Create Your Own Self Care Plan

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎In a stressed and anxiety-ridden generation, self-care is essential. It’s important to take time to nourish your body, soul, and mind regularly. To ensure your optimal health, you should create a schedule for your “me-time”. This will allow you to make sure you get this time in. Here is a sample self-care plan template you might utilize!

Address All Areas

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎When designing your self-care plan, you should make sure you address all areas. You may not perform an activity in every area every time, but you should try to rotate through each area to ensure balance in your life.

Areas of your life to address include:

• Physical
• Mental
• Emotional
• Intellectual
• Vocational
• Spiritual
• Financial

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎Self-care in these areas can look like daily, weekly, or even monthly activities that you do to make sure you’re taken care of in every area. It can be as simple as taking time to wash your face every morning or taking time once a month to check in on your budget.

List Your Activities

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎Once you have listed out the categories in your life that you feel need attention, try to create a small list under each one of the activities you enjoy (or simply need to be done). For example, under the physical category you can put activities such as going for a walk or completing a skin care routine each evening.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎Under the mental category, you can list going outdoors for a few minutes each morning, journaling, or playing an instrument. You’ll find that these categories often overlap, and that is because self-care is typically a holistic approach to living.

Schedule Your Time

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎Once you have your categories and list of activities, now it’s time schedule it! If you don’t make time to care for yourself, these activities and tasks may never get done. Now it’s time to assign these activities to a time.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎Pick a schedule that is sustainable to you. You can create your daily routines along with weekly, monthly, or annually. Categories such as financial or budgeting may need to be done weekly or monthly depending on your needs. If you’re looking to treat yourself once and again, then something like scheduling a massage once per month may be in order.

Examples of Self-Care

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎To help you with creating your self-care plan, here are some examples of self-care:

• Walking the dog
• Starting a new yoga class
• Meditation
• Journaling
• Reading
• Starting a new hobby
• Playing an instrument
• Have lunch with a friend
• Plan and prepare your meals for the week
• Don’t check your phone first thing in the morning
• Mental health care (whatever this means for you)

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎There is no limit as to what is classified as “self-care.” That is highly individual. Make your list, schedule some “me” time, and you should feel refreshed and better than ever!

Feeling Stuck?

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎If you’ve attempted a regular self-care routine and still feel stuck in life, then it may be time for you to invest in a life coach. A life coach will help you find and address the root cause of your problems, as well as provide actionable steps to create a life you love and deserve.