“My Self Care Plan – Daily Self Care Checklist + Favorite Self Care Quotes” – Monica May
Life isn’t always a lemonade.
Especially when we’re coming out of a year that changed us all.
In the busy (and crazy) lives we are living, even the most careless people face daily challenges that put our emotional health to a test.
And the way we get our power back and continue looking at the glass as half full, is through self care.
So, today I’m sharing my self care plan that helped me get through last year sane, plus feel good and be brave about the things coming ahead.
Packed with a daily self care checklist and some of the most inspiring self care quotes, this plan will help you practice self love while embracing a bunch of healthy habits for life.
And although self care won’t look same for everyone, there are a few things that will help you feel better no matter what type of person you are.
Let’s get started right away!
My Self Care Plan
Daily Self Care Checklist + Favorite Self Care Quotes
These are the 12 things I tried to incorporate in my daily life.
They helped me practice self care, helped me feel better, both physically and emotionally, and most important of all helped me put myself first and on the top of my to-do list even on my busiest days.
We’re diving into all of them step by step!
1. Start The Day With A Glass Of Water
Doesn’t matter if I feel thirsty or not, I have a rule that I have a full glass of water first thing in the morning.
This not only helps me get on top of my hydration goals for the day, but also helps me wake my system up and jumpstart into the day.
Drinking water first thing in the morning may not have many particular benefits, however whenever I do it I am more likely to keep up with the hydration throughout the whole day.
2. Have A Balanced Breakfast
Healthy breakfast is a huge part of my self care routine.
Since I believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I always make sure to treat my self and my body with all the right nutrients.
A little bit of protein, healthy fats and a whole lot of healthy complex carbohydrates – that’s my recipe for a healthy breakfast.
I never wait too long to have my breakfast, however, I always make sure to have it at home, before I go out and start my day.
Enjoying a breakfast together with a cup of caffeine feels therapeutic for me.
It’s my way of treating myself plus it truly is one of the healthiest habits that will help you get healthier on the long run.
3. Make A Plan For The Day
Too be completely honest, I am not sure if I would find time for myself and my self care routine if I don’t make sure to organize my time and plan everything.
That’s why after having my breakfast, I sit down, sipping my morning cup of caffeine and plan my day.
I write down a short to do list with the things I have to finish.
Planning everything is one of the most important steps when it comes to sticking to any routine, especially when it comes to self care.
It doesn’t always have to be written down on a piece of paper – there are hundreds of apps that will help you plan your day on your smart-phone.
However, writing it down helps a lot, so I always do it with my Fit Babe Fitness Planner.
4. Break A Sweat
Fitness has been a part of my life for over 10 years now.
However, not that long ago fitness became a huge part of my self care routine too.
I always looked at working out as a weight loss tool, without realizing that it’s actually so much more than that.
I slowly started changing “I have to work out” into “I want to work out” and fitness slowly switched from being a chore I had to do, to being a part of my daily self care routine.
It’s amazing what one 30 minute workout did for me in terms of making me feel so good both physically and emotionally.
On days I work out I sleep better, I eat better and I feel better.
And other than being healthy overall, it also helps me relieve stress and anxiety.
Here’s my Morning Workout Routine if you want to try it out!
5. Have A Healthy Snack
What can I say, nutrition plays a huge part in my life, therefore it’s a huge part of my self care routine.
And one of the things I decided to work on was making snacking a healthy habit.
That’s why I always make sure to have a healthy snack on hand in order to stimulate my food cravings between the meals.
One of my all time favorite snacks are protein bars I make myself.
6. Enjoy A Warm Bath
There’s something in a long warm bath that feels so therapeutic.
Don’t do it just because you have to.
Treat yourself with a new bath bomb or body wash and make sure to enjoy it.
7. Have A Power Nap
Power naps are how you get your power back.
In the past, I always pushed myself to finish my work as fast as I can, no matter how tired I was.
Now, whenever I feel overwhelmed or really tired and it’s the middle of the day, I make myself some tea, and take 20-30 minutes to rest.
8. Read Motivational Quotes
Motivational quotes are a super important part of any self care routine.
Constantly reminding yourself of why you should make time for yourself is crucial.
That’s why I made these self care quotes along with my self care plan, to help motivate you to give yourself some space.
You can also head on to check out my favorite self care quotes here from the Valentine’s day collection I dedicated to self love and self care.
Download a bunch of them, set them as a phone or desktop background and remind yourself daily of what’s important.
9. Go For A Walk
It’s amazing what a walk in nature can do for you.
Especially now when we are locked inside and away from people.
Go for a hike, or just enjoy a walk in the closest park and you’ll feel so much better.
I walk my dog each morning, not because I have to, but because I want to spend time with him and enjoy some fresh air too.
10. Stretch Or Do Yoga
I stretch almost every day as a part of my self care routine.
It’s usually after my workout session in the evening, or right before bed.
It’s hard at first, especially if you’re a beginner, however it gets easier as you get better and stronger.
And it doesn’t have to take much of your time.
As I got more comfortable I found the poses that worked for me best.
11. Disconnect At Least 1 Hour Before Bed
Disconnect from your phone, social media, your favorite TV show, whatever it is.
Scrolling on your phone is not a good idea especially late at night for so many reasons.
First and foremost, you don’t want to stare at screens when your body is preparing to go to sleep – it will be that much harder to fall asleep.
And second, it’s a shame to spend your time on your phone, when you could do so many things that are actually good and beneficial to you.
Take this time to think about your day, maybe make a plan for tomorrow, stretch a little or just read a book.
Whatever it is that fills your cup before bed – do it.
Don’t waste it scrolling through somebody else’s life.
12. Have An 8 Hour Sleep
And last in my self care plan, but definitely not least: always make time for sleep.
I know I’m being captain obvious here, but my days can get so busy sometimes that I don’t want to fall asleep because I feel like I’m missing out precious time if I blackout too soon.
And having a good 8 hour sleep is so important in terms of self care, you cannot imagine.
They call it beauty sleep for a reason :)
Now Let’s Do It!
I hope you like my self care plan and my daily self care checklist.
If you do I challenge you to print it out and make sure to follow it trough every day.
If this is to much for you, no worries, you can always start small.
Maybe set a goal to embrace 1 self care habit a week.
And as the weeks go by, just add one on top of the other and in 3 months you’ll embrace them all.
Whatever works for you, and whatever makes you happy – do it!
You can also share my daily self care checklist with your friends and encourage them to do it together.
Just don’t forget, you can’t pour from an empty cup – take care of yourself first.
Till next time, babe!
xoxo,
fitgirlsdiary is literally the BEST weight loss community anywhere, I read it every day, and I’m also so grateful I found, it helped me not only lose weight but keep it off, hope it helps some others!