Inside: Consider implementing these self-care habits into your life to improve your overall well-being.
While our personal well-being should be one of our priorities, for many of us, that simply isn’t the reality.
Between caring for our families, focusing on our careers, and dealing with all of the other obligations that come our way, finding time for self-care can fall pretty low on the list.
Finding ways to incorporate self-care into our routines might sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.
With the help of habits, you can take a lot of the effort out of the process of practicing self-care while enjoying all of the benefits they bring to your mind, body, and soul.
And by focusing on habits that will improve your well-being, you’ll find yourself happier and healthier – without feeling like you’re putting in a ton of work to make it happen.
Not sure what self-care habits you might benefit from? Here are some self-care habits that can truly improve your well-being.
7 Self-Care Habits to Improve Your Well-Being
Is self-care part of your regular to-do list? If not, it should be.
With all the tasks that need to be accomplished daily, it’s easy to overlook self-care.
Unfortunately though, when you repeatedly stay focused on what needs to get done and ignore you own needs, you can end up feeling burned out.
Incorporating self-care habits into your life will help you to maintain a better balance while improving your overall well-being.
Habits are simply actions you complete every single day that ultimately become a non-negotiable part of your routine. By practicing them at the same time, in the same way, they essentially become effortless as you don’t have to give them much thought.
Not sure which self-care habits to start with? Read on for seven ways to improve your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Self-Care Habit #1: Journaling
For an easy, low-cost habit that can make a major impact on your well-being, consider journaling.
The simple act of grabbing a pen and documenting your thoughts on paper might not sound like much, but it can have a surprisingly therapeutic effect.
By getting your thoughts out of your mind and onto paper, you can create a sense of separation between yourself and your emotions, allowing you to view them more critically.
It’s a great way to get to the root of what’s bothering you – even when you can’t seem to articulate what’s weighing you down. And it’s an effective mechanism to understand your priorities, your feelings, your goals, and so much more.
The best part? There’s no right or wrong way to journal.
Whether you simply jot down a sentence or two, take a stream-of-consciousness approach and write undisturbed for ten minutes, or document your thoughts in response to a specific prompt, you’ll be well on your way to reaping the benefits that a journaling habit can offer.
Not sure where to begin? Use these prompts for self-discovery and reflection to get started.
Self-Care Habit #2: Exercise
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One of the best self-care habits you can embrace to improve your well-being is exercise. Not only does moving your body benefit your physical health, but it can improve your mental well-being, too.
Regular exercise can increase your cardiovascular health, strengthen your bones and muscles, and reduce your risk for various diseases.
Not only that, but it’s been proven to increase happiness, reduce stress, improve your ability to focus, and help those who suffer from anxiety and depression.
However, many people struggle to make exercise a habit. Why? In many cases, it’s because they haven’t found a form of exercise that they truly love.
When working out feels like a chore instead of something enjoyable, it’s easy to push it down on our list of priorities.
The key is to find a way to move your body that brings you joy. Take a walk along a nature trail. Try yoga classes or dance classes. Join an intramural league and play soccer.
Get a gym membership (if you’ll actually go to the gym) and learn how to lift weights, or hop on an elliptical and burn a few calories while you watch an episode of your favorite show or listen to an uplifting podcast.
I’m not a gym person, but recently I purchased a walking treadmill to help me get more steps in at home regardless of the weather outside. I’m using it with a standing desk and it’s helped eliminate my excuses for not exercising.
The bottom line is to figure out what activity works for you. Bonus points if you can find something you look forward to and enjoy. This habit will have a big impact on your well-being.
Self-Care Habit #3: Establish an evening routine
Getting a good night’s rest is key to our overall health and well-being. Unfortunately, many of us struggle to wind down at the end of a long day, making sleep elusive.
We stay up later than we should when we know we have to wake up early, and we perpetuate a cycle of constant exhaustion.
By making the act of going to bed at the same time and in the same way a habit, you can train your brain to wind down and ultimately make sleep come more easily.
Your evening routine doesn’t have to be complicated, but it should consist of a few relaxing actions that help you signal to your body that it’s time for bed.
An example of a simple evening routine might look like this:
- No more screens (television or cell phone) an hour before your ideal bedtime.
- Complete your evening skincare routine
- Brush your teeth
- Put on your pajamas
- Read a chapter of a relaxing book, listen to a bedtime meditation, or pray
By navigating your evening routine the same way each evening, you’ll be surprised to see how much more easily you’ll fall asleep when it’s time for bed.
This is a great self-care habit to develop as getting adequate rest is an essential part of taking care of yourself and improving your overall well-being.
Self-Care Habit #4: Bring a water bottle with you
It might sound simple, but bringing a water bottle with you wherever you go can bring some pretty big benefits to your well-being and is a good habit to have in your life.
Hydration is critically important to our health, but too many of us aren’t drinking enough water. We prefer our morning latte or a midday tea – and we end up drinking far less water than we actually need.
When we skip out on drinking enough water, it can impact us physically. Dry skin, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, muscle cramps, and more unpleasant side effects can be brought on by a lack of water.
The best way to fix it? Drink more water! By simply making it a habit to bring water with you wherever you go, you’ll find it easier to stay hydrated when you always have water available to you.
Use a water bottle or travel mug that you love – then, commit to refilling it on a regular basis and bringing it along. A sticky note on your front door can serve as a reminder until grabbing your water bottle becomes muscle memory.
Self-Care Habit #5: Declutter your space
While you may not typically think of there being a link between decluttering and self-care, the act of clearing your space is an act of self-care.
