Self care ideas

Self care important for added productivity in your life. Check out these morning self care routines as well. If being more productive is your goal, there are tons of things you can do every evening in order to feel fresh, inspired, and focused throughout the following 24 hours in order to slay your goals. If you’re currently looking for nighttime self-care ideas to turn into habits, here are 7 things you can do every night in order to have a super productive next day!

• Journaling is one of the most powerful acts of self-care out there. Not only is writing down about your day a great way to understand your thoughts and feelings better, but it’s also a wonderful ritual to keep a written record of your life. Moreover, making a habit out of it is a great way to have some serious “me” time right before bed. Contrary to what you may believe, journaling doesn’t necessarily mean you have to sit down and write a 2000-word essay on your day. In fact, writing whatever comes to mind for just 5 or 10 minutes has been proven to be a more effective way of doing it!
• Turn your house into a DIY aromatherapy session by burning candles and diffusing relaxing essential oils. Smells and odors can have a huge impact on the way we feel, and turning your space into a haven for them is guaranteed to turn your mood around. Since we’re on the subject of evening-time self-care, I highly recommend focusing your efforts on trying to get a better night’s sleep in order to feel as great as possible the following day. For this purpose, ylang-ylang, lavender, chamomile, and cedarwood are great choices for evening self care!
• What are you thankful for? Make a list of every single thing in your life you feel grateful for, no matter how small! This can range from huge things like a roof over your head to smaller items you enjoy, like that cup of tea you get to drink every morning. This is a great way to set your intentions for the day. Taking a few minutes to reflect on all the good in your life can be a powerful reminder not to take things for granted as well as help you create a better mindset towards life.
• If meditating isn’t part of your evening routine yet, make sure you start doing it tonight! Nope, you absolutely don’t need to become the next big spiritual guru for meditation to work. In fact, meditating is easier and faster than you may believe it to be. All you really have to do is find yourself a relaxing and quiet spot in your house and allow yourself to just *be*. It’s a quieting of the mind. That could be prayer or some other type of meditation. But it’s about fixing your mind on spiritual things. If you’re new to it, there are tons of helpful videos on Youtube and apps you can download out there in case you need guidance!
• Owning a smartphone is a great way to stay connected, but we can’t deny it can drain humongous amounts of time away from our day. If you’re anything like me, chances are you find yourself spending way more time on Instagram Valley than you should, and social media may just be the culprit as to why you’re not going to bed when you’re supposed to. Make it your mission to “switch off” during the evening. Not only could you invest that time you spend on your phone doing something you enjoy doing or practicing more self-care, but you’re also guaranteed to fall asleep a little earlier!
• Listing our goals is an amazing way to stay organized and inspired. Creating a habit out of penning your expectations for the following day will not just help you have a clear image of what the following 24 hours will look like, but it will also keep you motivated to tackle that to-do list. Make sure your list of goals is made up of activities you absolutely have to do (i.e. writing an essay, cleaning, working out, etc) as well as items you enjoy doing just for the sake of it (watching a movie, going for a walk, painting, etc). Moreover, be sure your list is realistic to avoid overwhelming yourself!
• If you haven’t worked out yet, the evening is a great time to hit the gym before heading home. Don’t forget to make time everyday for movement.
• Yup! Absolutely nothing on this list will make you feel as great as actually getting enough sleep time. If you’re prone to staying up late browsing TikTok or you simply have a hard time falling asleep, make it your mission to change that ASAP. Going to bed early will not only keep your health in check, but it’s also a great way to honor yourself and feel focused and fresh the following day, which is essential in order to stay as productive as possible.
• If falling asleep is an issue for you, try a few of these things:

• Switch off your phone an hour before going to bed
• Meditate before bed
• Read a book instead of watching Netflix
• Try aromatherapy

What are other ways you like to practice evening self care ideas? I’d love to learn any more ideas you may have, so feel free to drop them in the comment section below!

Check out these 7 self care habits that will change your life.

The post 7 Evening Self Care Ideas appeared first on Actionable Wellness.

