How to Design a Self Care Routine that Works for You

Last Updated on February 11, 2024 by Tracey McGrath

Do you feel overwhelmed and don’t even have the time to think about creating a self care routine? You know self care is important but how can you do it when you literally have zero time? No fear, my friend.

This article will guide you through the benefits of a self care routine and how to create your own. One that will nurture your mind, body, and soul. From incorporating mindfulness and meditation practices to embracing physical activities and nurturing hobbies.

We will explore various strategies that can help you take better care of yourself. So, let’s start this journey and learn how to design a self-care routine that will serve you best. 

Understanding the Importance of Self-Care 

It can be easy to overlook the importance of self-care and mental well-being. That is until you’re absolutely exhausted, physically sick or burned out. Self-care is not just about pampering yourself with foot massages and spa days (although those are great too!). It’s about nurturing your mind, body, and soul. When you dedicate time for self-care, you can reduce stress, and better handle any changes.³

 The Benefits of Having a Self-Care Routine 

You may be asking yourself “Why do I need an actual self care routine though? I’m already crunched for time and I’ll just fit it in whenever I can.”

Right? Wrong.

There’s great power in scheduling things. And in the words of Tony Robbins, “If you schedule it, it’s real.” When you say I’ll get to it or I’ll make time for it later, what often happens? You don’t actually do the thing. The reason you need a well-designed routine is because you’re already crunched for time.

When you create a routine that works for you and put it into practice, you will be more likely to do it on a regular basis.

Practicing self care on a regular basis will help you:

• Manage stress more effectively
• Be more likely to do fun things (think hobbies, being outdoors, being present)
• Improve your ability to adapt and deal with challenges 

Assess Your Current Routine

 It’s important to identify areas where you can improve your current routine.

Grab a pen and paper and give yourself a few minutes to answer the following questions.

• Write down what time you wake up and exactly what you currently do in the morning.
• Then examine any other times of day where you have down time.
• What are you doing during those times?
• On your commute?
• What are your meal times like?
• What’s your evening routine?
• Your bedtime routine?

No judgment here! This is simply gathering information on where you may be able to add in self care. 

Setting Goals for Your Self-Care Routine

 I know goal setting can feel overwhelming sometimes. But it doesn’t have to be! Why do you need to set goals for your self care routine? When you know what you want to achieve you can design your routine with that in mind.

Try these goals on for size: 

• Reduce stress
• Improve your physical health
• Cultivate a sense of inner peace 
• Learn a new skill 
• Ease tension in your body 
• Reduce negative self-talk 

Now that you know why you want a self care routine you can figure out how to get there. With smaller, easier (aka doable) steps.

For example, if you want to reduce stress, you might set a goal of practicing meditation for 3 minutes every day. Or if you want to improve your physical health, you could do yoga or dance for at least 15 minutes three times a week.

As Martha Beck says in her book, Finding Your Own North Star, think of what you want to do and then dial it back. You want to be able to say, “That’s easy. I could definitely do that.” You want it to feel easy.

As you set goals, be realistic and be mindful of your current schedules and demands. Don’t overshoot here. If you take on too big of a step in the beginning you may not be able to sustain it and stop doing your self care altogether. Start small but get started. 

Creating a Self-Care Plan That Suits You 

It’s finally time to create a self-care plan that suits your life!

Grab a pen and paper and write down all the activities that bring you joy, relaxation and a sense of ease. Maybe it’s a warm bath, reading a novel, being outdoors, going for a walk or doing yoga. Maybe it’s drawing, painting or whittling wood. Maybe it’s writing down 3 things you’re grateful for each night.

Next, beside of each of these write down how it makes you feel or how it may relate to your goal. An activity may meet several of the goals you wrote down earlier. 

For example, you may write down painting as an activity you enjoy. And it helps you reduce stress, ease tension and learn/improve a skill.

Now look at the daily schedule that you wrote down earlier. Where can you realistically fit these activities in? Choose one day this week to fit in one activity. That’s it. Pick one day this week and schedule it. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Small activities can make a huge impact. For example, you could do a 3 minute meditation or a 5 minute mindful art exercise. 

Check out my mini-workshop, Brush and Breathe, for 3 simple, easy-to-do art exercises to incorporate mindful art into your self care routine. 

Incorporate Various Activities into Your Routine 

For any self care routine, it’s important to consider a variety of activities. Each one addresses different aspects of your well-being. Try one and see how you like it. If you need support search online for resources or get a coach.  

