I couldn't count the amount of times I've heard someone say that they "don't have enough time" for self care.
When it comes to self care, a lot of people automatically think that they need to take the whole day for themselves; that self care is an activity that takes a large amount of time and can ONLY be seen as self care if you have a spa treatment done, then get your nails done, make yourself your favourite meal or order some of your favourite foods and ultimately make the whole day about yourself. Now, don't get me wrong, that IS self care and sometimes you do need to take a day to treat yourself and focus completely on you, but that doesn't mean you can't look after yourself every single day in small ways that will make a difference to your quality of life as a whole. Personal growth can be a long, difficult, sometimes ugly process, so here's a few ways I like to take a bit of time out of every day to always make sure I'm looking after myself. I hope some of these work for you too!
1. Make Your Bed Every Morning
This is a tiny thing I've started doing every single morning. I'm definitely the kind of person who needs to be living in a clean environment for my brain to function properly (A.K.A. If my room is a mess, my head is a mess). My bed is the centrepiece of my room, so if my bed looks messy throughout the day, my whole room looks messy throughout the day and that honestly just stresses me out. Making my bed the moment I get out of it means two things. One: I won't get back into it, which is a definite way of securing the fact that I'll actually do some Uni work that day. Two: It means that my head already feels a lot more clear and I love knowing that I'll be getting back into a freshly made bed that night.
2. Check In With Friends To See How They Are
I find that when life gets busy, I often forget to check in with how the people in my life are. I get very wrapped up in my commitments and that can be stressful, so just taking a few minutes out of your day or out of your workload for a phone call to your best friend, or sending a quick text to tell them how much they mean to you can make a huge difference to both your mood and their's. Good friends are important and I think that sometimes the value of friendship can get forgotten in the midst of 'adult-ing'. I'm new to this too...
3. Eat Something You Love
Diet culture is bullshit, to say the least. The idea that you shouldn't eat a doughnut/pizza/burger/ice cream without feeling at least a slight sense of guilt afterwards is just an absolute shit-storm and I refuse to buy into it. I've suffered from an eating disorder for years now (shall touch on this a bit more in posts to come), but I'm finally getting to a point I'm happy with. I live a very healthy lifestyle. I go to the gym on a regular basis and I eat wholesome foods, but that's not to say that I don't eat whatever I want. If I want a McDonalds I'll eat a bloody Mcdonalds, and you should do the same! Whether someone eats junk food every day or hardly touches the stuff, nobody should be allowed to comment on another's way of life just because it doesn't fit the standards of their own. You do you and let others do them! It's as simple as that.
4. Go On More Walks
As I've mentioned before, and as I will probably mention again, the colder months are my FAVOURITES and I love being outside for them. As well as Uni, I've got a part time job. This means that I spend a fair amount of time throughout my every day life inside. I still live at home and do the majority of my University work from there, so if I need a break I find the perfect thing to do is to go on a walk. I've got dogs, so sometimes I'll take them out, but even things like walking around on my lunch break at work helps me to clear my head. You don't need to be surrounded by wonderful scenery to have a nice walk. Of course, it helps, but some of my favourite walks I've been on have been through the streets of my town on my own in complete silence.
5. Listen To Good Music
Sometimes there's just nothing better than putting your headphones in and blocking out the rest of the world for a few minutes (or hours). Whether you're at the gym, on a walk, laying in bed or listening with friends, music is a remedy and I'll stand by that forever.
6. Learn Something New About Yourself
I'm almost 20 years old and there are so many things I don't know about myself. Life is a continuous journey of learning new things, and that includes getting to know yourself better! I'm learning what I like, and what I don't. I'm learning my worth and I'm feeling so much better about myself than I ever have, and I genuinely feel like it's so important for you to take some time out of every day to notice new things about yourself.
Shop The Look
So there we have it! 6 things I've done to improve my every day life. They've worked for me so hopefully they'll work for you, let me know if you try adding any of these little things into your days x
