Happy New Year Friends! I can’t believe another year has gone by! New Year’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year. Why? Because Mike and I do nothing all day and never leave the house. And it’s fabulous! It’s a great time to do a little self care and get ready for the year ahead.
Last year I shared with you what my New Year’s traditions are in this post. If you didn’t see it a year ago, you will want to check it out this year. I’ll be setting my goals and making my top ten list again this year.
Looking back on last year I found that I may have done too much and got a little burnt out. I need to fix that this year and re-energize myself. Not only for my own sanity, but for the new baby we’ll be welcoming in a month! The way I hope to do that is through self care.
It’s a bit of a funny story on how I stumbled across self care. I was in New York late last year and a few friends asked “How do you practice self care?” I’ll admit I had no idea what they were talking about, so I Googled it 🙂 Self Care is any act we deliberately do to invest in our physical, mental and emotional health. Put another way, it’s doing what you love and adding positively to your life. That is simple. I practice self care all the time and so do you too!
To kick off the new year I’m sharing my top ten self care tips to jump start 2019!
Ditch Technology
Yes, ditch technology. Go technology free for one day. That means no email, no social media and no online shopping. I know it sounds impossible, but you can do it. I recently upgraded my cell phone and now I get weekly usage reports and it was a bit shocking to see. On average I spend 4 hours a day on my cell phone! What? How is that possible? I’m making a conscious effort to reduce my screen time going forward and you should too.
Be Grateful
The holiday season is a great time to reflect and acknowledge what you are grateful for, but do you do it the rest of the year? Each month take the time to look back and acknowledge what you are grateful for that month.
Commit to a Cleaning Schedule
Straightening up your house at the end of each day for 10 minutes is the best way to keep a clean house. It’s easy to let shoes pile up at the door and clothes on the dresser. I know I am guilty of little squirrel piles all over the house. If you take ten minutes at the end of the day to tidy up your space it will save you a ton a time on the weekends. Getting on a schedule and sticking to it will soon become a habit for you.
Pre-Block Your Calendar With Down Time
Over the months of November and December I did to0 much. I never sat down and enjoyed the holiday season. It was go, go, go and I may have burnt myself out. Plan one weekend or one day each month to do nothing. Block it off on your calendar and stick to it. You need to rest and re-energize in order to be the best you possible.
Keep Self Care Rituals
You may not even know that you are practicing self care when you do tiny things for yourself, but you are. My self care ritual takes place on Sunday nights. It’s dinner early so I can get in my PJs! I tweeze my eyebrows (I’ve been using this tweezer for years!), extract my pores (this tool is wonderful!), do a face mask (my go to is the Elemis Enzyme Peel) and sit on the couch. It’s one of my favorite things to do to start the week out fresh. Find your ritual and stick to it at least once a week.
Challenge Yourself
It’s easy to stay within your comfort zone and keep living your life, but that gets boring. Challenge yourself to something outside the box. You can start small, like cooking a new meal or go big like signing up for a new workout class. Whatever it is, challenge yourself, it will help you grow and develop into a stronger person.
End Multi Tasking
No one, I repeat no one, is good at multitasking. There is no way that you can simultaneously do two things at once and be excellent at both of them. You will spend the same amount of time multitasking as you will just doing one thing at a time. If you are cooking dinner, just cook dinner. Don’t check emails and do work at the same time. Be present in each task you are working on then move on to the next.
Say No
It’s ok to say no to people, events and invitations. You don’t always need an excuse to say no, you can simply say no. You are in control of what you take on and what you don’t. Get used to putting yourself first and say no when you have to. It’s perfectly ok.
Stick to a Bedtime
I know you’re an adult and can go to bed whenever you want. I’m a firm believer in a hard bedtime, though. It sets a schedule and gets your body in a good routine. Getting around the same amount of sleep a night is good for your body and mind. I shoot to be in bed no later than 10:30 pm every night. Before that I have a routine though. Dim lights, a low tv and no cell phone. I let my mind and body relax then slip into bed and fall asleep quickly.
Set Goals With Intention
Writing down goals is the easy part, but creating with intention is the hard part. When setting goals you need to understand the why behind the goal. Is it a smaller step goal that is getting you closer to your big goal? Are you going to add something to your future by accomplishing this goal. If you understand your intentions before setting a goal you will be more successful in setting and reaching your goals.
How do you practice self care? I’d love to hear your tips. Share them in the comment section below!
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