Do you regularly practice self-care? Self-care holds different meanings for different people. My approach to self-care is to do something for myself every day even if it is only for 10 minutes.
Self-care practices don’t have to take hours out of your day. A few minutes of self-care sprinkled throughout the day can make a significant difference in how you feel, react, and, experience life.
What Is Self Care?
Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. It is something that refuels us in some way by increasing our energy, raising our vibration, lowering stress, and allowing us to be patient and in control. Self-care gives us something we need instead of taking from our reserves.
In theory, self-care is a simple concept yet it is something we overlook in our busy lives. Too often we put someone else’s needs and desires ahead of our own. Sometimes it’s ok to do that but if we continually put others ahead of ourselves eventually we will run out of gas, so to speak. You can not continually give to others without replacing your reserves of energy, love, and care that you are giving. Good self-care is the key to a good relationship with yourself and others.
Self Care For Everyday
It is essential that you create a self-care plan that you follow on a daily basis. These are things that we should be doing anyway and I promise it is not difficult.
Five self-care practices for every day.
- Eat Real Food. Eat a healthy, nutritious diet that includes vegetables, fruit, whole grains, lean meats, legumes nuts, and seeds.
- Get enough sleep. Adults need 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
- Exercise. It’s as good for our emotional health as it is for our physical health. Choose a form of exercise that you enjoy. Exercise with a partner for accountability and fun!
- Use relaxation exercises/practice meditation. They are similar but not exactly the same and you can do these exercises at any time of the day.
- Spend quality time with the people you love.
Here’s more about the benefits of self-care in your daily routine.
Self-Care in an Unsettling Time
None of us are untouched by the difficulties of this year’s pandemic, elections, unemployment, and overall anxiety for the future. Many of us are struggling with anxiety, self-doubt, and depression. Good self-care is the key to improve your mood and reduce anxiety.
That’s why I want to share these 10 self-care practices that you can do in just 10 minutes. You can even string several of them together a few times a day.
10 Ways to Practice Self-Care in 10 Minutes
- Listen to your favorite music.
- Dance to your favorite song
- Read inspirational quotes.
- Stretch or do yoga.
- Make a list of things you’re grateful for.
- Free write in your journal
- Look at family photos.
- Handwrite a thank you note and mail it
- Call someone you love.
- Close your eyes and just relax!
This is actually a very short list designed to get you thinking about all the ways you can add a little self-care to your day! Here is a link to additional suggestions.
Meet Denise E. Stegall, the CEO and Curator of Living Healthy List.com. With 25 years of experience and study in nutrition, cooking, exercise, and coaching, she helps female entrepreneurs and businesswomen curate a healthy, happy, and productive life.
As an inspirational thought leader, Denise provides honest, research-backed information on health, wellness, personal development, and fun for real-life application. Her platform, Living Healthy List, is a go-to community for health and wellness resources, empowering positive changes and creating the life you want.
Denise’s background in nutrition and her philosophy of “Eat Real Food, Make Good Decisions, and Be Accountable” shaped her International Best Seller, “Healthy Living, Happy Life: A Practical Path to Finding the Healthy Lifestyle That Works for You!”
She goes beyond her book and Living Healthy List to offer “Forever Wellness Lifestyle ,” a groundbreaking group coaching model with individualized roadmaps for true health, balance, stress management, confidence, and an uplifting lifestyle. Denise E. Stegall is devoted to empowering individuals to embrace holistic well-being and fulfillment.
“Living a healthy lifestyle does not have to be hard! “