What comes to mind when you think of self care? Is it hanging out with friends and getting a manicure and pedicure? Is it watching movies all day and not talking to anyone?
Self care is so personalized and individualized that it can mean so many different things.
There is no right or wrong way to do self care and if self care for you means putting on a face mask and taking a bath that is great for you!
But I want to challenge you to revamp your current self care routine to be more intentional and holistic- incorporating many different activities and tasks apart from facials,manicures,pedicures etc.
Recently I revamped my self care routine to be more intentional,mindful and elaborate.
I think true self care is caring for yourself in all dimensions outward and inward. If we don’t take care of ourselves no one else will.
7 challenges in 7 Days. Challenges can be construed as something hard and can sound intimidating for some, but these challenges are not supposed to be hard or complicated. Do it all or do one. It’s not meant to overwhelm you, it is simply to give you ideas and to enhance and blossom personally, mentally, emotionally and physically.
So without further ado let us start the basic self care with the Basic 7 day self care challenge.
Self Care Challenge #1 – Drink Warm Lemon water first thing in the morning
It is so important to get hydrated first thing in the morning. Your body is dehydrated after 8 hours of sleeping. The key is to drink water warm, not ice cold. Some studies have shown that cold water can halt digestion and some cases cause headaches. This tiny habit can 1.) make you feel great inside and outside and 2.) inspire you to create other positive habits in your day. Kind of like the butterfly effect.
Self Care Challenge #2 Move your body
Our bodies are meant to move. Remember as a child we never even thought about making time to exercise? Now we sit around most of our days due to our jobs and before you know it the day has passed, without exercising.
I often exercise first thing in the morning to energize me and then start the day off on a right note. Exercise does not have to be boring, you don’t have to jog for one hour. You can start with something small like stretching for 10 minutes and then gradually work your way up to something more intense and something that you’ll love.
There are so many resources online where you can find a bunch of exercise videos from dance,pilates, kickboxing and so much more all in the comfort of your own home.
Need some ideas. Here are some I have had fun with!
Self Care Challenge #3 Read
Reading has become an important part of my self care routine.It gives me a therapeutic opportunity to unplug from the world, a chance to rest and recharge. Reading also gives me a chance to learn something new and be more creative.
Reading books can help give you a new perspective and help ground you. Oftentimes I have found myself gaining a new perspective about certain situations in life and that has been incredibly powerful.
So grab yourself a good book from my list below and brew yourself a cup of tea and start reading!
Some of my favorite books I have read and highly recommend
A Man called Ove
“You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll feel new sympathy for the curmudgeons in your life.” —People
Long Bright River
“A thoughtful, powerful novel by a writer who displays enormous compassion for her characters. Long Bright River is an outstanding crime novel… I absolutely loved it.”
—Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl on the Train
Little Fires Everywhere
“To say I love this book is an understatement. It’s a deep psychological mystery about the power of motherhood, the intensity of teenage love, and the danger of perfection. It moved me to tears.” —Reese Witherspoon
Before We were Yours
Self care challenge #4 – Declutter & clean out your closet
Did you know the average household has 300000 items. All too often we end up buying so many new clothes, items, accessories that our closets become fuller than a stuffed turkey. Many times we tell ourselves that we will wear this shirt or wear those shoes but more often than not those shoes end up collecting dust.
I spent 3 days cleaning out my entire closet. And it was such an eye opening experience for me as I really did not know how much clothes I had not worn in years. It was A LOT.
So for this challenge I want you to dive into your closet and donate those clothes, accessories, and shoes you have not worn since freshman year of college. If you don’t want to donate them try selling them on poshmark, or thredup for some extra money.
Instead of donating to for profit organizations try donating to local donation centers in your area. A quick google search will find local donation centers that you can donate to.
Self Care Challenge #5 Schedule downtime for yourself
Downtime is so broad and open for interpretation, but for downtime I mean schedule a time when you are completely free from responsibility and can devote one hour to just yourself.
Shut off your phone, log out of all social media accounts and shut off your TV.
No phones, no tv, no problem right?
During this downtime try to engage in a mindful activity. That could be any activity that promotes relaxation and encourages you to be focused on one task. Here is a list of ideas that you can do during this downtime
- Journal
- Paint
- Take a warm water bath with epsom salt
- Pray
- Do an at home yoga session
- Journal
Best Painting Kit
Self Care Challenge #6 Try Deep Breathing Techniques
I was blown away by this book Breath: The new science of a Lost Art about breathing (no pun intended) and it has truly changed the way I breathe and think about breathwork.
Deep breathing has been an essential component of healing many illnesses . All too often we are not breathing optimally.
Deep breathing has been shown to improve mood, reduce stress, and repair cells throughout your body.
So for this challenge I want you to focus on your breath throughout the day and see how it changes your mood and overall stress levels for the day.
Self Care Challenge #7 Cook a wholesome meal ,maybe even a foreign cuisine you’ve never tried before
I am quite the foodie.I love food. I love eating out and trying new foods, but I also love cooking new foregin cuisines that I never tried before. I find the whole experience so much more satisfying. I enjoy going on youtube and choosing a different cuisine that I may not have tried before and plan to make a exotic cuisine that week. While going out to try a certain type of cuisine may be easier, it is definitely much more enjoyable and less expensive to make your own meal at home.
I challenge you to make a meal that is outside of your comfort zone and outside of your usual taste palate. Invite your friends and family over and have some quality comfort food and quality time.
Some of my favorite cooking channels on Youtube
Middle Eastern Cuisine
Korean Cuisine
Indian cuisine
Those are my self care challenges and I hope you get to enjoy them and learn something new. Let me know in the comments below!
-Janette
