’re curious about? Knowing what you need will help you start finding out how to serve those needs.
Start with just one habit.
Choose one thing that you will start doing for yourself. While it is best to try and make this a daily habit, it could be a weekly habit or even a monthly habit. You could commit to one yoga class per week. You could commit to a morning or evening meditation. You could practice breathing exercises at bedtime. You could cut out junk food or alcohol or start getting back to gym. Choose just one thing and go from there.
Give yourself time and patience.
Like any habit, it takes commitment and patience to get a routine going. Allow yourself time to ease into things and try not to get frustrated if you do not see results instantly. You will start seeing the impact soon, I promise. That is why it is easier to start with one thing and then add more as it gets easier. It’s also easier when something is a daily habit as you do not have time to let things slide. If you miss a day, don’t stress. Just try again the next day.
Add more habits as you go.
Once you feel comfortable that you are in the habit, you can begin adding more to your day, in order to develop a self care ritual. The more habits you have in place, the better you begin to feel. It also becomes easier to maintain your habits and easier to avoid unhealthy habits. You start to truly enjoy being healthy, happy and calm. I never, ever imagined that I would not care about chocolate or wine. Now, I actually feel ill at the thought and crave kombucha and raw snacks instead. I know, it sounds impossible. But it happens once you reset your body and mind to healthy habits.
And that is pretty much that. If I had known how much self care added to my life, I would have started far sooner. I know that sometimes we have to hit rock bottom first, going through the abyss to reach the other side. My journey is far from over, which is the entire point of journeys! It is a work in progress. I am so much happier and calmer now than I have ever been in my life. Each day, I wake up feeling excited for the day ahead. I laugh a lot, I have lots of energy, I am finally starting to eat right and I love life and everything it offers.
I hope that these self care tips make it easier for you to start falling in love with taking care of yourself so that you too can start truly loving and living life instead of trying to avoid it or simply get through each day.
