How to Create a Self-Care Routine That Supports Your Mental Well-being (International Self-Care Day, July 24)

International Self-Care Day is July 24th and is a great opportunity to create a new self-care routine. Practicing self-care does not need to be fancy or expensive. Engaging in self-care practices can be any activity that involves caring for yourself in some way. In our busy world, we often forget about self-care. Taking care of ourselves is an essential part of maintaining positive well-being and mental health.

Why Is Self-Care Important to Mental Health?

Self-care is any act that involves caring for ourselves. However, in the lens of mental health, self-care can mean different things. For example, taking care of ourselves could include finding ways to reduce stress, setting boundaries, and getting adequate rest. If we neglect our self-care care our mental health will likely struggle too. When we neglect our self-care care we can have heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and sometimes symptoms of depression. 

How to Create a Self-Care Routine

Creating a self-care routine will look different for each person. Below, we will discuss some tips for creating your self-care routine. There isn’t a wrong way to take care of yourself, so finding what works for you is the most important. 

• The first step in creating a self-care routine is figuring out what areas of your life need extra care. You can start by assessing your needs by going through the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of your life. Once you are able to identify areas where you need extra support, you can start creating a routine.
• Starting small is a great way to ensure that the process of adding a new routine doesn’t get too stressful. It can be helpful to try one or two habits to incorporate at a time instead of trying to create too many at once. Taking your time in creating a routine will make it more successful in the long run.
  
  
• While it’s important to be gentle with yourself, it’s also important to try to stay consistent with habits as much as possible. Staying consistent with habits is the best way to create habits and keep them.
  
  
• Try not to beat yourself up if you struggle with maintaining your routine right away. Creating habits that we aren’t used to can be challenging. Part of creating new habits is gently bringing yourself back to habits when you inevitably get distracted by life.

Creating a self-care routine is a great way to take care of our physical and mental health. These routines can be adjusted to help address specific needs a person has. It’s important to develop a routine that is unique to the person using it. Routines help us manage our time, reduce stress, and improve our relationships. Creating self-care routines helps us to bring these practices into our daily lives.

If you are interested in working with one of our therapists in teletherapy, please let us know. We would be happy to work with you on helping you create a self-care routine or any other struggles you are carrying.

References

https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2014/04/corner

https://researchforyou.co.uk/mac-news/depression-and-self-neglect-the-importance-of-self-care/

https://mhanational.org/resources/self-help-tools/ 

https://mhanational.org/resources/creating-healthy-routines/

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/psychological-benefits-of-routine 

Keywords: self-care day, mental health, self-care routine, teletherapy