How To Build a Quick and Simple Self-Care Routine For Every Day of the Week
I believe that self-care should be a daily practice.
But I understand that this can sometimes be unrealistic to achieve.
And that is why I encourage you to build a simple self-care routine that doesn’t take hours to complete. But one that can be easily sprinkled throughout your day.
In fact, it can be as short as 10-mins which sounds a lot more manageable right?
Here’s everything you need to know…
Table of Contents
- My simple self-care routine
- Debunking the myths about self-care
- How to build a quick and simple self-care routine for every day of the week
- 1 | Set your intention
- 2 | Incorporate self-care into your daily schedule
- 3 | Keep it simple
- 4 | Spend Sunday over-indulging if you need to
- 5 | Use The Wellness Planner
- Quick and simple ideas to add to your self-care routine
- Final thoughts
My simple self-care routine
I don’t have a long self-care routine.
When I started working from home back in 2020, I was extremely lost with what I wanted to do, to the point where I had zero motivation to do anything.
I used to wake up all the time feeling like shit and would often do nothing, passing them off as self-care days. Looking back now, I realise I wasn’t doing myself any favours, because what I thought I was doing for self-care was actually just me mindlessly scrolling through social media or watching Netflix.
These activities didn’t make me feel good, and if anything made me feel even worse about myself.
The absolute opposite effect that self-care is supposed to have on you.
So, when I finally decided to take back control of my mental well-being, my self-care routine was the first thing that changed.
Instead of spending hours pampering myself or doing “inner healing” work, I now choose to sprinkle little doses of self-care throughout my day.
This could be reading a fiction book for an hour in the morning, going on a long walk or swimming in the sea, exploring a new city, getting cuddles from my partner, doing a jigsaw puzzle or playing a game of chess and watching the sunset while drinking a gin and tonic.
These are the simple things that bring me joy and help me feel grounded.
They help me to reconnect with myself and give me the space just to be.
Because I’m clear on what rituals nourish me, I can now be a lot more intentional with my self-care routine rather than indulging in a random activity that I won’t benefit from.
I follow this simple self-care routine throughout the whole week, even on a Sunday.
Yes, that’s right. I don’t even have a mic-dropping self-care Sunday routine of going to the spa or spending the day at a silent retreat.
Instead, it stays simple and manageable like the rest of my slow-living lifestyle.
Debunking the myths about self-care
Your self-care routine doesn’t need to be overly long or complicated.
It can be quick and simple.
Because in all honesty, the act of self-care is simple.
Practising self-care basically means doing an activity that helps you to take better care of your well-being. Whether that is one activity or multiple, a quick 10-mins exercise or a day-long process.
Don’t get sucked into shiny trends on social media and someone else’s version of self-care. For example, if I see Karen on TikTok indulging in a self-care routine that consists of wearing a face mask, drinking a green matcha latte, going to the gym for an hour and then meditating, I’m going to get put off by that as I don’t enjoy any of those things and I will end up neglecting self-care.
The truth is, self-care can be whatever you want it to be.
Even socialising with friends who don’t drain your energy or have a negative impact on you is self-care!
Yes, self-care can be uncomfortable sometimes if you’re doing a lot of inner work but as long as what you choose to do is making you feel good both inside and out, then you’re doing it right.
Self-care should never feel like a chore, otherwise what is the point?
Likewise, it doesn’t need to be ridiculously expensive.
Gone are the days when we had to rely on Goop’s “feel-good nostrums” and use “head-scratching products including vaginal jade eggs, psychic vampire repellent, gluten-free shampoo and crystal-infused water bottles” all in the name of health and wellness. (Rina Raphael)
Wellness is something you can practice daily from the comfort of your own home and without spending a fortune.
So the first step when building a simple self-care routine is to build it to work for you.
Ignore what everyone else is doing in favour of addressing your own needs and likes.
And indulge in self-care rituals you actually enjoy!
How to build a quick and simple self-care routine for every day of the week
Self-care IRL seems to be very different to the self-care we see online. And this is why it is so important to establish a routine that works for you, rather than just copying others.
So let’s dive deeper into how you can ensure you are building a self-care routine on your terms.
I encourage you to bookmark this page so you can refer back to it whenever you need to.
