10 Self-Care Tips To Prioritise Your Wellbeing

Whether you’re juggling a busy family schedule or staring at a diary of impending deadlines – or both! – it can be easy to let self-care slip down the list of priorities. 

A self-care practice isn’t just about dealing with stress. Absolutely anyone can benefit from carving out time for self-care because it can make a big difference to your overall wellbeing.

Creating a self-care practice can help keep your health and wellbeing top of mind, so if you need some new ideas for me-time, keep reading for 10 simple wellness and self-care tips you can try right now.

What is self-care and why does it matter?

Self-care is choosing to look after your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing by making time for activities and behaviours that take care of, and maintain your wellness levels. 

Think of your wellbeing as a machine with lots of connected parts — if you don’t maintain these parts, the machine won’t work as well as it should. 

Neglecting your wellbeing can have flow-on effects on your overall wellness levels, and that’s where self-care comes in.

10 self-care tips for looking after your wellbeing

A big part of self-care is finding healthy activities you enjoy, so a self-care practice will look different for everyone. 

If you need some ideas to get started, here are 10 self-care tips designed to help you be kind to yourself right now. 

Get a good night’s sleep

Getting enough sleep is important, but the quality of your sleep matters too — if you’re waking up groggy and lethargic, you might need to assess your sleep habits. 

To help you get decent shut-eye, try going to bed and getting up at the same time every day and limiting screen time before bed.

Spend more time outdoors

Whether you walk home from work or school, read in your yard, or exercise outdoors, there are so many ways to connect with nature during your daily routine. 

Spending more time outside has a number of benefits, including getting your daily dose of Vitamin D (thanks sun!). A 2010 multi-study analysis published in the National Library of Medicine also found that green exercise (activity in the presence of nature) has been found to improve self-esteem and mood.  

Move your body

It’s easy to focus on the physical benefits of exercise like building strength and muscle, but being active is also one of the best self-care behaviours you can engage in. 

The emotional and mental benefits of exercise are immense. According to Mayo Clinic in the US, moving your body on a regular basis can increase your energy levels, boost your mood, help you manage stressful situations and anxiety — and it can work wonders for your self-confidence too! 

Be more mindful

You can practise mindfulness as part of your self-care routine by keeping a daily gratitude journal, taking a walk and focusing on the sights, sounds and smells around you, or even trying a meditation app to help improve your self-awareness and strengthen your mind. 

Make time for fun

Have you always wanted to try a dance class, or loved drawing when you were younger? Consider making time for things you enjoy and you’ll notice how much more balanced you feel.

Find your flow with yoga

According to 2018 literature on the Influence of Yoga on the Autonomic Nervous System, yoga helps balance your sympathetic nervous system (what prepares your body for strenuous physical activity in stressful situations) and parasympathetic nervous system (what regulates important bodily functions such as digestion and activates your rest and digest mode after a “flight-or-fight” response). This means that a regular yoga practice can help to regulate the functions of the internal organs in your body.

Some yoga styles are faster paced to challenge your balance and flexibility, while others such as Yin yoga are perfect for recovery or rest days. 

Stay hydrated

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the US recommends drinking plenty of water for a number of health reasons including to improve cognitive function, sleep quality and mood. 

Switch off

Whether you choose a dedicated day to unplug technology or make your bedroom a device-free zone, it’s beneficial to have some time away from your screen so that you can focus on your health, spend more time being active and doing more activities that energise you. 

Eat colourful foods

A good way to make sure you’re giving your body the nutrients it needs is to include more colourful fruits and vegetables on your plate — as a guide, the British Heart Foundation recommends this to be around a third of your diet. 

Include a variety of nutrient-dense foods as part of your self-care practice and you’ll start to feel better from the inside out! 

Ask for help

Asking for help from your family or friends to manage your time, or enlisting a workout buddy to help you stay accountable are good ways to stick to your self-care practice. If you’re feeling overwhelmed talk to a health expert for personalised advice.

How to cultivate a self-care practice

Consistency is key when it comes to an effective self-care practice. The same as making time for fitness, it’s always helpful to create a plan — and be realistic about it — because being kind to yourself is self-care too!

Everyone’s self-care practice looks different – how will yours look? 

You can try these self-care tips to see what approach works best for you and implement strategies like meal prep or scheduling a self-care practice like yoga in your calendar to help you stay accountable. 

Taking the time to listen to your body and focus on your wellbeing means you can get the most out of your health and fitness journey and feel your best.

Do you have any self-care secrets? Share them in the comments!