Everyday self-care: seven downtime ideas & the perfect self-care day
Parents, professionals, students and many other groups of people share one thing in common in their daily lives: they often worry about others, about their own success or making a good impression on their superiors. So once they have completed their to-do lists at the end of the day, they should be happy, shouldn’t they? Unfortunately not. Because the one thing that is often missing in a strict everyday routine is me-time: self-care is the buzzword. Here are seven tips and ideas that you can use to meet your own needs every day! We also explain what your well-earned self-care day could look like, from a perfect morning to a relaxed bedtime.
August 23, 2023 • 8 min reading time
Prioritize your well-being with Selfcare. Find self-care tips for inner balance and more mindfulness in everyday life.
If you simply worry about your family, friends, boss, teachers and other people in your everyday life and never find time to take care of yourself, you urgently need to makes changes to your lifestyle. Because constantly undertaking paid work and caring for others, or contributing to your own success, without pausing to recharge your batteries can have a negative impact on your health, leading to excessive stress or even burnout in the worst-case scenario.
In order to find more time for your own wishes and needs, the smallest changes often suffice. Here are seven simple self-care ideas and tips that you can incorporate into your daily routine and adapt to your personal preferences. This will give you the strength and energy to return to your tasks feeling fully revitalised!
Our first self-care tip is more about preparing for your subsequent downtime. Scheduling time for self-care and letting others know about this is a top priority, especially if you have a very strict everyday routine. It may even help to get up a few minutes earlier on some days so that you can consciously use this extra time just for yourself.
If as a parent or professional, you are able to delegate certain tasks and actions to your partner and/or colleagues for a short time, then do so. It is always important to tell others that you are planning to take a break, so that they can rearrange their schedules and give you the space you need – even if this is only during your lunch break.
A relaxing bath, new haircut, manicure, pedicure or sauna: if you want to make particularly effective use of your me-time and achieve a very clear before-and-after effect, you can also schedule a small beauty break into your everyday routine. If you work from home or are a stay-at-home parent, taking a long shower, reapplying your make-up or shaving your whole body can help you feel better, more comfortable and more self-confident. The time you spend freshening up should be reserved entirely for you. This means your favourite music or preferred podcast instead of business emails and screaming children.
Be it in the morning, during your lunch break or just before bedtime: fresh air is good for you at any time of the day or year. Simply wear the right clothes and the right footwear and enjoy some time outdoors. It is entirely up to you whether you choose to go for a gentle stroll and listen to the sound of the wind and birdsong, or go for an energetic jog accompanied by your favourite music. Try to use this time to fully engage with your thoughts and leave everyday life behind.
Self-care means focusing entirely on yourself and your needs. However, this obviously does not mean that you have to or should isolate yourself from others – because a phone call with your family, coffee with your best friend or intense conversation with your partner can be balm for the soul. So enjoy this time with your loved ones to the fullest, distract yourself from negative thoughts or give in to your emotions. The main thing is that you regain your strength and feel better after talking!
Do you often spend your free time on your phone or laptop or in front of the TV, scrolling through social media or being bombarded by other digital content? Instagram, Netflix, etc. are undoubtedly one obvious form of self-care when you want to switch off from the stresses of everyday life. However, in order to ground yourself again and organise your thoughts, we recommend undertaking peaceful activities without your phone from time to time. We suggest pursuing old hobbies or having a go at yoga, meditation, puzzles, painting or music to discover new pastimes!
Good nutrition is also an essential part of self-care. It is entirely up to you whether you cook for yourself or someone cooks for you and whether you opt for your favourite dish or are happy to try something new. What’s important is that you decide! Eat what you like and what you’re really in the mood for. In order for you to still feel good about your body after eating, we recommend a healthy diet; but sometimes fatty, sugary foods are allowed!
Regardless of how well structured and planned your everyday routine is, your mental wellbeing can often be affected by several things on stressful days. Just like your to-do list, you can also write down any negative thoughts and then forget about them. Although this will not eliminate the stresses and strains of everyday life, it will make them more manageable. By being more mindful of your own feelings, you can often identify the root cause of your negative emotions and address this more easily. This will improve your quality of life!
If you can no longer remember the last time you did exactly as you pleased on your day off, it’s high time for a self-care day! Because putting yourself first occasionally is the only way you can remain efficient, resilient and, above all, happy in the long term.
In order to devote an entire day to self-care, you need to involve your nearest and dearest in mundane tasks as much as possible. This means sending your partner away with the kids, letting your parents or in-laws look after them for a day and choosing a day without any work appointments or deadlines; Sundays are often suitable for this. To ensure that you fully enjoy your self-care day, you should also try to create a clutter-free environment the evening before, so that you don’t have to tidy up or relax amidst the chaos during your day.
Your long-awaited self-care day has begun! To get your morning off to a relaxed start, you need to give some prior thought to whether you want to have a lie-in or get up early to make the most of the day and enjoy the sunrise with a coffee on your balcony or in your garden. Of course, you can also start your day slowly; turn off your alarm, sleep for as long as you like, read the newspaper or an interesting book, drink your morning tea or quietly listen to music in bed. Whichever you choose, you should start the morning feeling good and fully relaxed.
A hot-cold contrast shower will revitalise you, ensuring that you are properly awake and ready for the day. A brief beauty treatment that includes moisturising, cutting your nails, shaving, doing your hair, brushing your teeth and applying light make-up is the best preparation for the day ahead! A delicious breakfast of fresh rolls from the bakery or healthy porridge is also a must.
Following your morning ritual, your self-care day really begins. You should always listen to your own feelings and spontaneously decide what to do. Do you want to relax on the sofa for a while and watch your favourite TV series? Or do you fancy going into town with your best friend, a day at the lake, a bike ride or a gentle stroll? Everything is permitted on your self-care day, except for work! Our seven self-care tips also include exciting ideas and inspiration for your day.
Your evening is also all about self-care. Regardless of whether you choose to order pizza and snuggle up under the duvet in front of the TV, go out for a delicious dinner with your partner or meet your friends in the pub, the motto for your self-care evening remains the same: do as you please, not as you must!
To ensure a positive bedtime experience, you can finish the evening by lighting a candle, making an entry in your gratitude journal or simply reflecting on your wonderful day. After taking your shower or bath, putting on your comfortable pyjamas and getting into your freshly made bed, you will definitely be refreshed and re-energised for the following day!
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