With so many things to juggle at home right now – work, childcare, chores – it can be overwhelming and therefore difficult to carve out time for self care. With this in mind, I wanted to help you create a simple self-care routine for the morning and evening so you can find some calm.
The aim of this routine is to make sure that you start and end the day mindfully, without a screen, so you can stay focused during the day and peaceful during the night.
To make this easier, try using a phone-free alarm if you have one or you can order one (Kathryn and I both use something similar to this gently waking sunlight-simulation lamp). This means your phone, and therefore social media and the news, are not right in front of your eyes first thing. I even turn my phone off to charge it overnight so there’s an extra step between me and automatically checking my phone when I get out of bed.
So, without any further ado!
Morning Routine:
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Breathe: take a few deep breaths in through the nose and sigh it all out through the mouth.
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Gently stretch (you can stay in pjs and just use a rug/carpet) – cat cows, rib circles, extended child’s pose, side stretching and neck rolls are a great way to release any stickiness and tension from the night’s sleep.
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Sit in silence for a minute (or as long as you like), simply breathing and thinking of a few things you’re grateful for – this will really lift your mood.
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(Insert any morning exercise you might like to do).
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Mindfully make and eat breakfast.
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Now you can start your day.
Evening Routine:
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Put your phone away preferably an hour before bed (switch it off to make it easier not to check in the morning). If you’re calling people before bed, try to set up your phone’s app limitations so you can’t be tempted onto social media or the news.
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Make yourself a nice cup of tea (or other decaf drink).
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Do something relaxing which you enjoy for 30-60 minutes before bed – for example simply talking to your partner/family, reading a book, taking an aromatherapy bath or doing some yin yoga. Try to have this time tv-free so that your body isn’t stimulated to produce cortisol right before you want to sleep.
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Enjoy a restful night’s sleep.
Rinse and repeat!
*Sidebar: if you can’t do this all every day, don’t worry. Just try to create some version of this routine and stick to it as often as possible.
For just one more week, Well & Truly are offering our info-packed Feel Well, Work Well trainings for free. After 1st May we’ll be charging for them. They’ve been described as invaluable so don’t miss out on your last chance. Email me at sarah@wellandtrulyworkshops.co.uk to book!
