6 Steps To Developing Your Own Self-Care Routine

Integrating self-care into your lifestyle is the best thing for you to do for yourself. It’s important that we take time out of our day to relax, unwind, and reset ourselves. More than just a relaxation technique, self-care is beneficial to your mental, physical, and emotional health. It can help unburden all of your worries so that you can go out into the world with your best foot forward.

Check out these six easy steps to help guide you towards developing your own self-care routine.

1 – It’s All About You. The first step to developing your own self-care routine is to accept that it is all about you. It’s not about being self-centered or ignoring the people around you. It’s about ensuring that you are at your best so that you can deliver your best to others. Cater your routine to yourself and what you love to do. If you love cooking, set aside time to make a new recipe. If you love music, take an hour to play your guitar every day. Don’t forget, what might work for your best friend may not work for you. We all restore ourselves in different ways, so make your plan unique to you.

(Photo via @sadieflinnbirchfield)

2 – Be By Yourself. Self-care means being with yourself by yourself. I know that it sounds scary to sit with all of your worst thoughts without any distraction. I mean who wants to sit and contemplate their doubts and fears? But it’s important to attack these thoughts head on just so you can realize how little power they have over you. Take time to sit and think about all the of noise that is chattering in your head so that you can discover your actual truths. You’ll find out that all of the things that you have been harvesting inside of you will no longer be causing you unnecessary stress. You must take time to listen to yourself.

(Photo via @beautifuldetour)

3 – Make it a habit. If you want to feel your best, your self-care routine has to become a daily practice. Find a break every single day for a little bit of “you” time. During these small breaks ask yourself how you are doing and what you need. Do you need a sundae? Do you need a hug? Sometimes you can’t monitor the state of your mental health until you sit and actually ask yourself. Let these questions guide your daily “you” time.

(Photo via @isabellatruong)

4 – Be Present. This tip is one of the most important stepping stones for creating your self-care plan. You must be present during the time you spend with yourself. Forget your phone, laptop and even your television. Those devices are often what we use to distract ourselves from what’s bothering us. That’s their job but distractions don’t solve anything. They are a temporary fix. Try things like focusing on your breathing to bring you into the present so that you can enjoy the time you have with yourself.

(Photo via @jaidabrinkley_)

5 – Take Time. The road to focusing on self-care, is not always easy. Sometimes you can get by each day without a little “me” time but that’s all you are doing, just getting by. In time, all of the self-neglect piles up creating a big storm of negative emotions and mental exhaustion. Take the time to focus on yourself but also know that it takes time. Self-care doesn’t provide instant gratification. You have to continue to incorporate those daily breaks consistently to really see a shift in both your mood and perspective on life.

(Photo via @sarahdewald)

6 – Love You. Last but not least, don’t forget to take time out of your day to tell yourself that you love you for being you. It’s not always easy to get out of bed to handle every day stressors. It’s also not easy being the only person who can ever really know what’s going on inside of your head. And to be honest that can feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. But, every little step we take to become someone better is a sign for our love for ourselves.