The new year is a great opportunity for forming new habits. The feeling of having a clean slate is refreshing and motivating especially when you want to get those habits forming. But this year, I'm not too keen on forming new habits as so much as continuing ones I started last year.
If I were to write down some of the changes I made in my life last year, self-care would definitely make the list. These past few months taught me to listen to my body more and work to improve my lifestyle. At the encouragement of my friends, I decided to make changes in my lifestyle. I became more conscious about what I ate and proactive about eating healthier food. Working out returned into my life though not as regularly as I had hoped for it to be. My mental health became a priority for me with me acknowledging I needed professional help as the first step of that journey.
In just a few months, I saw how different my life was compared to my life before I decided to really take care of myself. Seeing the progress I've made so far encouraged me to put in a bit more effort into self-care this year. Knowing I can change my life around returned this passion and drive to turn to a lifestyle where self-care is not only part, but more importantly, central.
There are so many different ways to take care of yourself and which ones to do will really depend on you. What works for me might not work for you and the same is true vice versa. You need to find what works for you so that you're able to really take care of yourself. Today, I'm sharing some of my self-care tips in the hopes that this will help you jump start your self-care journey. Without further ado, here are a couple of ways I'm taking care of myself this year.
There are so many different ways to take care of yourself and which ones to do will really depend on you. What works for me might not work for you and the same is true vice versa. You need to find what works for you so that you're able to really take care of yourself. Today, I'm sharing some of my self-care tips in the hopes that this will help you jump start your self-care journey. Without further ado, here are a couple of ways I'm taking care of myself this year.
1. EXERCISING THRICE A WEEK
Weight goals are doable and I've seen people reach their desired numbers on the scale, but after years of trying them, I realized weight goals weren't working out for me. I needed to change my approach to healthy living. I needed to go back to the basics of losing weight -- diet and exercise. While it's only recently that I tried going on a diet, exercising regularly isn't all that new for me. I've tried incorporating it into my weekly routine for some time now, but I always found myself quitting once I felt better or got busy.
This year, I want to reintegrate exercise into my weekly routines. Exercising thrice a week is a practical and realistic goal for myself. It's light on the schedule and not that intimidating to do. More importantly, a system for weight loss such as exercising thrice a week will help me avoid taking desperate measures in order to lose weight.
Read: Setting Goals for the New Year
This year, I want to reintegrate exercise into my weekly routines. Exercising thrice a week is a practical and realistic goal for myself. It's light on the schedule and not that intimidating to do. More importantly, a system for weight loss such as exercising thrice a week will help me avoid taking desperate measures in order to lose weight.
Read: Setting Goals for the New Year
2. JOURNALLING SCHOOL-RELATED WORK
While the Notes application on my phone has always been convenient for all my to-do list needs, I needed to dedicate a space solely to school-related work without the risk of being distracted by Wordscapes or my social media feeds. That is why I decided to return to notebooks!
Having a notebook dedicated to school-related work will hopefully help me be more organized and procrastinate less, which is a goal I've set myself for this semester. After three semesters of trying bullet journals and unnecessarily expensive planners from coffee shop promotions, I've decided to keep it simple and use a pocket-sized ruled notebook where I would write down all my homework from each day in to-do list format and simply check off each item as soon as I've accomplished it.
Having a notebook dedicated to school-related work will hopefully help me be more organized and procrastinate less, which is a goal I've set myself for this semester. After three semesters of trying bullet journals and unnecessarily expensive planners from coffee shop promotions, I've decided to keep it simple and use a pocket-sized ruled notebook where I would write down all my homework from each day in to-do list format and simply check off each item as soon as I've accomplished it.
3. TAKING REGULAR BREAKS
There's nothing like an afternoon doing nothing or an evening snuggled up in bed watching the latest episode of your favorite TV series. With stress coming our way on a regular basis, it's important to take a step back and breathe. Whether it's keeping academics on the weekends at the minimum or having a quarterly social media detox, this year will be the year that I truly balance work and play with rest.
Read: 5 Self-Care Tips
4. MEETING MY DISCIPLER ONCE A MONTH
My spiritual growth is important to me and that's why I value the time I spend meeting up with my discipler. Meeting with my discipler at least once a month outside of our accountability group sessions has been really encouraging and progressive for my spiritual growth. Being open and accountable to my discipler has helped me be more vulnerable and honest about my relationship with God to people both within and outside of the church.
This year, I wanted to be more intentional in being mentored spiritually. There's always something new to learn about God and His character and I want to go through that journey of finding God with someone who's been on that journey for quite some time now.
What are your self-care routines this year? Let me know in the comments!
This year, I wanted to be more intentional in being mentored spiritually. There's always something new to learn about God and His character and I want to go through that journey of finding God with someone who's been on that journey for quite some time now.
What are your self-care routines this year? Let me know in the comments!