1 | Set your intention
When building anything new, it’s essential to first set an intention.
Do a deep dive and ask yourself, “what is the reason behind my self-care routine?” Is it to spend more time alone, learn to be more present or allow yourself to decompress from a stressful week, etc?
Once you establish your intention or goal, you will find it much easier to build (and stick to) your self-care routine, as you will be building it for the right reasons.
Being able to pinpoint what you and your body need in terms of nourishment allows you to go straight to addressing those needs. Self-care turns into an intentional well-being practice rather than a waste of your time.
2 | Incorporate self-care into your daily schedule
I hope by now, you know how important self-care is to your overall well-being.
But finding the time to truly focus on taking care of yourself can be difficult, especially if you have a busy schedule.
And even when you do have a few spare minutes, it might feel like you need to make up for lost time by cramming in as much self-care as possible. But if you want self-care to be truly effective, then I suggest incorporating small doses throughout the day instead of trying to stick to a rigid schedule which takes ages to complete.
Doing things as simple as taking a few deep breaths when you feel overwhelmed, or putting on your favourite song and dancing around your bedroom for a few minutes can make a huge difference to how you feel.
Taking care of yourself is essential and it doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming to be effective.
You’ll also find, if you build your self-care routine in this way, it’ll be easier for you to stick to!
3 | Keep it simple
As I explained earlier, self-care doesn’t need to be an all-day event. It can be as simple as going on a long walk, reading or taking up a new hobby like knitting.
Don’t try to overcomplicate things as you’ll end up just getting overwhelmed.
Instead, keep it simple.
Remember, your self-care rituals can be as short as you want.
So what if your entire self-care routine is only 20-mins long?
If it allows you to reconnect with yourself, reset and replenish then that is all that matters.
So let’s lay the overly-long and complicated self-care routines to bed, and embrace a simpler way to take care of ourselves.
4 | Spend Sunday over-indulging if you need to
Although this is not something I personally do, I know a lot of people benefit from a Sunday dedicated to self-care.
So if you need to, spend the day pampering yourself, spending the day at the spa or indulging in longer self-care activities.
Whatever floats your boat and addresses your needs.
Over-indulging each Sunday will allow you to prepare for the following week and help ease the Monday Blues.
Or if you’re a bit of a rebel, take a day off during the week and use this as your over-indulging self-care day!
N.B. Over-indulging in this sense means dedicating more time to your self-care routine than you would in the week. Not over-indulging to the point where you’re fed up with peace and tranquillity!
5 | Use The Wellness Planner
Studies show that we are a lot more likely to do something if it is written down.
So write down your moments of self-care and keep track of your routine by using The Wellness Planner.
This 18-page digital planner will provide you with the structure you need to incorporate doses of self-care throughout your day.
Use it to:
- Build a morning and evening routine that works for you
- Successfully build better habits
- Track sleep
- Map out your meals and exercise for a healthy week
- Reflect on the day and practice gratitude
- Plan out a week of self-care activities
- Journal your thoughts and feelings
- Plus much much more
Quick and simple ideas to add to your self-care routine
Whether you’re just starting out with self-care or you’re in need of switching things up, get inspired with these simple self-care ideas that you can incorporate into your day:
- Read a chapter from a fiction book (choose a genre you actually enjoy)
- Listen to “All Too Well” (10-mins Version) by Taylor Swift
- Hug a loved one or pet
- Stretch or do light yoga
- Sort through your pictures and reminisce
- Go on a long walk at sunset
- Dance around your bedroom
- Watch an empowering TED Talk
- Write a bucket list
- Cook a new healthy recipe
- Listen to the How To Fail Podcast with Elizabeth Day
- Make a fresh juice
- Go screen-free at mealtimes and in the evening
- Create a seasonal acoustic playlist
- Call a friend or loved one
- Read one of my blog posts
Save these ideas on Pinterest
Final thoughts
As with starting anything new, it might be daunting to try and implement everything all at once.
My recommendation is to first choose the ideas that seem easy to try out or the ones that will have the biggest impact on you.
Start small and go from there.
And if you need any further guidance or advice please feel free to reach out to me via email.
My inbox is always open.
Until next week,
Thalia xx
