Planning The Perfect Day | Personal Self – Care

I’ve talked about self-care a lot on this blog because it genuinely is a topic that means so much to me. Only a few years ago we didn’t even have a sufficient term for being kind to ourselves, which made talking about this topic pretty tricky.

Thanks to other wonderful bloggers, influencers and social media trends everyone knows what self-care is and how important it is for our mental (and therefore physical!) health.

However in case you’re not too sure, here’s what self-care officially means:

self-care

noun

the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health.

1. 1.1 The practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.

Now self care can be a pretty serious topic sometimes and rightly so! But that’s not the way I’m going to be talking about it right now.

This post is going to be based mainly on the more ‘frivolous’ things I like to do to take care of myself and ensure that I am in a good mental state. To be honest, I could argue for hours how nothing is frivolous if it helps you out in someway but fear not, I won’t today.

Without further ado here is what I like to do on a self-care day:

Please note this is not including work, deadlines or any other commitments. Instead I’m going to be focusing on the things I like to do in my free time because it’s just easier.

EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE

Sleep is such a huge part of self-care and something that I haven’t been the best at recently. However I know how bad I feel, and therefore how badly my day goes, if I didn’t get a good enough sleep the night before.

Although I love a lie in and a lazy morning, I have to admit that I feel at my best when I get up early. I like to be able to tackle the day as soon as possible and I like to make the most out of my time.

Plus the earlier I get up, the longer I can make my morning. I don’t like to feel rushed, especially if I am already stressed or anxious, so getting up early gives me a few extra hours to chill with a cuppa, my current read and some daytime telly.

In order for me to be able to get up early and feel good about it, I know I need to go to bed early the night before. To be fair, these days I am barely seeing past nine o’clock! But I do really like to make an effort to get the best sleep possible when I’m feeling overwhelmed because I know how beneficial it is.

LET’S GET DRESSED

As I said in a recent post, now I work from home I find myself spending the majority of my time in pyjamas. And while I love my pyjamas more than anything, I can start to feel a bit grim if I spend too much time in them.

If I’m trying to be extra nice to myself and really make an effort I will get dressed. Sometimes, depending on what mood I’m in, I’ll take time to do my makeup and might even brush my hair.

Although I certainly don’t think you need to do a full on fashion show every morning and sometimes days off just call for being in your pj’s, I’ve noticed that by getting ready I feel so much better and am more productive.

GOING OUTSIDE

Again, I spend so much time at home that I frequently get concerned that I may be a hermit. I adore being at home and either being with my family or simply by myself, but even I have to admit that it can be bad for my brain sometimes.

I live in an amazing city that I don’t appreciate enough because, y’know, I’ve lived here all my life. Sure going out can cost money sometimes, but it doesn’t have to! When I get some free time or a day off I like to encourage myself to do some exploring around my hometown.

Sometimes that can mean visiting tourist spots, finally trying that indie cafe or even just being in the city centre and experiencing the hustle and bustle.

Of course, nothing feels better than getting a break from the city. If I can, I will go to the beach which is my favourite place to be. I find that walking, fresh air and generally being away from the four walls of my house has an instant effect on my mental health and makes me feel so much better no matter what’s being going on.

MY FAVOURITE ENTERTAINMENT

There are some days where I feel like I can’t escape screens. I am constantly bombarding myself with words, videos and other people’s opinions and that can all add up to a messy brain.

When I feel overwhelmed I really have to force myself to take a step away from my phone and focus on something else. This is where going outside can really help!

On an ideal self-care day, I’d spend most of my time reading. But I have to admit that this doesn’t happen that often and I do normally get distracted by Netflix, YouTube and even good ol’ daytime television.

Nonetheless, a great way to make yourself feel better is to treat yourself to some uninterrupted time doing what makes you happiest. For me that is reading, but also listening to true crime podcasts, watching daily vlogs and editing photos for Instagram.

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No matter what you choose to do with your day, the most important thing to remember is to focus solely on yourself. With everything you chose to do, focus on how it makes you feel. As long as it makes you feel good, secure, safe and happy then keep doing it. No matter how ‘frivolous’ it may seem.

At the end of the day friend, you should be your number one priority. I hope you manage to make time for yourself very soon – it’s so important!

Speak soon,

Rachael.