Developing self care habits is essential for a healthy mindset. To be honest with you, I never really bothered with self care for years. I have always assumed that self care was just spa days and taking long showers (though those seem to be amazing).
It just sounded like a complete waste of time for me. I thought that my time was better of spent doing something to reach my goals or checking things off my to-do list. It wasn’t really until I found myself in my lowest point that I realized just how crucial self care is not just for our mental health but for our overall well-being.
I’ve learned that self care is more than just bubble baths. It’s about creating habits that nurtures our minds and soul every single day. Navigating my lowest point in life made me realize that self care is not something that we do once a year and forget about it the next.
Self care is certainly not a luxury, it’s a necessity. As cliche as it sounds, you truly cannot pour from an empty cup.
One of the best things that we can do to incorporate self care in our lives is to start small. We can start by developing small daily habits that we can easily integrate into our routine without feeling overwhelmed or like it’s taking too much of our time.
I’ve learned that the key to creating a self care routine is to create something that is sustainable and simple. Something that feels like a natural part of our day instead of just another task that we have to do.
In this blog post, I will be sharing with you the self care habits that has truly changed my mindset and helped drastically improve my mental health and overall well being. I’m hoping that some of these habits will resonate with you and help you create a self care routine that feels natural, fulfilling, and sustainable.
How To Have A Healthy Mindset
1. Start Your Day With Gratitude
Starting your day with gratitude is an important aspect of creating a healthy mindset. To be honest with you, for years, I never really believed in the power of gratitude. I have always assumed that it was nothing but toxic positivity.
It’s so easy to be grateful when everything in our lives is falling into place, but when we are facing back-to-back problems and struggles, starting our day with gratitude just seems impossible. I know exactly how this felt.
When I was going through a difficult period in my life, I thought that the best thing to do was to focus all my attention and energy on everything that was going wrong in my life. I thought that doing this would somehow push me to work even harder to improve my situation.
But I was wrong. What it did was the exact opposite. Instead of actually motivating me to work even harder, it made things even more overwhelming, to the point that it paralyzed me.
Focusing solely on all the negative things in my life just made me feel more defeated and hopeless. It just made it even more difficult to get out of bed and keep trying.
It was during that moment that I realized just how important gratitude is, especially when we are going through difficult times. I’ve learned that starting our day with gratitude doesn’t mean that we are ignoring our problems or that we are minimizing the pain that we are going through.
It simply means that we are choosing to find even the smallest glimmer of hope to help fuel our strength. It’s about recognizing that both sorrow and joy can coexist and just because we are acknowledging one of them doesn’t mean that we are ignoring the other.
Starting our day with gratitude does not only help us center our thoughts and appreciate what we have, but also sets a positive tone for all the events that will unfold throughout the day.
So, try this: for the next 14 days commit to writing down three things you’re grateful for each morning. Know that it doesn’t have to be big or life changing.
Remind yourself that even the smallest moment of joy or convenience counts. Doing this does not only help us focus on the positive aspects of our lives but it also trains our brain to notice and appreciate the good, even on more challenging days.
2. Avoid Constantly Complaining
Don’t get me wrong, complaining can be a good thing. It can be a great avenue for us to express ourselves and vent our frustrations, which is essential for a healthy mindset. However, the problem really starts when we allow ourselves to focus too much on the negative and start complaining about every little thing.
I was guilty of doing this too. When I was going through my lowest point, I got so consumed by negativity and the problems that I was going through that I complained about every little thing. It became such a bad habit that even the people around me started to notice. I became bitter and just so angry at the world.
And let me tell you, constantly complaining did not help better my situation. It didn’t do anything to motivate me, nor did it make me feel better. For what it’s worth, it actually just made me feel worse. I realized that constantly complaining is no longer healing or therapeutic.
It just became this destructive cycle. I’ve learned that often the best thing that we can do for our mental health and overall well being is to look for solutions and opportunities for growth, instead of constantly dwelling on what was wrong.
We have to remind ourselves that it’s important to balance our complaints with the recognition of what’s going right. I’ve learned that while it’s important and healthy to acknowledge and discuss the challenges of life, it’s also equally important to cultivate a habit of noticing and appreciating the good.
3. Set Boundaries
Are you also guilty of constantly overextending yourself? How many times have you said yes to something regardless of how exhausted you already were just because you were so scared of disappointing other people? I certainly know how this feels.
You see, growing up, I was made to believe that my worth was tied to two things. One would be my achievements. The second would be based on how useful I was to other people. I took this belief with me as I grew older. It led me to a life of constantly striving and people-pleasing.
It didn’t really matter how drained or exhausted I felt, I still felt compelled to say yes to other people’s requests because I was so terrified that if I said no, I would no longer be worthy. If you’re also guilty of doing this, please know that your worth and value are never tied to how much you can do for others.
You are worthy just as you are now. You don’t have to keep pleasing others just to gain their approval and validation. Know that the only validation that you will ever need is your own.
It wasn’t really until I found myself at my lowest that I finally had to recognize the negative effects of living that kind of life. I was constantly drained. My mental health suffered, and I was so unhappy. This led me to realize just how crucial it is to set healthy boundaries and learn how to say no.
