Self Care, Done Daily

Self-care is meant to help give our bodies time to reset, in ways we personally enjoy. This varies person-to-person, and is beneficial either mentally, physically, or emotionally, maybe all of the above! Often times people go about their busy lives for weeks, sometimes months, and do not prioritize this for themselves. Instead, they wait until they free time falls in their laps. I have hopes this article will speak to many people who are not in the habit of putting their well-being first and struggle to relax, people like me.

Like I said, self-care should be in the form of something YOU find enjoyable and calming. In psychological terms, there is a mentality called a “flow state.” This is an action, whether bullet journaling (like me!), taking a bath, mowing the lawn, anything, where the time flies by because you become so invested and focused-in. Personally, after writing in my bullet journal, it feels as if fifteen minutes have passed, but in actuality, it’s been thirty! No matter where I am, out of town, a friend’s house, the comfort of my room, I MAKE TIME to journal each day. This is not for everyone, by any means, but two years ago I was inspired by sister and the flood of designs from my Pinterest page. I took my drive to become more creative and to work on relaxation and have been running with it for almost two years now! Finding what works for you, consistently may require some trial and error, but it is all worth it. Once the habit starts making it’s way into your weekly, hopefully daily, routine you will never want to live without one!

Let’s talk about bullet journaling! You may be wondering, what the heck is this thing?! It’s a generally smaller book of roughly 250 pages full of faint dots, appearing like the game “dots and boxes.” With the untouched pages, one can design them however they choose, which is something I absolutely love… well, now. In all honesty, I struggled at the beginning and used to practically take all of my layout ideas straight from Pinterest, but I met my goal of becoming more creative on my own with practice! My journal has two parts: one being the month’s sections and the other for random, unrelated pages. Each month, I design a cover, then sleep, mood, and fitness trackers, all prior to space for a detailed description of my days. I often set these up one-two weeks before a new month (no, I have not started October’s, whoops!). Have I ever fallen behind, yes! Like many of us nowadays, I am very busy, and this preparation takes up a good chunk of my time. However, I always feel one-thousand times better once it’s done and get thrown off track if it’s not prepared for the first few days of the month. Simply remembering all the details is sadly not as reliable as jotting them down. It’s so fun to look back and recall the little things I may have forgotten! Flip forward some and we have the section for my fun, miscellaneous pages! Back here, I’ve sketched out my yearly goals, movies/shows to watch, seasonal recipes, even my insecurities. The options are endless, from to-do lists to a quote that really hits home. After all, the pages are meant to be filled for personal gain, in whatever way you see fit!

Don’t get me wrong, things along the journaling and coloring lines (pun intended) are just a couple of flow-state routes to take, and doing it daily is not always easy to dive right in to. Ease into it, if need be, no rush needed! One thing is for sure that our body’s need time to reset and chill from normal, strenuous, day-to-day obligations. Getting organized and making this time for yourself has been proven to reduce cortisol levels, also known as the stress hormone. Excess cortisol has been linked to a long list of diseases, lack of sleep, weight gain, the list goes on and on. In turn, dopamine, the happy hormone, levels increase which is indescribably the best, most exhilarating feeling that will have you performing at and feeling your best! Occasionally, I throw some added self-care into the mix. Depending on how I’m feeling, holistically, I might do a refreshing face mask, cleansing bath, or stretch in some of my most flattering athletic wear for a while. Additionally, reading something genuinely interesting right before bed has made all the difference in my energy levels and engagement with others as well, as opposed to looking at a screen even thirty minutes prior to bed.

Simply put, the pros of imputing self-care consistently into your life, whenever and however, heavily outweighs the cons. Once you find your flow-state, hold onto it tight, for your best interest. Start by gradually introducing even five minutes to jam out or dance each week until the addictive habit becomes daily. I guarantee you will soon thrive, mentally, physically, and emotionally!