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Now that you learned how to get started on self-care, it’s a good time to start creating your self-care plan. It consists of identifying what makes you feel good, how to do more of those things and how to cope if you go through a crisis. Read on to find out how to create your plan!
This five-step list we put together, inspired by tips from the State University of New York, will help you along the way:
What’s in a self-care plan?
A good self-care plan will evaluate and create strategies for every area of your life: physical, psychological and emotional health, relationships and even spiritual needs. All those aspects influence each other and our general well-being, so they must be considered equally.
Step 1) What is your self-care currently like?
The first step consists in analyzing the activities you do for self-care now. List all the things you currently do, how they make you feel and how they influence each area of your health. Balance is always important!
Step 2) New self-care practices
What else would you like to do for self-care but haven’t had the chance to try? Identify the activities you would like to add to your self-care routine in each area, such as ride a bike 30 minutes a day or meditate. Next, think about all the possible obstacles and how to overcome them so that you can add these new activities to your routine. Make sure to write it all down – it helps to visualize them better and think of solutions!
Here are 45 self-care ideas if you need some inspiration.
Step 3) Plan your emergency self-care
Now that you’ve figured out how to fit regular self-care time into your routine, it’s time to plan for the unexpected. You know, the things you can do to cope when you’re overwhelmed with work and other trying circumstances. Hopefully, you won’t need to use this part of the plan, but we should always be prepared! Here are some prompts to think about:
- What helps you feel better during upsetting situations?
- What can you do that will help you throughout a hard day?
- Who can you contact if you need support?
- What positive things can you say to yourself when your mind is giving you a hard time?
Step 4) Commit to the plan
With your plan ready, it’s essential to believe that you deserve self-care and make a personal commitment to follow your plan. If you tend to put the needs of others first and find it challenging to stick to a self-care routine, this may be the time to reevaluate your behaviors and work on ways to fulfill your needs.
Step 5) Share!
Sharing your plan with your family, friends, and peers is usually a great way to get more self-care ideas and suggestions on how to improve your routine and make it happen. Also, once people know you’re committed to a plan, they tend to respect it more and avoid interrupting you during your self-care time. You can even join a support group in your region if you’re looking for more insights!
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Would you like some self-care ideas? Check this blog post for 45 of them!
