Tips for taking care of yourself

Taking care of yourself can sometimes seem like an extremely hard thing to do, especially with social media presenting taking care of yourself as going to the gym every day, eating salad all the time and drinking a gallon of water every day too. Although these are all good things which are long-term goals for some, taking care of yourself starts with small things that add up to create a big overall difference in your mental health. They don’t have to be related to your physical health either!

In this article, I’d like to share a few tips you can incorporate into your daily routine to help you feel better and make looking after yourself easier.

Write down your goals

The first thing to do is write down what you’d like to achieve and things that make you feel good. For example, do you always feel nice after doing your skincare or a face mask? Aim to incorporate this into a daily/weekly to-do list. It can make you feel accomplished seeing it ticked off and motivate you to complete even more too! When taking care of yourself is overwhelming, breaking it down into smaller tasks can be particularly helpful.

Highlight areas where you’re lacking

Another tip is to highlight areas where you’re lacking. For example, are you always carrying a water bottle around without taking any sip? Try to give yourself a reward for completing the task, like an iced coffee after you’ve drank a litre of water. This can help things to become a habit. Over time, this can mean you’re staying hydrated and feeling better because of it. This also works for relaxing too – setting aside time to watch your favourite TV show can be a great way to take a step back and prepare for a new day.

Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t achieve something

It’s also important not to beat yourself up if you don’t achieve certain things from your to-do lists and goals. Looking after yourself can sometimes look like making sure you’ve eaten and drank a cup of water. You don’t need to be achieving anything big, therefore it can be a little unproductive to compare yourself to people online (as most of this is fake anyway!).

Moreover, please don’t punish yourself either, as looking after yourself isn’t just about ticking off a to-do list. It’s about taking time out when you’ve taken on too much work, not getting annoyed with yourself for resting and treating yourself often too!