How to Start a Self-Care Routine for Beginners in 5 Simple Steps
Starting a self-care routine for beginners can feel overwhelming – but rest assured, it doesn’t have to be. Even though it can seem intimidating at first, developing your self-care practice can actually be a simple and fun process when done right.
By taking small and intentional steps, you can create a simple self-care practice that helps you take good care of yourself, and prioritize your needs and well-being to feel your best.
Clinical studies have proven that practicing self-care offers a myriad of benefits: from reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, to increasing happiness.
So here’s how to start a self-care routine for beginners in just five simple steps.
5 simple steps to start a self-care routine for beginners:
1. Assess Your Self-Care Needs
Before you actually dive into creating a self-care routine, you first need to know which direction you’re headed toward. So take a moment to evaluate your life. What areas of your life do you think need the most attention? Are you feeling mentally drained, physically exhausted, or emotionally overwhelmed? Making sure you take the time to understand and identify your needs will actually help you create a well-rounded routine that truly supports your needs.
Tip: For this step, you can consider journaling your thoughts or using a self-care checklist to help you properly identify the areas in your life that need some balance improvement.
2. Start Small and Keep It Simple
Self-care does not have to be complicated! And you don’t have to make it so.
If you’re a beginner, then starting with small, manageable habits is great because that way, you won’t feel overwhelmed. Maybe you can begin with little habits, like drinking more water, getting enough sleep, or maybe even taking five minutes to breathe deeply or meditate or stretch.
Like for many other things in life, consistency is key. So when you choose your activities, opt for some that you’ll find easy enough to incorporate into your daily life. For example, replacing one sugary drink with water or setting a reminder to stretch (these are super simple habits, and yet can still make a significant impact over time).
Tip: Don’t overdo it! Keep it simple. This way, you’re more likely to keep at it overtime, instead of getting overwhelmed and giving up before you can reap the benefits.
3. Incorporate Activities You Enjoy
Enjoyment is just as important as consistency. Especially if you’re a beginner, and you wish to make it a habit (yes, it’s a bit like working out, and other lifestyle choices).
So when you start a self-care routine, always make sure to include activities that make you genuinely happy, or have a positive impact on your well-being. Whether it’s reading books, taking walks, meditating, or even enjoying a quiet moment, just ensure you’re picking things that really bring you joy and help you feel more balanced and relaxed.
Your self-care should never feel like a hassle! (Although, on some days, self-care can feel a bit like a chore. Let’s be honest, some days, self-care means forcing yourself to do things you don’t want to do, but you need to do anyway to feel better afterwards.)
Tip: Have fun with this. Maybe even try experimenting with different activities you wouldn’t otherwise. Like creative hobbies, or some other fun activities. This way you could discover new things you enjoy that help you feel better and enjoy life more while keeping your self-care routine fresh and fun.
4. Schedule Your Self-Care Time
Time is one of the key aspects to take into account when you start a self-care routine, and then make it a habit.
Scheduling time for taking care of yourself and ensuring you’re taking time for yourself is important. And also how you make sure you stick to it. This way you have some reminders to make sure you’re not neglecting your well-being and needs, especially when life gets busy and chaotic (times when self-care becomes even more primordial, but gets easily put aside).
Everything can get overwhelming sometime, so make sure you set aside dedicated time each day. It doesn’t even have to take long. 5-10 minutes are enough. So whether it’s in the morning, during lunch, or even just before bed, scheduling self-care time ensures you stick to your routine, as well as take time to release pent-up stress and avoid burnout.
Tip: If time management is an issue for you, you can always use a planner, habit-tracking app, or even alarms on your phone to remind yourself to take breaks and care for yourself.
5. Adjust your Self-care Routine when Needed
Your needs and desires evolve over time, and so it’s only natural that you should adjust and adapt to them.
Again, self-care is not one-size-fits-all. Your needs and desires will most likely change over time, and it’s perfectly normal. So just make sure you regularly check in with yourself and make adjustments to your self-care routine and its focus when you need to.
Flexibility is just as important as consistency and enjoyment to create a sustainable and effective self-care practice. If a particular activity no longer brings you joy or positive impact, don’t hesitate. Just swap it out for something new and more helpful! The goal is really to create a self-care routine that grows with you, and supports your needs as they evolve.
Final Thoughts
Starting a self-care routine if you’re a beginner doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. It can be an easy and smooth process with the right steps.
If you assess your needs, make sure to keep your routine simple and manageable, incorporate enjoyable activities, schedule some time for it every day, and adjust your routine when needed, you can definitely build an effective and well-rounded routine that will support your well-being. By making sure you practice some self-care regularly, you will help you feel happier, healthier, and more balanced over time.
Remember, the key to making self-care a daily habit if you’re a beginner is to start small, keep it simple, and schedule some time for it into your daily routine (- even if it’s just 5–10 minutes a day).
Self-care doesn’t have to take long to be effective. Sometimes, 5 or 10 minutes is all you need.
So that’s it for how to start a self-care routine for beginners.
Did you find any of these self-care tips helpful? Do you have some of your own? If so, please do not hesitate and share them in the comments below!
For more self-care ideas and tips, you check out this guide How To Create The Perfect Self-Care Plan In 7 Easy Steps as well as The 7 Self-Care Pillars: A complete Guide and Checklist and Top 10 Common Self-Care Mistakes And How To Avoid Them to help you nagivate self-care as easily and smoothly as possible.
As always, I hope you have a nice day. And remember to be kind to yourself – you deserve it!