What is your self-care routine like? Are you the type who’s particular about scheduling your self-care in your daily life routine or do you just get it in when you need it? Maybe you’re the type who don’t think about self-care at all yet you some how make time for it because whether you’re aware of it or not, self-care shows up when you spend the day binge watching television, if you bake cookies with your kids, when you have a glass of wine and believe it or not, self-care is happening when you purge your closet and toss out items you no longer wear or need. Regardless of where you fall in this category, what matters most is that you find the benefit i.e. your self-care in the things that you do to cater to your well-being, emotional freedom, or peace of mind.
On Thursday I was the featured guest speaker for an organization that we collaborate with occasionally at my job. The topic was on self-care and resilience and someone asked if I ever felt guilty about engaging in self-care (I don’t). She said when she takes time to relax, her mind stays focused on the things that she needs to get done which in turn makes it difficult for her to relax. I can’t imagine that there aren’t a lot of people out there who feel the same way. How many times have you heard “I”m too busy for….” or, “I don’t have time for…” it’s interesting how we’re never too busy to participate in things that may potentially stress us out but we can’t seem to “find the time” to relax and take a breather. Our priorities are definitely in the wrong place. This week’s challenges are a list of ideas that we can incorporate in our daily routine this week to help kickstart our self-care routine. This challenge is specifically made for those of you who can’t seem to find the time. While they may not seem like much or may not seem like self-care at all, I’m still encouraging you to find the pleasure in each of these. And once you find that pleasure hold on to it because that is your self-care even if that feeling only last for a moment.
Sunday-AT HOME FACIAL I don’t think a lot of us take advantage of this opportunity because we always assume we have to schedule a facial at a spa. If you’re on a budget, you can head to stores like Marshalls or Burlington to purchase a few facial products to help you with your at home facial today. I would suggest doing this in the morning or right before bed. Depending on your personality a facial might make you feel empowered and ready to go about your day or, it might make you feel relaxed and ready to come down from your day.
Monday-TREAT YOURSELF Ask yourself what you need because treating yourself can mean so many things. Perhaps you’re debating on whether or not you should have dessert or french fries, or maybe you’ve been eyeing a new bag or a pair of shoes for a while but you’re not certain if you should take that risk. Or maybe it’s a more non-traditional route like choosing not to do anything today but chill. Relaxing is a treat too so if that’s what you need I say go for it.
Tuesday-ORGANIZE YOUR SPACE Because I think it will make you feel better. If you’re already an organized person maybe you can re-arrange your space and switch things up a little. A few months back I wrote a blog post about designing your workspace. I wrote this post because most of us are working from home during the quarantine. And some of us (like me) is working with a very small space and I wanted to encourage others to spruce up their space to hopefully boost their mood while they are working. Organizing your space does not have to mean your workspace. It can be any space in your home that’s specifically yours or it can be one of the main rooms (living room, dinning room, bedroom, etc.).
Wednesday-START A SAVINGS CHALLENGE Financial talk can bring on a great deal of stress for a lot of us an I think it’s because some of us don’t have our finances in order but believe it or not, financial health is a form of self-care. Because if you’re in a good place financially you will likely not stress about what’s going on with your money. A few weeks ago I started a Financial Friday post on my Facebook group. My goal is to hopefully encourage some of my followers to be more financially savvy if they’re not doing so already. There are a lot of savings challenges available online. I recently started one to help boost my emergency funds. Here are a few options HERE and HERE.
Thursday-REMEMBER HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO LOOK AFTER YOURSELF I really like this challenge because it’s often neglected and it’s the ultimate purpose and reason behind self-care. The next time you feel guilt, try to remember this challenge. Especially if you feel guilty for taking care of yourself today. I would suggest journaling or writing down why it’s important for you to take care of you. You may feel the need to always be on the move but remember you weren’t built to operate like a machine.
Friday-WORK ON A MEAL PREP SCHEDULE I think meal prepping saves a lot of time and it takes the guess work out of what you’re going to make for dinner or lunch each day. Later this evening (or whenever you have free time) sit down and plan a meal prep for the upcoming week. Since it’s the weekend, maybe you can make time to head to the grocery store to pick up items for your meals. I would recommend trying something new, maybe a new side dish to add a little adventure into your week.
Saturday-GET A MASSAGE Because why not lol. I know the pandemic is still alive and well but if you feel comfortable going somewhere to get it done, I’m encouraging it but please BE SAFE. Another option would be to have your partner give you a massage or you can keep it simple and a little more inexpensive by getting a pedicure (that’s a foot massage and a massage from the chair all in one lol). Another cheap option and possibly a less effective option is to give yourself a hand or face massage. I found a short hand massage video for you. You can also look for videos on scalp massages or face massages.
Last week I didn’t post my Self-Care on the Go infographic because I wanted to focus on Valentines Day. For my newbies, Self-Care on the go are essentially bite size versions of my self-care challenges. It’s open to anyone but it’s specifically created for moms and other working women; who may not have time to participate in all (or any) of the challenges above, because of their mommy duties or busy work schedule. You can access the infographic HERE. I’ve been posting them every Sunday since the beginning of the year and I really enjoy creating them. If you’re one of my readers who participate in, or enjoy these options because you find them convenient, leave a comment and let me know what you like about them or what you think I should change. Thanks for going on this self-care journey again with me this week. Creating this post is truly one of the highlights of my week.
By the way, if you’re interested, my Newsletter and Self-Care Accountability Worksheet is now available. The worksheet will act as a supplement to my daily self-care challenges. The purpose is to help you stay on track with your daily self-care routines. If you’re interested in receiving these items weekly, email me at tam33ks@yahoo.com. The self-care worksheet is FREE, but will only be available to my Newsletter subscribers. I will NOT spam you, I will only email once per week.
Let’s Chat! Which challenge was your favorite this week?
Follow Me:
- Instagram: @selfcareatforty
- Twitter: @playingblogger and @naturaldo
- Pinterest: @tam33ks
Self-Care At Forty 