Disclaimer: While I wholeheartedly believe in the power of a self-care routine for mental health, this is not a solution for those suffering with suicidal tendencies. If you wish to end your life but are looking for answers before doing so, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (available 24/7) at 800-273-8255
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With so many ideas for self-care out there these days, it sometimes can seem that it adds to the stress when deciding on how to care for yourself.
Especially when it’s new to you. You may not be sure what you’ll be interested in when it comes to self-care activities.
Have you ever felt like you spend 100% of your time giving your time and effort to others or obligations?
Of course you have!
School assignments, weekly activities, work projects…the list goes on! Let’s not forget the single biggest problem you’ll face as an adult – what the heck are we going to make for dinner!?
Unfortunately, that’s part of being an adult at times. Even more unfortunate that it can seem like this is the case more often than not.
But who has time to slow down and enjoy themselves when so many tasks need to be taken care of?
This problem especially hits home with me because I experienced just that.
By the way! You can click the image to get the free list of 25 Self-Care tips!
I felt as if I was giving all of my effort and energy to everyone else and by the time I got done with my responsibilities I was spent.
Exhausted, frazzled and no where near ready to take on a new activity for my own self-care. Frustrating to say the least.
Not to be dramatic but that scene from Disney’s “Cinderella” used to pop in my head. You know, the one where she finally finished all her work in hopes of going to the ball but there is no time left for herself in order to make it there in time?
Okay a bit dramatic but so relevant!
I used to feel for myself, the same way that scene used to make be feel as a little girl. Sad and angry all at the same time.
“I mean, you only have one life and I wasn’t put here to work my butt off, pay bills and die! If I want to go to the ball then d*mn it I’m going!” You get the picture…
For years I followed the cycle of over working myself, getting annoyed, doing something “for myself” (usually indulgent and ultimately self-sabotaging) and rinse and repeat.
It was exhausting. It was also frustrating knowing that I was headed for the same frustration time after time again.
So how did I break out of that cycle and start a self-care routine that is helping me achieve a better state of mental health?
I started implementing activities into my schedule little by little. I tried a bunch of different ideas for self-care but ultimately have stuck to the same few self-care activities.
Honestly, sometimes life still gets in the way and I’m not able to practice my routine for a day or so.
However, now that it’s part of my life, I enjoy finding a flexible balance depending on what my week is like.
I’d have to say that journaling, exercise and meditation have quickly become my top three favorite habits. They’re great when I’m in need of some grounding self-care.
You just need to stick with it and see what works for you. Having an open mind and being willing to try new things will be key when you’re first starting out.
So let’s talk about a couple of my favorite ideas for self-care.
Meditation was (and is) the most difficult for me to get the hang of.
If you’ve never tried meditation before, I think it’s smart to go into it expecting it to be harder than it sounds.
At first I thought “What’s the big deal? I sit still with my eyes closed and space out, right?” Wrong.
Meditation is simply the practice of observing your breath, and whenever a thought pops up, you quiet it and push it back out of your head.
That’s the hard part – pushing away thoughts that randomly pop up (at least for me).
Many have suggested candle gazing as an easier way to train your brain to achieve the meditative state. Candle gazing isn’t as “woo-hoo” as it sounds.
You know that relaxed feeling you get when you stare at a flame and all your thoughts and worries fade away? That’s pretty much what you’re trying to achieve but without any thoughts.
Use the candle to get used to quieting your mind then graduate to practicing without it (with your eyes closed). Or don’t – it’s completely up to you. I’m a firm believer in the whole “if it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it” deal so if using a candle helps you achieve the perfect meditation state for you then stick with that!
What helps me is creating a visual of myself meditating. I do this by imagining that I’m outside of myself watching from a distance away.
When I meditate, I do it to ground myself or to try to connect to a higher energy/frequency. Picturing myself connecting to energy (whatever visual that looks like for you) helps me get in a meditative state.
I’m still not where I want to be with it but this visualization really seems to work for me.
I love meditation because you can use it for a variety of things!
I use it to calm myself down if I’m feeling overwhelmed or to raise my vibration (frequency) by tapping into a higher energy.
For me, tapping into a higher energy is basically feeling like I’m connecting with my intuition – if that’s a better way for you to understand it.
For those of you who believe in God, I like to think of it as God has/is this big amazing source of high energy, and my intuition is the spiritual side of me that is able to connect with that.
Basically, you’re seeking out more of that still small voice that shocks you with how insightful and eye-opening you can be at times.
We all have this gift and are able to nurture it if we want to. Some of us are more sensitive or aware of it than others based on our background/beliefs.
So anyway, meditation is one of my favorite self-care activities that I’ve implemented into my daily/weekly life.
My other favorite activity is journaling
I personally have two “journals”. One for journaling daily thoughts and working toward my goals, and the other is a notebook I keep as a gratitude journal.
The one I’m currently using is the “Find Joy in the Journey” notebook and I love it! (linked above)
I always get notebooks with inspirational quotes on them because I love being surrounded with reminders like that.
Starting a gratitude journal is an amazing way to feel abundance in your life which will then create more of it.
If you’re not sure how to get started with this practice, check out this amazing Guided 5-Minute Gratitude Journal.
I like having two because I’m not always in the mood for both. Practicing gratitude is something I do daily, however, I’m not always in the mood to write down all the things I’m grateful for in that moment.
Do what feels right and fun for you! I find that I prefer to practice gratitude more by thinking about all the things I’m grateful for, but I will write them down from time to time.
I do however, love to “script” journal as well as just “thought dump” in my journal. Both are so therapeutic to me.
If you’re not familiar, script journaling is a goal-oriented method used to attract the success you’re looking for.
You do this by writing (scripting) as if whatever you want has come to fruition. The more specific you are about it, the better!
I love this method because I love feeling what it will be like when I achieve my goal and that helps drive be toward success while simultaneously opening up my mind to align me to be the type of person I need to become in order to achieve this.
If you can’t tell already, scripting is a powerful tool used to “change” your mind about your reality. It’s really amazing!
So, what about you!? Do you have a life-changing ideas for self care in mind that you’d love to implement into your daily life but don’t know how to make it a habit?
Maybe you want a self-care routine for mental health but don’t know where to start or what to try!?
