Did you know that the constant stress and self-sacrifice of everyday life can hurt your productivity in the long run?
Chronic stress simply isn’t the way our bodies are built, as they meant to function under short bursts of stress through the flight-or-fight response.
But, through low levels of stress every single day, our entire body can suffer.
The term “self-care” is an amazing solution to our stress problem. While it can often sound overly indulgent, it is actually extremely personalized to your needs.
Better yet, when you take good care of yourself through regular self-care rituals, you can be your best self at school, work, and in your relationships.
Moreover, researchers have found that humans are somewhat predisposed in our minds to believe in god, gods, and the afterlife and self-care rituals help you connect with your higher self.
Read on below to see the benefits of self-care rituals, and how to implement a few into your everyday life.
Self-Care Rituals Decrease Stress
Perhaps the biggest benefit of self-care is that it helps you decrease stress by activating your relaxation response.
Through various rituals, you can learn how to offset stress and become a more peaceful person, as well as learn to cope better when you are under a lot of stress.
In turn, as mentioned before, you can actually become more productive when you take time to unwind and decompress.
Self-Care Increases Spirituality
Spirituality is a part of being human and often feels almost like a natural instinct to many of us.
Self-care rituals will allow you to let go of the noise that holds you back from your higher self, and it helps you raise your vibration to manifest what you need most.
Through simple techniques that only take minutes from your day, you can change the way you approach the universe.
Self-Care Changes Lives
Overall, simply put, self-care rituals change lives. They help you relearn kindness towards yourself, as often times we are taught that our needs come after that of our employers or others.
But, it is difficult to truly flourish if you do not put yourself first. Once you do, you are able to give more to your employer, friends, and family.
As well, self-care helps you reprogram your brain to think more positively, which will benefit your entire being.
Simple, Spiritual Self-Care Habits
Here are five habits to begin scheduling into your day-to-day life. Over time, you may not be able to imagine life without them.
1. Daily Meditation
The scientific benefits of mediation are well-founded, and they range from boosting immune function to decreasing inflammation to increasing your overall positivity.
You may have heard that meditation is only for monks, or that you have to do it for an hour every day. Neither of these is true, and mediation is extremely personalized.
There is no need to have a completely empty mind, as there are many techniques that encourage you to simply be aware of miscellaneous thoughts and let them go.
As well, you do not need to sit a certain way, chant a certain thing, or do it for a certain amount of time.
The best way to start a daily mediation is generally in shorter increments, first thing in the morning before you eat or have caffeine. Even five minutes each day can be beneficial.
There are also tons of apps for your phone and meditation journals that can help you begin your meditation journey.
2. Move Your Body
Exercise and movement is a form of self-care, as long as it is done for the right reasons.
You should not overexert yourself or overly focus on your appearance, but rather approach movement as a healthy outlet for stress.
The goal should be how you feel after you move, rather than how you look. Self-love is an essential part of self-care.
One great form of movement is yoga, which is deeply grounding and has proven psychological benefits as well as physical ones.
Yoga will boost your flexibility and give you a sense of calm as soon as you enter the studio. You can also practice yoga at home for a personalized spiritual practice.
3. Ritualize Your Morning Drink
A morning beverage is the perfect self-care ritual, as it helps set the mood for the entire day.
Examples of a morning beverage could be an anti-inflammatory tonic with apple cider vinegar, ginger, and lemon, or bulletproof coffee or matcha.
Regardless of your choice, take time to prepare it and drink it each morning. Consider it the calm before the storm of each day.
Ritualize it even further with spiritual reading, or writing down three things you are grateful for each day.
Natural products could be helpful as well to start your mornings, such as candles, lotions, or beauty balms like this product which is infused with hemp oil.
It can also help to write three things you hope to accomplish for the day and get started on one of them before checking your phone or email.
4. Get Outside in Nature
Humans are meant to get out into nature often, as our ancestors didn’t truly have a choice in the matter.
Being outside can help you heal, both physically and emotionally. As well, it can help boost your serotonin and vitamin D levels.
One of the best ways to get outside is to talk a walk, as walking is also extremely therapeutic and it can help us be more creative.
This is one self-care ritual that you can do by yourself, or with others, as being outside with a loved one can help the two of your bond while you de-stress.
Take a few minutes each day to get outside, especially in the morning or afternoon to guard yourself against burn out. Often times, you will return energized and ready to get back to business.
5. Practice Simple Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a powerful tool that you can implement in your everyday life very easily, as it is simply a way of looking at any given situation.
Being mindful is about increasing your awareness about the world around you but in a non-judgemental way.
This approach can help you relax, and let go of the “small things” in life that you will likely not remember in the long run.
To begin your mindful journey, simply start by being mindful of your own body, feelings, and thoughts.
In time, extend the mindfulness to your relationships and actions, and truly learn to evaluate how you feel without letting your own biases change the situation.
Start Your Self-Care Journey
Self-care doesn’t need to be a luxurious experience reserved only for those that have significant amounts of time.
In fact, those of us that have the least amount of “extra” time in our days can benefit the most from self-care.
The first step is to begin treating yourself with kindness and love. From there, find habits that make you feel connected to yourself, and the universe.
For more methods of implementing self-care into your daily life, check out our article on ten ways to decrease tension for a healthy body and mind.
