Alright, everyone, today we’re chatting about starting self care routines – for real life. I keep seeing countless posts of self care with people taking a bath, putting on a face mask and drinking a glass of wine; and not like any of these things are bad things, but it can send mixed messaging.
These can send messages that reinstate the mentality that if you’re “not feeling like it”, you can just turn on Netflix and call it good. And this is where it’s important to counter balance that logic.
Sometimes self-care is actually having discipline. To know what’s actually best for you, and then doing that.
If you catch yourself regularly not feeling like doing the things you know are the best for you, catch my four tips for real life self care below!
Get clear on at least three things that actually bring you joy and make you feel good. Write these things down! A few examples include:
- Go to a yoga class 3 times per week
- Make a homemade dinner 2 times per week
- Walk 10,000 steps each day
Make a real plan to track your progress. Let’s say you decide to commit to going to three yoga classes per week – this is where you actually determine where these this will fit into your schedule. Do your research on WHAT kind of classes you’re going to take. Are these in a studio or online? How long are these classes?
Invite yourself to truly COMMIT to this. Write it your calendar – or put it on your digital one 😉 – and mentally determine that you’re going to stick with it. It’s now non-negotiable.
Understand situations that may cause you to fall off the wagon AND brainstorm how you can combat these. If you know you’re a sucker for Thursday after-work drinks with friends, either let yourself plan that into the week or suggest another activity.
There’s no shame in continuing “un-healthy” habits (although, I don’t necessarily consider these unhealthy within limits), just realize what a typical week may look like, and work with it instead of working against it.
Notice when you’re actually exhausted and when you “just don’t feel like it”.
We all do this.
It’s been a long week and the best sounding thing is to go grab a beer with friends. I TOTALLY GET IT. And sometimes this is valid, and sometimes you need to check yourself – notice the balance. An easy tip: if you REALLY don’t feel like going to the yoga class, give yourself the day, but just the one day. Get yourself back on schedule the next day.
Ready to do self-care like a boss? Fill out the form below to get your Sunday Summit sheet to help you do just that each week.
Were these tips helpful for you? Let me know on Instagram at @mariah_yoga! Tag me in your stories with your best self-care habits. I’ll see you over there.