Here are some suggestions: 

1. Mindfulness and Meditation:

Practicing mindfulness and meditation can help calm the mind. Even just a few minutes a day sitting in intentional silence can help to reduce stress.² Check out my article Benefits of Meditation for more information! 

2. Physical Activity:

Moving your body is so good for you. It helps to keep your physical body strong and flexible. Plus, studies show that exercise you enjoy boosts feel-good hormones.¹ Find a way to move your body that you something that you enjoy.  It may be walking, swimming, or skipping down a little brick road.  Then make it a regular part of your routine. 

3. Journaling:

Writing down your experiences is a wonderful way to process any emotions or thoughts. Writing down your thoughts and emotions helps you gain insight and release them. Check out my article Journaling: How to start your Practice to learn more!

4. Nurturing Hobbies:

Hobbies are essentially things you enjoy doing in your free time. It could be playing a sport, making music, painting or finding antiques. Hobbies help you to not only feel good when you’re doing them they also help you identify what makes you unique.

Hobbies are something that you may have overlooked as a form of self care. Oftentimes things that are fun can feel self-indulgent or get put on the back burner when others’ needs overshadow your own (any moms out there that can relate?). But hobbies can actually be one of the best forms of self care.

Establishing a Consistent Self-Care Routine

Consistency is key when it comes to self-care and really anything in life. Practice helps the behavior to become easier. That doesn’t mean that it won’t be hard to do some days (even years from now). You still have to make the choice every day to do the things that will help you feel better.

Start by creating your self care routine and commit to it. Treat them as non-negotiable appointments with yourself. It’s also important to be flexible. Life can be unpredictable. There will be times when your schedule gets disrupted. Even something like a vacation can totally throw off your carefully curated routine. You can choose to see it as an opportunity to find new ways to practice. You may even like some of the new ways better and replace your routine with those.

For example, you may normally journal peacefully in the morning as the kids sleep soundly in their beds. But on vacation, for whatever reason, they are well-rested at 6am every, single morning. So, journaling for a few minutes at night may become your new practice. Or you may want to do a talking journal practice with your kids. Where you give each other journal prompts and discuss them either at dinner or on a walk to the beach.

Remember, self-care does not need to be perfect. It’s all about making it a priority. 

Finding Balance and Maintaining Self-Care Habits in Your Daily Life 

Ahh, the elusive balance. Does it exist? Maybe, maybe not. But we can still try to find some level of balance between work, personal life, and self-care. Will it be perfect? Absolutely not. Is it still worth it to strive for some level of balance? I believe that it is.

By striving for balance you examine what’s important and what isn’t, what’s urgent and what can wait. Basically, it’s an exercise in defining priorities. A great tool for this is the Eisenhower Matrix. 

You may find there are many tasks you have been telling yourself are really important but aren’t. When you look at them from a thoughtful perspective you may find you are simply filling up space to stay busy. Remember to look at your priorities with grace and forgiveness. You may find that your old priorities aren’t important at all. 

Maybe keeping all the clothes perfectly folded in the drawers actually isn’t that important. Or maybe it gives you a sense of peace like none other. Only you can discover what is a priority to you. 

Remember that everyone’s self-care journey is unique. Be open to exploring different strategies. And when you look closely at what is truly important I promise you will find more time for self care. 

Embracing Self-Care as a Lifelong Journey Towards Inner Peace

 Self care is a lifelong journey, ya’ll. It requires self-awareness, patience, and commitment. You already have a willingness to prioritize your well-being or you wouldn’t be reading this. So keep that up!

And stay curious. Try new things and see how you feel doing them. You will never know until you try. We are ever-changing beings. So things that you enjoy today may not be the things that you enjoy next year or 10 years from now. A personalized self-care routine, can help you feel more calm and less stressed.

Let’s Connect!

Want to learn how to use art as a form of self care? I can teach you with simple exercises that anyone can do – no previous art experience required! Check out my digital course, Becoming Blissful with Mindful Art or my mini-workshop, Brush and Breathe, to get started today!     Use art to do your self care in a fun and creative way and ignite your creative spark!

References:

1.https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax#:~:text=Exercise%20reduces%20levels%20of%20the,natural%20painkillers%20and%20mood%20elevators.

2. https://www.apa.org/topics/mindfulness/meditation

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.