5 Steps to Creating an Amazing Self Care Plan
You’ve heard it before, and might even be sick of it the words, “self-care plan.”
That’s because self-care can feel like it’s nothing more than face masks and bubble baths, but the truth is that there is a lot more to it than that. Self-care is nurturing your needs on your bad days and celebrating each small win on your best ones.
If that sounds crazy to you, it’s OK. The concept of consistently celebrating yourself can even feel crazy, but all it takes is a little practice and a lot of patience.
Read on for 5 easy steps to create the best self-care plan for you.
1. Create Lists
It’s time to get out your journal. (A piece of paper is fine as well!)
Before you start anything, you’re going to answer a bunch of questions. These can be small or big, but it’s going to help. Here are a few examples:
- What do you want more of?
- Where you can set better boundaries?
- What TV shows do you want to watch?
- What would you like to buy yourself?
- What have you been procrastinating?
You can answer these (and any others you come up with) in the form of lists, or simple free form journaling.
2. Identify Your Goals
The next step is to take your journal entries and identify any overarching goals you have.
There are so many goals you can set, but having an end vision is going to motivate you more than just saying, “I want to develop a self-care routine.”
3. Move Around
Whether you’re a couch potato or love getting outside, getting in some form of exercise is crucial to your mental wellbeing — especially if you spend a lot of time at home.
It can be as small as taking a 30-minute walk around the block or as big as driving yourself to the beach for sunset.
The important thing to remember? This your time. Do whatever makes you feel best!
4. Make Time to Self-Indulge
It can feel habitual to find other people to do things with. Humans are social creatures and sometimes it can feel like others think we’re weird for being alone in public, but that simply isn’t the case.
While there’s nothing wrong with wanting other people around, creating more space for yourself to try new things alone — or just have more time alone — is a great way to practice self-care.
It helps you get to know yourself more, and that helps your relationships in the long run. Knowing yourself enough to set boundaries and establish them is, believe it or not, an important form of self-care.
5. Commit to Consistency
The hardest step of any self-care plan is staying consistent. It’s easy to spend the first few weeks geared up and ready to go, but then what?
Don’t burn yourself out. Listen to your body and remember that you don’t have to do the same thing every single time.
That’s the beauty of a self-care plan. It’s all up to you!
Follow These Steps for the Best Self-Care Plan
Following these steps is sure to give you the best self-care plan. Remember though, there is no competition here. It’s OK to have bad days and even weeks.
The important thing is that you get back up and keep going, even if you veer off the road of your self-care.
If you’re interested in more on the latest in DIY and self-improvement, check out the rest of our blog.