Kate’s Daily Life: A Self-Care Routine Overhaul
If you’ve been tuning in for a while now, you know that self-care talk lights me up! I am ALL about that preventative care.
I get SO much pleasure from seeing it “click” with people when it comes to preventative self-care. People’s entire energy shifts, changes and then they become magnetic! So, it is my pleasure to introduce you to my self-care avatar.
Some of you are probably wondering, “What the heck is that?!?”
Well, it’s a figure representing a particular person. In this case, it’s an imaginary person I brought into existence to show you how to go from a no self-care routine to the self-care aficionado.
Let’s call our avatar friend, Kate.
Meet Kate! She is stressed and has no self-care routine.
She has been teaching for 8 years now, and is struggling with all of the sudden changes happening in the educational system. Before these changes ever happened to the system, she was working 10-hour days and staying late in the classroom to prep for the next day. Kate was also involved with a team of pretty unhappy campers who brought with them a lot of negative energy. When she finally got home, she was exhausted from her day. No rest though. She still needed to make dinner for her family, get her kiddos homework done and then start the bedtime routine before doing it all over again the next day. Dinner was usually something fast and easy - mac and cheese, anyone?
When Kate finally finished her motherly and family duties, she collapsed into bed to enjoy an episode or three of the latest hit series. While binging on Netflix, Kate scrolled social media to check in about everyone else’s perfect digital lives.
By 11 pm, Kate was finally ready to call it a day. As she turned off tech and tried to lull herself into a deep sleep, her body wouldn’t settle….her mind wouldn’t rest.
Kate’s great, but she’s got some work to do. Literally nowhere in her day does she take time for herself.
How many of you can relate to this?
Let’s dissect the areas of Kate’s life where she might be able to make improvements to her self-care practices.
First of all, self-care starts the night before.
I know binge watching shows or scrolling social media feels mindless, but you are actually using a great deal of mental capacity during these activities. Not only that, the bluelight so close to bed keeps your brain active and alert. We don’t want that.
So, let’s swap the tech for something better for your brain like reading, collaging, or drawing. It’s not that you shouldn’t do tech, just limit it and reduce it before bed.
New nighttime routine:
6 pm - dinner (something fresh and nourishing like grilled veggies, wild caught fish, or rice bows with all the best grains)
7 pm- bedtime routine for kids commences
8 pm - FREEDOM (turn on show and scroll social)
9 pm - turn off all tech, reduce light intensity, turn on a diffuser with natural essential oils (lavender and chamomile for sleep support) and grab a good book.
10 pm - Think of 5 things you are grateful for and lights out.
NOTE:
If you’re typically up until 11 pm or even 12 pm, bumping back to 10 pm might be too much, too fast. Instead of setting yourself up for failure, try bumping back 15 minutes each week.
New morning routine:
5 or 5:30 am - wake, 20 minutes of movement, 20 minutes of mindfulness, meditation or journaling, drink water!
6:15 am - shower, drink water!
6:30 am - kids wake or may leave their rooms, drink water!
7 am - breakfast (something healthy and lasting like oats, eggs, or a smoothie), drink water!
8 am - out the door.
NOTE:
If 20 minutes of movement or mindfulness is too much, start with 3 or 5 minutes. Set boundaries with your kiddos, and let them know why.
New afternoon schedule:
Set more boundaries at work by not staying so late. Try to chunk prep so that you aren’t working on it each day. Or, hire a virtual assistant on Fiverr to help with little things that you don’t need to be doing. And, consider spending less time around those that drain you.
Get home before 5 pm for once! Try pausing for two minutes of silence before entering the house, so you can let your day go and be present for your family.
Maybe even do an evening workout. Invite the family to join! If they don’t want to join, give them something to do independently so that you can treat yourself.
Weekends and Free Time
On the weekends, get outside. See nature. Ground. See friends. Connect. Cook something healthy and be mindful of the process.
Consider a solo or couples trip once a month. Hire a sitter now and then.
Want to learn more?
Sign up for our mailing list then enjoy a short video from yours truly with more on this topic!
The big thing to note here is we are working toward little changes with a big end goal in mind. Progress and process, not product.
Also, give these routine changes a good 66 days. Based on our recent research, the brain needs a good 2+ months to turn routines into habits. We’re wiring the brain here.
I would encourage you to keep a journal during these routine change times. Make note of how you feel, the good and bad. If you aren’t attentive to how you feel, then you probably won’t know if it’s working.
Hooray for Kate! She is back to her happy self!
Fast forward a year and Kate is her healthiest and happiest self. She’s giving time to herself, eating better, drinking more water and less coffee/soda, working out consistently, seeing friends, taking breaks from her kiddos, and setting boundaries at work. Life is as it should be, now that Kate is leaning into her values and making decisions around them.
NOTE OF CAUTION!
Too much too fast won't last. Ease into the process of adding routines and rituals to your life. Set a goal and break it into increments. Stop and check-in with yourself every week or two. It’s a marathon, not a sprint!
Being this is an avatar, your lifestyle might look very different. Pull what little pieces you can from this example and note that from starting point to end goal, it took Kate a year to put it all in place.
Again, have grace for yourself. These changes aren’t going to happen overnight.
Keep your values in mind. I tend toward fitness, healthy food, and deep connection with good people, but those are my core values. Consider what types of activities, rituals, and routines align with your core values.
I hope you enjoyed Kate’s story. We dove into her life and rearranged her self-care routines. Which change of hers did you find the most intriguing? What particular routine are YOU going to change first? Let me know in the comments below!
And, if you find yourself stressed trying to figure out where to start, reach out to me. This area is one of my greatest passions, and I’d love to support you!
P.S. I recently did a webinar series on self-care. Check out one of the episodes!
Questions? Need help? Reach out!
Email: hello@thebehaviorhub.com
Social media: @thebehaviorhub
Online school
Schedule a discovery call