Establish a self-care routine

In a world where you can feel restless, it's all too easy to let self-care slip through the cracks. However, developing a daily self-care routine can be beneficial for both our physical and mental health. Whether your wellness routine looks like taking the time to prepare healthy, nutrient-dense meals, taking a daily afternoon walk, or committing to a skincare routine every night before bed, it's important to make self-care a daily ritual. We've compiled some tips on how to establish your own self-care routine to get you started. Read on for a dose of wellness inspiration!

8 self-care routine ideas

1. Start taking care of yourself the night before. While we sleep, our minds may be unconscious, but our brains and bodies are hard at work, keeping us healthy and ensuring our bodies function at optimal levels. 1 It's recommended that adults get seven to eight hours of sleep each night, 2 and not getting enough can affect your physical and mental health. 3 Ensuring you get good sleep is an important foundation for your self-care routine. Grab your comfiest blankets, earplugs, or whatever tools you need to calm down, and make those zzzs part of your daily wellness routine!

2. Start your day with a glass of water. You may be familiar with the statistic that water accounts for about 60 percent of our body weight, but what you may not know is that every cell, tissue, and organ requires water to function. 4 The average adult male needs to consume about 3 liters of fluids through water, other beverages, and food every day, and the average adult female needs about 2 liters. 5 Start every day with a glass of water as part of your daily wellness routine.

3. Practice gratitude. Self-care isn't just about taking care of our physical health; it's also important to take care of our emotional health. Try starting or ending each day by writing down a few things you're grateful for, whether they're big things like the health of your family and your job, or small things like a beautiful garden you saw during the day or the release of your favorite band. Making the practice of gratitude a daily ritual can encourage us to be more aware of our surroundings and help us start or end the day with a positive attitude.

4. Spend time in nature. Especially for those who live in large cities where glimpses of greenery are scarce, taking time during the day to go for a walk around the block or a few minutes of birdwatching in the park can help slow things down.

5. Reduce stress with meal planning. Whether we're cooking for the whole family or just trying to find time for breakfast before work, mealtime can feel like a race to the finish line. Practice self-care by planning your daily, weekly, or monthly menu. Not only can this help you save time at the grocery store, but it can also help you save money—no more takeout orders!

6. Exercise. Exercise helps improve our mood, 6 reduces our risk of heart disease and improves circulation, 7 improves our sleep, 8 helps with weight management, 9 — the list of exercise benefits goes on and on! Make exercise part of your self-care routine, whether that's kicking a soccer ball around with some friends, taking your dog for a walk, taking an online Pilates class, or having a dance party with your kids.

7. Limit screen time. From a laptop to a smartphone, to a TV or tablet, sometimes the day can feel like a game of ping-pong from one screen to the next. Set aside some time every day for a short tech detox—yes, you can put your phone down for 30 minutes! Go outside, cook dinner, journal, or just enjoy some face-to-face time with a family member—your digital detox activity is up to you.

8. Eat healthy, balanced meals. Incorporate a variety of foods and beverages from all five food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy) to get the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. 10 Talk to your doctor about adding a multivitamin to your routine to ensure you get adequate amounts of all essential vitamins and minerals.