Mary Olivia Verhulst

Self-care is trending. Everyday there’s a new “change your life” technique involving organic face masks, bath salts, or a massage. In fact, it has become so trendy, it’s integrated itself into everyday conversation, and standard morning and evening routines for so many individuals. This is a great thing, ideally- but people are beginning to forget the purpose.

Does creating space everyday for self-care ultimately mean that you’re “good” at it? Are you getting the most out of your self-care routine? Creating time for yourself with the purpose of prioritizing yourself is not something to be good or bad at. However, there is a difference between setting aside time for ourselves because we think we should, or simply out of habit, and actually being present and immersed in our down time. It’s great to dedicate enough time for ourselves in the midst of a chaotic week, but it’s more important to focus on what we do during that time to cultivate peace, stability and curiosity. There is a loss of purpose when we take time for ourselves, but our mind is in eight other places when doing so. The key to effective self-care is to be mindful.

Mindful self-care increases our quality of “me time.” Craving tips for how to increase the quality of your self-care time? Try the following:

  1. Examine your routine. Which parts do you still enjoy, if at all? Explore what’s working and what isn’t. Ultimately, if we are ever-evolving, our self-care routine should be too.
  2. Implement new activities. If we know exercise works for us, but our typical cardio routine has become boring or outdated, what would a new bike riding or hot yoga class look like on Sunday?
  3. Make a list of things you’ve been wanting to try during your “me time,” but haven’t gotten around to. Know that this kind of list is a fun list to check off over time, and that there isn’t an anxious need to do all of these activities at once, or at all. Keep these activities mindfully on the back burner for when there is time.
  4. Try something different. Do we really need to be watching Grey’s Anatomy reruns? Time to begin engaging in the act of exploring something new, and stepping out of the comfort zone.
  5. Reframe your self-care time. Instead of this being something you have to do for the sake of your sanity, what would it look like to make this time more joyful and worth setting aside for?

And always remember self-care can be no activity at all, simply sitting quietly for 15 minutes, no phones, no distractions, doing ‘nothing’ is also self-care. By trying these tips, it’s likely that your self-care routine can feel rejuvenated and revitalized. Try to enjoy taking care of yourself as the thing that you want to do again.

If self-care is something that you’re struggling with – Experience relief. Call, text or email us. We are here to help. Contact us today for individual or couples therapy. If our clinicians are not the right fit for you, we can help refer you to someone that will be a good fit.