Start a Self-Care Routine: A Beginner’s Guide

Before you start a self-care routine you need to know what self-care is. This beginner’s guide will teach you everything you need to know about what self-care is and how to start a routine. There is more to self-care than taking bubble baths. By practicing self-care you can improve your mental, physical, and emotional health.

I use to think practicing self-care was about taking bubble baths and getting a pedicure. But self-care is so much more than that. When wanting to live a healthy lifestyle diet and exercise is important. But self-care is also an important element to living a healthy lifestyle.

What is self-care? 

Before starting a self-care routine you need to know what self-care is. It’s any task that helps you to take care of yourself. For example, this can be emotional wellbeing, physical health, or mental health.

When you practice self-care, many parts of your life can be improved. But, it can be difficult to put into practice. Basically self-care is treating yourself well and giving your body what it needs.

Self-care is about your own self-improvement. It’s a practice that’s different for everyone. When you add self-care to your routine, it should be for you to want to make a change in your life.

How to get started with Self-Care

First focus on the area of your life that you want to improve. An example would be if you want to become healthier. You need to think about the steps that will help you reach your goal. Maybe you always feel tired because you don’t get enough sleep. So, focusing on improving your sleep would be the first step.

To make sure your self-care routine is effective, follow this basic checklist. 

• What you want to improve
• Why you want to improve it
• The type of self-care you need most
• Creating a no list
• Starting out gradually 

Figuring out what you want to improve first and why you want to improve it is an important step.

This doesn’t mean it’s a selfish act. It means you care about yourself enough to put yourself first. So you can be more effective and useful to those around you. 

Think about the type of self-care you need to focus on first. Physical and emotional self-care is usually the most common types to start with. So, make sure you’re getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising regularly. 

Creating a “no” list can also help you to get started. This allows you to decide the things you don’t want to do or don’t like doing. It can include things such as not checking your phone right before bed or taking a break from technology for an hour a day.

Start Out Slow

You’ll want to make sure you’re starting out slowly. It’s tempting to try and address everything with your new self-care routine. But, this can be overwhelming so it’s better to focus on one or two things at a time. 

You may find that when you focus on the most important steps first, it sets other improvements in motion. When you first start getting enough sleep each night, it will improve your physical and mental health. As well as increase your energy. 

For self-care to be effective you need to focus on the things your mind and body need. Knowing what to work on will help you create an effective self-care routine.

Tips for Success in Self-Care

Schedule self-care into your morning routine

It’s a lot easier to focus on self-care first thing in the morning. It’s not always easy to fit it into your daily activities. So if you can schedule self-care into your morning routine.

Get up a little earlier if you have to. Then, begin taking steps to practice self-care in the mornings. This could be reading a book or exercising first thing in the morning. 

Do things you’ll enjoy

When starting a self-care routine, it’s important to add things that you’ll enjoy. Meditation and yoga are good self-care activities. But, if you don’t enjoy these activities, you’re not going to make it a routine.

Self-care is different for everyone. So, because something is healthy, doesn’t mean you should add it to your routine. You’ll want to find self-care activities that are healthy but are something you will enjoy doing.

Set Realistic Goals

When starting a self-care routine, make sure you’re setting realistic goals. Start out slow when adding self-care activities into your daily routine. This helps you turn this routine into a habit. 

Common Questions About Self-Care

What are the different types of self-care?

There are several different types of self-care. But the three main categories you should focus on when you begin a self-care routine are emotional, physical, and mental.

Emotional self-care helps you deal with your emotions. You’ll be able to control the way you feel, rather than letting it control you.

Physical self-care means you’re taking care of your body by eating healthy and exercising. It also means you’re not treating your body badly by drinking too much or not getting enough sleep.

Mental self-care means keeping your mind sharp. It also means taking the time to relax and relieve stress. You can also practice metal self-care by decluttering your mind.

What is basic self-care?

When you’re just getting started with self-care, you’ll want to start with the basics. To keep it simple focus on your health. Such as sleep, diet, and exercise.

Sleep is important for our mind and body. If you’re not getting enough, it’s going to create chaos on your health. You’ll be more likely to pig out on junk foods, you’ll constantly feel drained.

You’ll also weaken your immune system over time. So, by focusing on improving your sleep, you’ll automatically begin to improve your health.

This can also be true for diet and exercise. You shouldn’t make drastic changes overnight. Instead, focus on making small changes. Such as drinking more water and eating a vegetable with each meal.

Will self-care reduce stress?

Self-care can help you to reduce the stress in your life. Stress can have a negative impact on your health. So, reducing stress can lead to living a healthy and happy life. 

Self-care helps you to take time out to recharge and de-stress. You’ll focus on activities that can reduce your stress levels. Such as meditating, journaling, and taking time to do what you enjoy. 

How can I practice self-care?

• Meditate. By adding meditation into your self-care routine, you’ll start to notice a huge shift in your mindset. Even just a 10-minute meditation session can provide great benefits to the mind and body.
• Journal. A journaling routine allows you to organize your thoughts, as well as get them out of your head. You can start a gratitude journal. A gratitude journal will make you focus on the positives.
• Eat Healthy. Adding healthy foods to your diet and avoiding processed food will give you a lot more energy. It will also help you control your weight and you’ll look and feel healthier.

What to avoid when starting self-care?

There are a few things you’ll want to avoid when getting started with self-care. 

• Over-compensating
• Over-indulging
• Eating for comfort

It’s easy to go from one extreme to another when you’re starting with self-care. If you haven’t done anything for yourself for a while, it’s tempting to start over-compensating and over-indulging. But, this isn’t healthy, and it’ll lead to frustration and unhealthy results. 

Why is Self-Care Important?

Self-care is important because it can improve your overall health and wellbeing. By practicing self-care you can improve your physical and mental health.

Another benefit of self-care is that it can help to increase productivity. You’ll start to learn to become more focused and concentrate better on the tasks you are working on.

Also, self-care forces you to make yourself a priority. You’ll have a healthier relationship with yourself. 

The Last Thing You Need to Know About Self-Care

When you start a self-care routine make sure to schedule it into your life. Try to start with one area of your life you want to improve. Such as eating a healthier diet or exercise daily.

I hope you enjoyed this beginner’s guide to self-care. How are you going to start your self-care routine? Let me know in the comments:)