Clutter contributes to stress, frustration, and wastes time. By intentionally removing the things you no longer love and use, you create space so you can think more clearly and focus more fully on the tasks at hand.
Decluttering your clothing can also help improve your well-being. Consider ditching pieces from your wardrobe that don’t evoke positive feelings. Remove clothes from your closet that don’t fit you currently.
By taking out items that are not supporting your life or goals now, you can breathe more easily and enjoy the things that you truly love.
Decluttering isn’t just a one-and-done process either. It requires developing decluttering habits to keep your space clutter-free. It takes effort but the benefits are worth it.
Self-Care Habit #6: Reflect on your relationships
Do you know what the biggest factor is for whether or not people are happy in life? It’s not their job, how much money they have, or how healthy they are. It’s the quality of their relationships.
Life can get busy and sometimes relationships don’t get the attention that they deserve. While maintaining your relationships may not seem like a self-care habit, it is because of how much relationships impact your life.
Take time to reflect on your relationships. Which ones need more attention? Who could you reach out to today to encourage?
Are there relationships in your life that have become unhealthy? Consider what you can do to create healthy relationship habits with those you love most.
In some instances, you may have done everything you can and find that there are relationships you need to let go of. That isn’t a decision to take lightly, but protecting your boundaries and in some cases your safety is of utmost importance.
Cultivating healthy relationships and being a part of a community can increase your happiness and overall well-being. It’s worth making it a priority in your life.
Self-Care Habit #7: Create boundaries with technology
The final one of the self-care habits to consider adopting is creating boundaries with technology.
Take care of yourself by being mindful of the influences in your life. It’s important to be intentional with how you use social media.
Curate your social media feed and be aware of what healthy boundaries and limits look like for you. Notice how it makes you feel and unfollow and unsubscribe as needed.
Decide how and when screen time is permitted in your home. Protect meal times and focus your attention on your loved ones. Model healthy and appropriate boundaries with devices for your children.
It will not only benefit them but you as well. Get more time and focus back by reducing digital clutter and distractions in your life.
Being thoughtful with how you use technology is a great self-care habit that will help you clear your mind and improve your overall well-being.
Which of these self-care habits will improve YOUR well-being? Leave a comment and let me know!
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Great info! Sleep and exercise are my focus! Dec littering is also going to improve,for that is my weak area! Thank you! Sign me up! Jan King
THanks for sharing all your good tips. It’s helpful.
I think I read something like this on a previous blog of yours a while back and have implemented a lot of them already! So, as someone who has been doing most of these things for quite some time now, I can attest to the fact that Julianna is right on target! A typical week now for me involves journaling every morning. Exercise on my lunch break through the week. I try to rotate stretching/meditation with something cardio or walk when the weather permits. I love being in nature, so I try to do that of course, again weather permitting. I deep clean my house once a week and try to alternate decluttering and organizing certain areas throughout my home. I have bought battery operated tea lights that I put on a timer to add ambience at the end of my workday to create an environment of peace. All these things help to reduce stress and maintain some self-care. Now I will say this, I am 48 and most of my children are out of the house most of the time. The youngest is the only one left actually living with us and my other 2 children and their families visit frequently. So that said, there are occasions my plans for an Epsom salt bath may get derailed or my journaling gets interrupted by a phone call. But my relationships are more important so of course there has to be a good balance. And when they were all home with sports schedules, and school functions it would have been almost impossible to achieve even a minute of such indulgences so if you’re a young parent trying to incorporate these ideas into your life, don’t be too hard on yourself if it doesn’t happen too often. Just realize it is good for you mental and emotional health if you can try to do some of these things occasionally. You’ll eventually get the opportunity in the future to really be able to fully commit. Much Love!
Decluttering, I WISH my husband would let things go that he never looks at, let alone use. For some reason, they are vital to his well-being. I avoid looking at things in our home, sometimes, first thing in the morning, I actually see it all and I detest it. Life is stressed and it all presses in on me. I enjoy decluttering my own things even if I only get rid of a few things, it helps the pressure.
I deem myself successful at consistently decluttering space, nurturing relationships (after stepping away from the toxic), and hydrating (limited to coffee and Pellegrino). All else needs attention. I’m a personal essayist so writing is at core, but journaling doesn’t get much attention. Nor does exercise. I’m limited by heart condition, but daily walks have been prescribed so I must step it up a bit. And then the nightly routine. I enjoy mine, but it involves screens. I love curling up in bed with my laptop reading blogs and essays and anything self-help, decluttering, and fashion. It’s how I unwind. Must turn that into reading a real book (there are 9 on the right side of my bed as I write this – yup, I’m single). You’ve given marching orders. I’ll begin with exercise since that coincides with doctors’ orders. The sun shone brilliantly today.
Excellent guidelines for self-care habits! As I have moved on in my life, I found that these habits which I generally for the most part follow, have provided me with inner peace, calm and more time to pursue my interests and good health. In re-examining the roadblocks to this success, I can point to the following: Overloading on so many fronts–people pleasing trying to be all things to all people–clutter in all its forms (closets, garage, interior home and office, kitchen, cupboards, pantry, refrigerator, calendar, children’s toys, clothes, sports items, etc, etc. etc.). I believe reaching my goal took time, examination, action and confidence I was doing it…and could do it….and I have!!!!
I really like all the great ideas that you share. They’re fairly simple techniques that I myself, find that I do already, but just not consistently. Therefore, by reading you emails and your simplicity habits regularly, it has kept me more aware of completing these things on a more consistent level. I really love all your ideas and happy that you share them to everyone for a growing experience. We all need to change, grow and learn as the days, weeks, months and years go by!