Morning self-care

If you don’t have a ton of time for yourself throughout the rest of the day, I highly recommend fueling every morning by practicing a little self-care before you head out of the house.

Even if you’re not huge on mornings, little actions can have a ton of impact, so instead of spending half an hour scrolling through social media before you even get out of bed, why not use that time to do something that’s good for you? This can be anything like cooking yourself a hearty breakfast, listening to an inspiring podcast, writing down your goals for the day, or just about anything you can think of!

If you’re wondering how you can take better advantage of that small window of time you have before your actual day starts, here are 7 morning self-care ideas to help you set the day up for success!

Spiritual morning routine

Start the day off with some spiritual self-care. It sets the tone and centers you for whatever else happens during your day. You can set your intentions and connect with God and get started on the right foot. Then get moving!

A little movement every morning can have an amazing effect on the way you feel for the rest of the day. Depending on how much time you have to spare before you head into your day-to-day activities, make sure you exercise just a little bit every morning. Be it a short walk around your hood or pressing play on a simple yoga video, whatever you do is guaranteed to fuel you up for the day!

I know how small it may seem, but making your bed every morning is a wonderful way to set your brain up for success throughout the rest of the day. Not only will making your bed help you avoid feeling sluggish in the morning but that simple act has been proven to be one of the top productivity hacks out there.

Simply put, completing such a simple task as soon as you get out of bed wires your brain into that “let’s do things” mode and get you excited to complete the next tasks! Plus, there’s nothing quite like coming back home in the evening and having a cozy made-up bed waiting!

I know how tempting it may be to check your e-mails as soon as you wake up, and while I do recommend checking off that box as early in the day as possible, make sure you do it only after you’ve actually started working.

Checking your emails before you’re even out of bed will wire your brain to get into “working mode” before it’s supposed to, creating stress in the process and making you feel as though you need to respond to them right away instead of actually getting to enjoy that little free time you have in the morning!

Check out these 7 self care habits that will change your life.

Set your intentions for the day

Find a cozy spot and make a thorough list of every single thing you want to achieve today. Writing down goals means setting an intention, and the simple act of doing so will keep you inspired to tackle every single item on your list (plus, it will also help you get organized!).

As a tip, make sure your list is realistic to avoid overwhelming yourself. Moreover, remind yourself it’s not all work and zero play: make sure at least a few goals are personal ones! This can range from going on a walk, going to that salsa dance you’re loving, calling a friend, or just about anything you can think of that you enjoy doing!

Listening to an inspiring podcast is one of my favorite success hacks out there! Learning about other people’s success stories and tips isn’t only a way to get you feeling inspired to reach yours, but it can actually help keep you focused and eager to get your work done throughout the day.

Plus, you can listen to a podcast while you do other self-care activities like cooking yourself a healthy breakfast or taking a relaxing shower, which is an easy way to fit in two things in just one go. You can do some simple morning breathing techniques to center your mind as well.

If you’re not the breakfast type, make sure you make it your goal to change that over the following weeks. I consider breakfast the most important meal of the day, so make sure whatever you eat is filled with protein and healthy vitamins in order to fuel up your body to take on the day.

If you don’t have much time or you simply don’t enjoy cooking complicated meals, something as simple as avocado toast will do just the trick. You can also make it a weekly goal to batch prepare breakfast every Sunday in order to save time (chia puddings, berry oats, etc are all great ideas!)

Sitting quietly on your balcony/porch/kitchen while savoring a cup of your favorite morning beverage is an actual ritual and one that can help you slow down and enjoy a few moments with yourself. Of course, phones are a huge no-no here, so make sure they’re as far away as possible!

Don’t forget you can do even more by starting the night before with Evening self care to set the following day up for success as well.

I hope this list of 7 morning self-care ideas inspired you to use your mornings more consciously. What are some other great ways to practice self-care before you start your day? Let me know in the comment section below!

The post 7 Morning Self-Care Ideas to Set the Day Up For Success appeared first on Actionable Wellness.

