Let’s face it – in a perfect world we’d be making sure we get our eight hours of sleep every night, spending quality time with our friends and family, fitting in a bootcamp session once (or even twice) a day and then still have an hour a day to do something for ourselves. But, as we don’t live in a perfect world, the reality isn’t quite that charming. Life, work, family and admin demand our attention, and often we forget to carve out time for ourselves in the process.
But taking care of yourself is important – how can you give your best to all those aspects of your life if you’re not at your healthiest, fittest and calmest? These 5 simple self-care rituals are an easy way to fit in even 5 minutes for yourself every day:
- Eat for your nourishment and happiness, not for your emotions.
When life gets busy, eating food can become an easy way to add some enjoyment. Often we turn to those comfort foods that give us instant gratification, but aren’t necessarily good for our bodies and leave us feeling heavy, bloated and guilty afterwards. Before you eat anything, stop for a second and ask yourself: Is this going to make me stronger? If the answer is no, put it down and find a better option.
- Include movement throughout your day.
Exercise is an important part of your health. Squeeze in at least one form of exercise a day, like a bootcamp class or a run, and do it in a group of motivating people that will help you grow and get stronger. Try and implement extra movement throughout your day by parking a little further away from the shop entrance to give yourself extra mileage to walk, or taking a walk around the block during lunch break.
- Dress as though you have a special appointment.
Sure, life is not about appearances, but how good do you feel when you know you’ve got a great outfit on? Take an extra 5 minutes every day to choose what you’ll wear that day. It’ll give you that extra boost in your step every time you catch yourself in the mirror or someone gives you a compliment.
- Write down the 10 things that are most important to you.
Life can be hard on you sometimes, but it can be so much easier when you have a purpose and you know what you’re working towards. Write down 10 things that are really important to you, and then every day before bed, refine that list – add and remove items, and narrow them down. Even when you have a perfect list, go back to it every day and remind yourself.
- Give yourself the best chance of a good night’s sleep.
We often don’t realise how important our 8 hours of sleep are, and even if you’re only able to get less, how important quality sleep is. Put your phone on airplane mode an hour before you hit the sheets, and if you can’t do that, at least put it on night mode to avoid blue light. Dim the lights, drink some tea, and do something that calms you. If you really can’t sleep, instead of worrying about it, do something relaxing, like reading or thinking about pleasant things.