Everyone can use a “Me Day” every once in a while. There’s no shame in taking a single day, a few hours, or a few moments to focus on yourself. You can do these practices every day, once a week or as frequently as you wish. Gear them to what you feel comfortable doing, how you want to grow and how you want to feel.

Self-care is meant to help you to cherish the body, spirit, and personality that you were given. You are pretty darn awesome so own up to it!

Now, for a self-care routine you can follow as you wish:

Waking Up: Try to wake up naturally if you can. Waking up naturally means your body has the adequate amount of rest that it needs to start the day! However, I like to try to start my days early to take full advantage of the daylight I am given.

Attitude of Gratitude

Start your day with a little reflection of what you are thankful for. What did you appreciate yesterday? What are you grateful to have today? What are you thankful that you were given? Write down or simply think about some of the opportunities that you are blessed to have.

By expressing these things to yourself, you will start your day on a positive note and start to realize these small tokens throughout the day. You will eventually train your mind to see the good in people, situations, and opportunities. I like to write down three or more things every morning that I am thankful for.   

Start with:

“This morning I am grateful for….”

“Today, I am thankful to be able to…”

“I give thanks for the opportunity to…”

Examples:

Health living, ability to learn, the sun, peanut butter, loving family and friends, clean air, compassion

Drink Warm Lemon Water

Start your day by detoxing your body with some warm lemon water. Drinking warm water aids in digestion and lemon water is a killer of toxins everywhere within your body. It’s honestly a miracle worker. Start with a clean slate every morning by drinking a refreshing lemon water.

Eat Breakfast

After your cup of lemon water, make yourself a nutritious breakfast. Now, you can make your me-day however you want. You can either choose to nourish your body with the healthiest foods you can. Or, you can choose to eat all of your favorite comfort foods to warm you right up! It is up to you!

I try to make healthy foods part of my favorite foods to make this easier, but that is definitely not always the case! One healthy breakfast I have been loving lately is overnight oats. There are thousands of recipes online and on Pinterest. Delicious, sweet, healthy, and filling!

(Make sure to drink a glass of water after you eat oatmeal to activate the water-soluble fiber! It will keep you much fuller longer.)

Allow Yourself Some Extra Pamper Time

If you woke up early enough to spend a little extra time on yourself, do it! If not, take your extra pamper time at night. Apply a face mask, lotion up, spray some essential oils, take a bath. Whatever you are feeling to just make yourself feel good, do it! You definitely don’t have to do this every day. But on the extra pamper days, take advantage of it.

Go About Your Day With a Positive Attitude

You have conquered every obstacle that has been thrown at you thus far. Every situation you are in will pass. Try to improve every experience you encounter today. You will rock it!

Give Compassion

A good friend once told me that you can help yourself feel better by making others feel better. I have found this true many times in my life. By making someone else’s day, you can change your mood and feeling. Try doing something for someone that you may never see again. This will make you automatically happier. Buy someone’s drink behind you in a drive through, leave a dollar on a vending machine, smile at strangers.

Listen to Some Good Music

The ability to jam out can change almost anyone’s attitude on life. It is proven to release stress and endorphins, making you happier. Sing it out on your commute, you won’t regret it. 

Eat Some Good Meals

Not only does your body need a good breakfast, but lunch, dinner, and the little snacks in between are important too! Add fruits and veggies in. Nourish your body with all of the nutrients it needs to flourish. Eat the rainbow every day. You will be so surprised how different you feel once you start eating more fruits and veggies as opposed to lots of refined sugars and simple carbs. You will naturally create more energy and feel more rejuvenated all day.

Take Some Time To Breathe and/or Sweat

 Meditate, do some yoga, workout, lift weights. Whatever you want to do to step back from everything else going on in your day. Be in your own personal bubble and work it. Kick some butt in the gym or find a cozy spot to meditate for some time. Just take some time, with just yourself and your thoughts. Get in your own zone and clear your head.

Have a Night Routine

 Whether it is skin care, drinking a tea or reading a book. Have something that you do every night before you go to bed that makes you feel like you are helping yourself.

 

End Your Day With Gratitude and Affirmations

 I like to grab a journal and write down a few thoughts about my day. I first write down what I am thankful for once again. What my day brought me that I was lucky to have. What my favorite parts of my day were. How I was able to grow.

I also write down what I want to focus on tomorrow. Something I think I can improve on or personally focus on. Somedays it is an attitude switch or a goal of compassion towards someone else or spending more time researching a topic. Just a short list of things that I want to focus on to help me grow.

I then write down some positive affirmations. What I am feeling. If I am feeling calm or motivated or growth or learning.

Lastly, I write any thought I feel I want to share. This doesn’t have to be every night but if there’s something special, add it and take time to expand the idea.

These four things take maybe 5 minutes at the end of my day and they help me go to bed with a positive light on today, what I will do tomorrow, and keep me in tune with how I am feeling.

By following a few of these steps as frequently as you wish, you will feel the difference in your mindset, your intentions, and your body. You don’t have to follow every step every day, but by choosing a few, you will see and feel a difference. Some take longer than others but most do not take more than 10 minutes. You’re worth that every day. 

Allow yourself to grow and flourish into the you that you want to be. Nourish to flourish. Detach from anything that is bringing you down. Your body hears everything your mind says. Let it grow. Let it learn. Let it give. Let it be authentic. Let it love always.

Check out these popular mindful living posts:

• How to Set Goals to Actually Achieve Them
• How to Practice Gratitude & the Benefits Of It
• 152 Little Things To Be Happy About