Even though I definitely wouldn’t say no to a day spent at the spa, self-care doesn’t necessarily have to involve spending tons of money or magically having the time to spend hours soaking up in your bathtub every day (and girl can dream, hey!)

When self-care is involved, smaller things are what create the biggest impact. Everyday self-care is more about small actions we do in order to improve our overall well-being, including physically, mentally, and spiritually.

If you’re currently looking for simple self-care practices anyone can do, here are a few ideas guaranteed to turn your life around!

Self care ideas

1.     Make your bed every morning. I know this sounds like anything but fun, but making your bed virtually takes just a few minutes and such a small action can snowball into huge things. Making your bed as soon as you wake up will give you a sense of achievement and help you feel inspired to stay productive for the rest of the day.

2.     Stop being available all the time. In the smartphone era, we’re expected to be available every single second of the day. Even though I’m not saying you should completely switch off, try making an effort to completely ignore your phone at certain points throughout the day in order to fully focus on being present.

3.     Declutter your social media accounts. In today’s world, it has become pretty darn hard not to compare ourselves to people we don’t even know in real life. Be it their perfectly organized space, their flawless skin, or their ideal relationships, it’s pretty tough not to feel bad about yourself and your life after spending just a few minutes browsing social media. If you find yourself having negative feelings after looking at someone else’s content, remove them from your feed. While unfriending or unfollowing someone may feel a bit rude, it’s absolutely okay to prioritize your mental well-being. If you really don’t want or can remove someone, snoozing their content is another option (they will never know you did!)

4.     Do something nice for someone else. Be it volunteering at your local charity or cooking a meal for that friend who’s been super busy lately, acts of kindness strengthen our relationships as well as give us a little dose of dopamine. Do note, however, that you should only give when you’re able to. If you’re currently struggling to make time for yourself, chances are signing up for volunteering isn’t the best of ideas. If you’re going through a rough financial patch, lending money to a friend isn’t ideal. Remember that giving doesn’t equal people-pleasing, so before you do, make sure your glass is full in order to be able to give without putting yourself on the back burner.

5.     Set boundaries. Boundaries are incredibly important in order to maintain healthy relationships, including those with friends, families, and co-workers. Learning how to say no when something simply doesn’t feel right will ultimately change your life around. This can look like refusing to answer work-related calls during your time off or deciding to stay in when your friends are going out because you want to wake up early. Only you know what boundaries you are okay with and which ones you aren’t, so take a minute to think about that and start implementing them right away! Not only will this lead to healthier, stronger relationships, but it will ultimately reduce stress and anxiety as well.

6.     Create a mindful Morning Routine. The way we spend our mornings can have a huge impact on how the rest of the day will go, so try to fill them up with mindful activities that fuel you to take on the day! Depending on how much time you have before you head out into your daily activities, your morning routine can include actions like exercising, sitting on the porch drinking a cup of tea, writing down your goals for the day, going for a walk, or just about anything that pops to mind. These simple morning breathing exercises are great too.

7.     Declutter your space. Decluttering may not sound like the most exciting activity out there, but it’s actually one of the best things you can implement into your regular routine.

By clearing out things you no longer need or use, you’ll reduce your stress levels, stop wasting time looking for things, make cleaning infinitely easier, and feel at peace in the space you live in. Simply put, decluttering can have an extraordinary long-term effect on your life, so making it a part of your self-care routine is an amazing habit.

Do you practice any of these self-care activities? If so, how has doing so improve your life? I’d love to know all about it in the comment section below!

For more self-care suggestions, check out these ideas:

• 7 Morning Self-Care Ideas to Set the Day Up For Success
• 7 Evening Self Care Ideas
• 9 Simple Steps to Wellness
• How To Improve Your Relationship With Yourself
• Small Healthy Changes Anyone Can Make
• Fun Workouts You Should Try
• Massage for Stress and Anxiety: Natural Relief That Works

The post 7 Self Care Practices that will Change your Life appeared first on Actionable Wellness.