We have to remind ourselves that setting healthy boundaries doesn’t mean shutting other people out entirely. It’s not about being unkind or selfish.
It’s about recognizing our limitations and knowing that just like everyone else, we also have our needs that must be prioritized to maintain a healthy mindset and well being.
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4. Give Yourself Grace
Are you also guilty of being your own worst critic? How many times have you found yourself constantly criticizing your every little mistake and flaw? I’m certainly no stranger to this.
For years, I have always been guilty of being my own worst critic. I have assumed that by being too over-critical about my mistakes and flaws, I was somehow making myself better. I thought that by being my own harshest critic, I was somehow pushing myself to work even harder.
But let me tell you, what it did was the exact opposite. It didn’t push me to be better. It just made things even more difficult.
There were so many days when I was too overwhelmed to even try to do something because I was so afraid of making any mistakes. There so many opportunities that I turned down because I was constantly questioning my capabilities.
I didn’t realize that doing this was slowly destroying my own self confidence and self worth. It negatively impacted my mental health and well being, and honestly, it just made me so miserable.
If you’re also guilty of doing this, please know that you deserve to give yourself the same amount of love, kindness, and grace that you freely give to others.
There is certainly nothing wrong with being kind to ourselves. There is nothing wrong with giving ourselves grace and understanding for every mistake. Doing this doesn’t mean that we are being self indulgent.
It simply means that we are acknowledging our humanity and limitations and meeting them with kindness, respect and understanding.
Please know that giving ourselves grace and being kind to ourselves doesn’t mean that we are lowering our standards.
I honestly believe that when we meet our mistakes with grace and understanding, we are not only allowing ourselves to grow more effectively, but we are also cultivating an environment where genuine growth, healing and self acceptance can thrive, leading us to a healthier mindset.
5. Celebrate Small Wins
We often forget the power of celebrating small wins. Most of us have this mindset that the only wins worth celebrating are those huge and life-changing victories. I used to believe this, too.
I’ve always had this notion that the only time I would celebrate my victories is if I achieved a goal that’s significant enough to gain other people’s approval or validate my worth. It wasn’t until I hit rock bottom that I realized that even the smallest wins deserved to be celebrated, especially when you are already going through hard times.
You see, when I was facing back-to-back problems, I was so focused on my huge goals that I failed to notice those small victories along the way. What I didn’t realize is that celebrating those small victories actually helps fuel our motivation and determination to keep going.
You see, if we only allow ourselves to focus on those huge goals, we risk becoming discouraged and burn out because the truth is those huge goals, often takes time and patience and one of the best ways to keep encouraging ourselves to keep going even when things don’t go as planned is to acknowledge all those small wins that we get along the way.
This does not only help boost our confidence but it can also serve as a great reminder that we are capable of progress, even when it sometimes feels slow. This does not only positively impact our mindset but also greatly boosts our confidence and self worth.
So please don’t ever hesitate to celebrate those small wins. It can be as simple as choosing to get out of bed on days when everything feels too heavy. Always remember that these seemly small actions are actually powerful victories that show your invaluable strength and courage, proving that you are capable of making progress even on the most difficult days.
6. Allow Yourself To Feel
Vulnerability used to be so difficult for me. You see, growing up, I was taught that crying was a bad thing. I was made to believe that it was wrong to show any weakness and that allowing myself to feel or even asking for help meant that I wasn’t strong enough.
Because of this, I learned how to bottle all my emotions up. When someone very close to me died, I was so afraid to even shed a tear, thinking that doing that would mean that I was just so weak or that I would somehow let other people down. I thought that showing my feelings openly would disappoint others.
So, I kept running from all my emotions. It didn’t really matter how heavy it felt for me or how miserable I was, I still pretended that everything was okay. I thought that by pushing all my emotions down, they would eventually all go away.
But of course, that’s not the case. Because the hard truth is that bottling up our emotions and preventing ourselves from feeling doesn’t make all those feelings go away. It just makes the pain heavier, the burden harder to carry, and it just prevents us from truly healing.
If you’re also struggling with vulnerability, I want you to know that allowing yourself to cry is never a sign of weakness. Breaking down and asking for help doesn’t mean that you are not strong enough. I honestly believe that doing that requires great strength and courage.
Admitting that we are not okay and allowing ourselves to feel every emotion takes true bravery because instead of running away, we are choosing to face our problems and feelings head-on. We have to keep reminding ourselves that suppressing all our emotions only stops us from truly healing and moving forward.
It only makes life more difficult and not to mention the toll it takes on our mental health and emotional well-being. One of the greatest keys to a healthy mindset is allowing ourselves to feel. Doing this is not only freeing, but it also helps us truly heal and move forward.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to remember that developing a healthy mindset is not just a one-time thing. It’s something that we have to consciously choose every single day.
By incorporating these self care habits into our daily routine, we are taking a huge step in improving our mindset and overall well being.
During this process, please remember that not all days will be perfect. There will be days when we forget to practice self care or find ourselves slipping into our old bad habits.
Know that that’s completely okay. Don’t beat yourself up. Just remember that you can pick up right where you left off. The goal here is not perfection but progress, consistency, and self compassion.
Always remember that I’m rooting for you!
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