10 ways to take care of yourself at home

Sometimes taking care of yourself might sound like a big task. You might think you don’t have time to make yourself a priority. 
In this article I will share with you easy ways to take care of yourself. Some of these ideas don’t even take more than 10 minutes.

This list is not in order. Take what you need, create your own list and enjoy your moment 🙂

1. Working out

Working out is not just about losing or controlling weight. Being physically active has a lot of other benefits. It can improve your health in general but also reduce pain, anxiety, stress. Increase energy, focus, relaxation and sleep quality.

You don’t need to work out for hours everyday. Find something you can enjoy and stick to it, until it becomes a habit.

2. Doing your skincare routine consciously

Make your skincare routine a relaxing moment. Skincare is a sensorial experience. Slow down and focus on every step of your routine. Take your time to touch the texture, smell the product, feel it on your skin.
How does it spread ? Is it warm or cold ? 

Being conscious when you are doing your skincare will also guide you on the mindfulness journey and little by little you will learn how to appreciate the small things.

3. Taking a hot bath

Taking a moment to take a hot bath sounds good right ? Relaxing in a warm tub have many different benefits especially when your body feels sore or tired.
Warmth can ease aches, pains and relaxes your blood vessels.

Also a study shows that taking regular hot baths reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease: source

4. Staying hydrated

Let me correct myself: DRINK WATER!

Probably the easiest way to take care of yourself is by giving your body and cells water. To help you stay hydrated, always keep a bottle of water near you. 
If you are like me and easily forget to drink before being thirsty, you can create a trick to help you remember to drink. 
For example: everytime you look at your phone, you have to drink water. It’s like playing a game with yourself and at the end you’re always the winner. 

Find something that works for you, it can be anything.

Now let’s see some benefits of drinking water:

• delivers oxygen throughout our body
• regulates body temperature
• prevents kidneys damage 
• boost energy and performances
• lubricates joints

5. Enjoying healthy meals

We all know that eating healthy is important to prevent some diseases, it can also boost your mood and energy.
If you don’t have time to cook everyday, here’s what you can do :
Find simple recipes with no more than 5 ingredients and then plan your meals and prepare them ahead (on sundays for the next week for example)

6. Journaling

Journaling is an old activity that most of us did when we were younger and then stopped growing up.
I started again in 2017 and found out it was actually very therapeutic.There is not a right way to journal. You can literally write about anything. Your life, your problems, your goals, your visions, your pet etc 

Journaling reduces stress, depression symptoms, and anxiety. It helps you get private and clear with yourself and how you really feel.

It also help you prioritize your goals, improves your memory. Find more about the benefits of journaling in my previous blog post

7. Listening to music

Music can improve your mood by boosting the brain’s production of hormone dopamine. 
Listening to music is a great way to control your emotions, to relax, reduce anxiety, blood pressure and stress, even pain.

8. Dancing

Not just dance, but DANCE like no one sees you. Let it all go ! Let your body express itself (but don’t hurt yourself)
Dancing is another way to improve your mental health but also your physical health.
Yes ! Dancing can be a great cardio workout.

Here are some advantages of dancing:

• improves your cardiovascular health, balance and strength
• boost your energy, cognitive performance
• reduces stress and anxiety

9. Reading empowering books

Reading literally changes your mind. 

When I was younger I didn’t like reading. I found no interest in it. But around 2015 I started reading self development books and it changed everything.
Of course you will get bored if you only read self development books so it’s important to vary.

Studies say that reading regularly strengthens the brain, builds your vocabulary, and reduces stress. 
Reading empowering books can create a positive impact on you. They boost your confidence, teach you how to be more positive and open minded.

Tips to read more:

• Always take a book with you.
• Create a book journal where you can write down the title, the author, when you started and finished it, how you would rate it, some notes. 
• One step at a time. It’s not a race. Take it slow by reading 10-20 minutes a day.

10. Meditating

My favorite thing to do, to take care of myself and my mental health is meditating. It might sound unoriginal but mediation is very efficient for every moment of your life.
Meditation increases emotional regulation, memory, focus, and attention.

“Meditation is hygiene for your mind” I couldn’t say it better. Showering, eating healthy, and practicing a regular physical activity is common sense for the majority of us. But a lot of people overlook meditation to clear the mind of unnecessary thoughts.
Taking a few moments to meditate and being mindful doesn’t mean ignoring your problems, your negative feelings but it will help you refocus and relax your body and soul from those.

You can find many different apps, youtube videos to help you or teach you more about meditation.

BONUS:

Getting enough sleep is super important for physical and mental well-being. 
Sleep duration varies by age but an adult needs around 7-8 hours of sleep each night. 

Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can reduce cognition, attention, reactions but also increase mood shifts.

To help you improve your quality of sleep you can:

• stick to a realistic sleep schedule
• work out during the day
• create a comfortable environment to sleep
• don’t eat or drink too much before going to bed

Conclusion

Making yourself a priority is a must for your health and happiness. Yes sometimes you have to set some boundaries because, good news ! Putting yourself first is not selfish.

If you found any helpful tip in this post don’t hesitate to leave a comment below