Make Your Own Self-Care Routine & Self-Love Practices

We are living in a time where self-care and self-love are regularly talked about, memed, blogged, vlogged, and so on. People are in more need than ever, especially during this time of pandemic and protesting to have a their own self-care routine, as well as self-love practices. Yes, there is a need for both, and there is a difference between them.

Self-care is when you are taking care of yourself physically and mentally. It’s what you do to make sure you’re getting the time you need to feel at peace, whether it’s spending the night in reading, being creative, meditating instead of going out with friends or going to bed early instead of binge-watching Netflix series while scrolling social media. It’s the self-awareness that you need time for yourself to grow or develop in any way.

Self-love is about focusing on gratitude and acceptance of oneself in everyway. This could be changing how you speak to yourself, such as, not calling yourself fat or ugly, but saying, “I am choosing to let go of what weighs me down”, and “I am beautiful.” Self-love is choosing to say positive affirmations and speaking and thinking kindly of yourself. Not being too hard on yourself. Loving yourself fully and unconditionally.

We know none of this is new, but what is new is the mountains of information readily available about this.  Organic Excellence recommend keeping things simple and in balance. Find out first what you like. Write down your needs and your goals. It is good to have a plan to be your best self. We suggest having a way to track your habits and practices. It all starts with You. You are Number One!

Commit to consciously and actively caring for yourself!  You are the driver.  You are in control to create a more healthy, vibrant, balanced you.  You are worthy of being loved and cared for everyday.  

Start today! Learn your personal wants, needs and goals. It will help you make your own self-care routine and self-love practices. A little self-discovery can also go a long way towards happiness. Ask yourself, “what do I need to be more healthy and happy in my life?” Is it alone time, silence and meditation, art and music, time away from social media, mental health support, friend time, visits to a massage therapist, etc.  Sounds easy, but give this serious consideration.

Here are some insights and inspiration to help you get started making your own self-care routine.

Mind

• Detach from technology a few hours a day.
• Surround yourself with people who are stimulating.
• Learn to meditate.
• Start a new hobby.
• Read 10 pages a day on a topic that expands your growth.
• Start a savings account.
• Keep a habit tracker in your bullet journal, planner or notes app.

Body

• Wake up earlier.
• Go out dancing.
• Take a warm bath.
• Get a massage.
• Exercise.
• Take a cooking class for healthy eating.
• Learn pranayama or breath work.

Spirit

• Laugh more.
• Go walking in nature.
• Keep a gratitude journal.
• Find a mentor.
• Journal.
• Perform random act of kindness each day.

Choose one to two things from each category; it can be something more related to your goal. Start with something easy. If you try to do too much at the start, you might become discouraged if you are not able to stick to it.

Here are some self-love things to help you create your own practices for loving yourself.

• Write down what made you happy or feel grateful: You can add this to your journal routine you may already be doing for self-care, or write it in an app, like the Gratitude app, etc. Find what works for you.
• Speaking your own daily affirmations: Positive affirmations are almost as easy to define as they are to practice. Put simply, they are positive phrases or statements used to challenge negative or unhelpful thoughts. You may choose to use positive affirmations to motivate yourself, encourage positive changes in your life, or boost your self-esteem. If you frequently find yourself getting caught up in negative self-talk, positive affirmations can be used to combat these often subconscious patterns and replace them with more adaptive narratives.
• Declutter your friendships:  This requires a little more thinking. Go through your friendships, and decide which are worthwhile. Do they uplift you? Do you feel happy and inspired around them? Are they supportive? You shouldn’t spend your time with people who drain you and you don’t feel good when you’re with them.
• Say no to things that don’t serve you: There’s a saying, “you disrespect yourself every time you say yes to something when you want to no.” Stop trying to please other people by saying yes to things that you don’t want to do or can’t because of your own schedule. It’s OK to say no — actually, it’s recommended!
• Practice mindful eating: Mindful eating is when you focus on the food you’re eating while you’re eating it. Instead of watching Netflix on your laptop or FaceTiming your friend, pay attention to your food. Focus on how it tastes, what you like about it, how many times it takes you to chew, and more. While it might seem awkward or weird at first, it helps you to appreciate what you’re eating instead of overeating mindlessly.
• Seek out help from a professional: This could be in the form of a therapist or doctor, or it could be talking to a life, career, or motivational coach. It isn’t weird or “weak” to ask for help – it actually shows a ton of strength! Your mental health and wellness is of utmost importance.

Try to make balance a life priority.  The yin/yang in the world is in infinite balance.  Perfect balance in our actions and habits will always lead to perfect harmony within our bodies.  We will talk more about balance and its health benefits in future articles, in particular hormonal balance and the key role it plays in our overall well being.

For now, Step 1: Make Your Own Self-Care Routine & Self-Love Practices.

Start today, there is no time like the present.  The sooner you start, the sooner you reap the benefits. The information available on this is endless and much is included in series we will be sharing online.  Embrace the information that resonates with you and helps you achieve your goals. Set the rest aside – maybe they will be of future use, maybe not.

Self-care and self-love aren’t about rewarding yourself; it’s about spending time with yourself and loving every minute of it. Literally reading this article is practicing some of that, so you’re welcome.

Lastly, you can plan all you want but life just happens. Be flexible, creative and patient with yourself. Above all else, be kind to yourself! Enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

We at Organic Excellence are happy to share the journey with you. We look forward to everyone out there reading this to share their insights, healthy habits and practices along the way.  Help and inspire others. We love you and hope that you love you too!

 Written by Moneissa Green, Marketing Manager