Self-Care: Daily Rituals for Health & Wellness + Workbook

​Maybe you’re not old enough to have seen the commercials featuring a harried “housewife” sinking into a tubful of bubbles uttering the words “Calgon, take me away”, but the sentiment is exactly what this post is all about. Self-care is critical to our mind-body-spirit health and wellness and simple daily rituals -  or weekly if you truly are harried and pressed for time – can make a huge difference over the long term. Read on to learn some simple self-care rituals - and the dangers of not practicing them that I experienced.....

Daily Rituals: Self-Care for Health & Wellness

Why is Self-Care Important?

​Anyone who has flown on a commercial flight knows very well that in the event of an emergency a parent is told to first put on their personal safety equipment before helping her child. This seems to make absolute sense in times of crisis – how can we be of any assistance if we aren’t properly protected ourselves or worse yet, pass out before we can help our child? Well, the same goes for daily self-care. How can we give of ourselves – to our family, partner, business – if we aren’t giving back to ourselves daily? It is only through the proper nourishment of our mind, body, and spirit that we can give more abundantly of ourselves to others.

How much time does it take?

​It’s amazing how little time a good self-care routine requires. Even just 10 minutes a day dedicated to journaling will make a big difference in your outlook and focus over time. A little time planning out your meals for the day or week prevents many chronic issues caused by daily blood sugar fluctuations.
 
While a good self-care routine doesn’t take much time, consistency is key! You get a much bigger bang for your buck with 30 minutes of exercise and clean eating every day vs. trying to be a weekend warrior or following an extreme diet once in a while.
 
The bonus to being consistent? Your self-care routine becomes a habit that you don’t even have to think about – silently helping your body cope with life’s ups and downs.

Be you, love you. All ways, always. ~ Alexandra Elle

Will it really make a difference?

This is a great question – especially because how will we know either way? I can only say from experience that NOT practicing self-care leads to burnout, depression, and chronic illness.
 
In the days just after graduating from college and starting my career as a chemical engineer, proper self-care was furthest from my mind. I was focused on working hard, impressing my leadership, and climbing the corporate ladder. My nutrition went out the window with frequent grab and go meals. I missed more aerobics classes than I attended (yes, it was back in those days!), and thought that sleeping in on the weekend would make everything right. Boy was I wrong!
 
I failed to recognize the warning signs (constant fatigue, over-excitability, sleeplessness, frequent colds) that my immune system was exhausted and something had to give. What it gave me was excruciating pelvic pain and surgery to confirm that I had developed the painful auto-immune disease endometriosis. At the young age of 23, I was debilitated by this disease for two weeks out of every month.
 
Do I know for sure that self-care could have prevented this disease? Of course not, but I do know that once I did find the right self-care protocol (and an angel of an energy worker) the symptoms were gone - never to return. I don’t take chances with my health any more, and neither should you!

Simple Self-Care Rituals for Health

Some Simple Self-care Examples

Daily
Keep a journal of your dreams, goals, thoughts, or what you are grateful for.
Practice daily meditation first thing in the morning.
Eat a healthy, protein packed breakfast.
Keep bottled water by your desk and make a point to drink it all by the work day’s end.
Pack your daily lunch and snacks to promote healthy eating and prevent blood sugar fluctuations.
Exercise at least 30 minutes six days a week.
Take breaks during the day to get outside.
 
Weekly/Bi-Weekly/Monthly
Schedule a gym date or meet your friends at a local yoga studio.
Plan an hour or two of at-home pampering (face mask, sugar scrub, soak in the tub).
Curl up with a good book, light some candles, and add some relaxing essential oils to your diffuser for some much-needed down time.
 
[Read more about Essential Oils to Inspire Creativity in my earlier blog post HERE]
 
Hopefully this list gives you some ideas of how simple it is – and easy to forget – to take care of yourself in a mindful way. 

Embrace Daily Rituals for Health & Wellness

Need more Inspiration or Motivation to Embrace Self-Care? 

Check out my Pinterest Board “Natural Wellness, Inspiring Creativity” where I often post pins from other spiritual women who are dedicated to sharing the importance of daily self-care rituals like meditation, exercise, healthy eating, journaling, creative hobbies and more!
 
Find something that resonates with you and try it out. You just may find your new healthy self-care habit becoming an obsession – one that feeds your mind, body, and soul.

Getting outside every day is great self-care for your mind, body, and spirit.

Interested in learning more about Herbal Self-Care?

I feel so fortunate to have been introduced to herbal supplements and natural wellness lifestyle practices that helped me battle my chronic illness so many years ago and have continued to help me navigate life's ups and downs with ease to this day. There is so much to learn on this topic that I can't possibly put it all in one blog post. I do have plans for future posts related to this topic, but if you are interested in learning more about herbal self-care, a new opportunity with the Herbal Academy is now available.

The Herbal Academy has just announced their new course titled "Herbal Self-Care for Stress Management" which covers everything you'll need to know to help you and your family navigate the roller coaster of life with less stress and greater overall well-being.

Topics include the stress response, adrenal fatigue, the holistic approach, stress and digestion, supplements, eating tips, exercise, meditation, creativity, sleep, essential oils, aromatherapy, herbal actions, herbal teas/decoctions/tinctures and more!

This comprehensive online herbal self-care (and so much more) course is available until October 30, 2017 for the introductory price of just $99 (for one year access online plus fully downloadable lessons, video transcripts, plant monographs, and bonus printables). 

If you are at all interested in this topic, I highly recommend taking a look at this phenomenal resource for practical natural wellness solutions to today's high stress living.

 [Disclaimer: As an affiliate of the Herbal Academy, I will receive a small commission if you should end up purchasing this program through the link above. But seriously, I have already added the course to my student dashboard and would not recommend it if I didn't feel it was an amazing value - both for what you get for your money and the benefits you'll gain from all that you learn.]

Some of My Recent Self-Care Finds

Still need inspiration? I know - it took me years to make self-care rituals part of my daily routine....and I still need fresh inspiration every now and then! Below are just two of my recent finds that I think might help inspire your self-care journey!

​Fall Spa Night
​
 This inspiring DIY home self-care YouTube video by Rachel Talbott titled “Fall Spa Night” is chock full of easy ideas for whatever pampering ritual you have time for – from a special DIY scrub to heighten your senses during your daily shower to a super special spa-like soak in tubful of glittering bubbles. You’re sure to feel less frazzled after following some of Rachel’s suggestions. 

Hibiscus Moon Self-love Crystal Ceremony
 
Still Having Trouble with Self-care? Perhaps there are some self-love blocks that this video by Hibiscus Moon Crystal Academy will help eliminate and get you into pamper mode super-fast. According to Hibiscus Moon, it’s like a bubble bath for your soul!​

This blog post has given you some ideas to get started on setting up your own self-care rituals. Even though you can see now how important these self-care rituals can be, sometimes we all need a little help when starting new habits. We created a workbook to put these ideas into practice in your everyday life. Click the button below to download your workbook and get started today.