When was the last time you stopped anytime to take time for yourself? When was the last time you felt guilty of taking care of your own self?

Many of you are constantly juggling various demands of your life. Family, work, health, friendships demand undivided attention constantly. By playing various role of spouse, parent, sibling, friend, and employee trying to do everything for everyone else, we are left with no room for self-care. Especially this time of Covid-19 pandemic is overwhelming, stressful, sad, and frustrating for many of us. That’s why it’s very essential to pace up your self-care practices and try to prioritize your well-being!

Self-care is the foundation for a blissful life and better well-being. It’s not only critical for your own well-being, but also for your loved ones.

I strongly believe

That self-care is crucial

 In coping with

Challenging and uncertain times.

So today I’m going to help you take a step in the right direction, and start incorporating self-care in your lives every day. In this article you’ll find simple self-care and self-love tips to maintain your holistic well-being. This will help you to cultivate attitude which nourishes your mind & body with more strength to feel more energetic, peaceful, productive, optimistic & content.

SO, I invite you to take this moment to read 5 SELF-CARE ACTIVITIES I practice EVERY SINGLE DAY.

#1. Embracing Mindfulness

Use this social distance to take you closer to your-self, be the source of your own energy. Off late you were too busy to take care of yourself, running with time but let’s take a brief pause now.

Be mindful of things you do. Become aware of your conscious thoughts as a third eye opinion inside your head – your self-talk or internal dialogue. When you take a different view point, things doesn’t necessary appear that bad. Be mindful of your interactions. Make a list of all sources of negative and positive energies around you. Never forget, what you feel is your power to you. You need to protect it and make it stronger every day

Begin by calling upon all your emotions to shift gears and make sure they are up and running. Reclaim your presence, your own happiness by releasing the guilt and anticipation from your past and future. Discover the holistic wellness of your body and mind that has always longed for your time.

Mindfulness allows me to gift myself an experience that I deserve. Acknowledge the meaningful moments of my life. It boosts my self-care activities, helps me to slow down before the clock catches its pace again. Makes me the driver, gives the steering wheel in my control. Mindfulness gifts me the peace of mind in this busy life.

#2. Focused breathing

Another practice you can often do to calm anxiety is to make sure you’re breathing properly; when you’re anxious, it’s common to breathe too shallow or too rapidly. The quickest way to stop your emotional response is to take five to 10 slow uniform breaths. By pumping rich oxygen into your lungs, you become calmer and more able to refocus your thoughts to be relieved from your fears. You can do this at any point during your day, while taking break from work, in the midst of heated argument and see immediate benefits.

I often use breathing techniques when I’m exercising or meditating. Simple breathing technique that I myself do is to close my eyes when possible and inhale deeply to the count of five seconds. Hold my breath for five seconds and then exhale to the same count.

#3. Being around Loved Ones

Spend time with your loved ones with whom you have been catching up only for breakfast or dinner. Claim your week which was earlier limited to a weekend only. Create memories which were lost in the paucity of time. Within the closed walls, let your smiles and laugh resonate. Nurture your souls and strengthen your connections.

Take a moment to recognize the contribution your loved ones did to help you reach where you are. Take a moment to express gratitude towards the unsung heroes and sheroes of your life. Empower them with life skills to prepare them to face challenges.

Sharing the warmth of my presence with my kid, my partner, my sibling or my parents cheers my mood. Being around my loved ones helps me to forget my worries and inspires me to tackle uncertain times with more strength.

#4. Maintaining a Journal

Make a learning journal. Explore your understanding, question your assumptions, and identify things that confuse you. Develop and refine ideas and beliefs. Begin by laying the groundwork for perception and decision making with the help of visual scanning, recognize the pattern, anticipating the situation with whatever knowledge you have & can acquire.

From the last 5 years, I’ve been writing in my journal at the start of the week to set goals and acknowledge what I’m thankful for in my Life. I love journaling because it gives me the energy to support others. It helps me to chalk out strategies to process my feelings instead of suppressing them. Makes me excited to become a better version of myself, being a “work in progress”.

Every night I write a positive beautiful memory in my journal which I can always look back. This is a practice I plan to continue for the rest of my life.

#5. Minimizing Screen time

We are constantly in the grip of emotional contagion due to this pandemic. We are continuously exchanging social media messages, watching television and spending time on our phones to pass our free time. Try to engage in a self-care activity that helps you have fun, feel calmer, or recharge your energy.

But off-late I have realized screen time can help me switch off and relax, but when it comes to self-care, it shouldn’t always be my first priority. I’m careful to limit my time on social media and I do my best to:

• Avoid mindless scrolling, binge watching Netflix, long working hours, not to access social media apps one hour after waking and one hour before sleep
• Stop following too much negative content, GET NEWS AND UPDATES FROM RELIABLE SOURCES
• Even turn off my phone, get rid of distractions, so I can give my body permission to start unwinding and getting into a rest and reset mode
• Practicing self-compassion by talking to myself & supporting, reminding myself with positive affirmations that I am liked, loved, proud of myself. With hard work &commitment I can achieve anything
• Reading a book daily at least for 30 minutes (try audio book if you are hard pressed on time), playing with my kid, yoga, daily workout
• Put on my favorite song and dance when I get bored or stressed out
• Sleep is an immunity booster for me ,a big self-care priority and the more I have the ability to sleep and rest well, the better my mind and energy levels will be for whatever the next day has in store for me

Self-care doesn’t have to be another task on your to-do list that adds pressure to your already busy life. There are simple and meaningful ways to engage in self-care, lift your spirits make you like yourself again even when you’re short on time! I hope you enjoy embracing these tips in life.

Is self-care a part of your daily routine? Does anything hold you back? What are your favorite self-care strategies? Do let me know in comments!

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