Self-care in everyday life: tips and exercises for more well-being

How to integrate self-care into your everyday life

10 days of beach vacation in the south and everything is fine again? Unfortunately, caring for yourself is not that simple. If you treat yourself badly for the remaining 355 days of the year and ignore your needs, the energy you gather in the 10 days at the seaside will be used up again in no time.Instead, you should integrate the elements of self-care as fixed components in your life - freely according to the guiding principle "Miracles happen in the everyday".

How do I find myself? Promoting inner balance and mindfulness

The first step in learning self-care is to understand yourself and be mindful of your body, mind and environment. This happens primarily by stopping more often, consciously taking time for self-reflection and literally "listening within". Here are some important methods to sensitize your antennae for your inner messages and thus create the basis for more self-care.

• Meditation
  The practice of meditation, whether through guided audio meditations or your own exercises, is a perfect way to calm your mind and focus on the here and now. If you perform meditations regularly, you will increase your self-awareness and be able to recognize your needs more easily.
• Journaling
  Keeping a diary is in vogue - and not for nothing! By recording and describing your thoughts, feelings and experiences, you gradually gain the ability to perceive your innermost self as it is. This is an important prerequisite for learning and practicing self-care.
• Get out into nature
  Spend as much time as possible in nature. Whether it's a walk through the woods or a picnic by a stream, being outdoors relieves stress and gives you the space and undisturbed atmosphere to fully connect with yourself.
• Express your creativity
  Creative hobbies such as painting, writing, dancing or making music are excellent ways to express yourself, get to know your soul and body, feel and channel your feelings and emotions. As a result, you automatically develop a better understanding of yourself.
• Mindfulness exercises
  The term mindfulness was especially coined by Buddhism. It involves focusing completely on the present moment in order to calm the mind and achieve clarity. Mindfulness exercises can be easily integrated into everyday life: Notice every moment, no matter how small, consciously and with all your senses - whether it's the aromatic scent, the pleasant warmth and tart taste of your morning coffee, or the touch of your feet and the texture of the ground as you walk. The more mindful you act, the more receptive you become to the needs of your body and soul.
• Maintain (good) social connections
  Exchange information regularly with friends and family members. They can give you support or motivate you. By sharing their impressions, they also open up ways for you to get to know yourself better and inspire you to do more self-care. 

Examples of everyday self-care rituals.

Now that you know how to sharpen your senses for your needs and find inner balance, you can actively practice self-care in your everyday life.Rituals - small actions in which you are in the here and now, pay attention to yourself and promote your well-being.The following self-care ideas you can super into your daily life:

Morning Routine

A good start is half the battle! Start your day with a fixed morning routine that suits you and in which you focus completely on yourself. Take small steps, especially at the beginning. A short morning meditation of 5 minutes, writing down three things you are grateful for and enjoying a cup of tea with all your senses can already be enough. The important thing is that you always start your day with this routine. Additional tip: Cell phone, social media, news and co. have a break until your morning ritual is completed!

Healthy diet

A healthy, balanced diet is an essential part of a life of self-care. It's best to think about what you want to eat the next day the night before and find out which foods are good for you. It is also important that you take time to consciously enjoy and notice your meals.

To relax your body and refresh your mind, incorporate small breaks throughout the day - for example, a short meditation, a walk around the block, reading in a book, or listening to your favorite music.

Get more exercise in your daily life. Keeping your body moving lowers your stress levels while boosting your well-being and self-confidence. Choose the type of exercise that suits your preferences - whether it's a few yoga exercises, a workout or a walk through the city park.

Give yourself breaks

To relax your body and refresh your mind, incorporate small breaks throughout the day - for example, a short meditation, a walk around the block, reading in a book, or listening to your favorite music.

Relaxation

Make a resolution to practice a relaxation technique once a day. The optimal time for this is during the so-called "transition phases," for example, when you leave work for the evening. Short meditation or autogenic training sessions of about 10 to 15 minutes are sufficient. Find a quiet place where you can switch off. For extra relaxation, you can lie down on an acupressure mat during the exercise: The gentle activation of the acupressure points additionally harmonizes the energy flow in your body.

Bedtime Routine

Just like in the morning, it's also a good idea to establish a routine before going to bed. For example, you can read a chapter in a book, listen to a guided meditation, or review the day in a few lines.

Hobbies and interests

Try to regularly incorporate activities into your everyday life that you enjoy. A hobby is something you usually do passionately and in a relaxed way, and it is probably one of the most important elements of caring for yourself.

Additional tip: Create a personal self-care plan in which you record your activities and routines. You can design the plan according to your taste and hang it up in a central place in your home. In this way, it will constantly remind you to integrate the points listed in it into your everyday life.

6 practical self-care exercises

Need some more guidance to learn self-care and internalize it more each day? Our 6 self-care exercises you can implement immediately and without prior knowledge.

• Exercise 1: Affirmations
  Positive affirmations are affirming phrases that boost your self-confidence and help you dissolve negative beliefs - such as "I am enough," "I love and accept myself as I am," or "I deserve happiness and well-being." Write the phrase of your choice on a piece of paper and tape it to the refrigerator. You can also say the phrase out loud and pay close attention to what positive feelings it triggers in you.
• Exercise 2: Self-Compassion
  Self-compassion is closely related to self-care. For this exercise, close your eyes and think of a situation in which you criticized or mistreated yourself. Next, imagine a close person was in the same situation. What would you say to him or her? Then turn those loving words and thoughts to yourself.
• Exercise 3: Gratitude
  A simple exercise for everyday life is the "gratitude diary". Every night before you go to bed, write down three things for which you are grateful. These can be "little" things like a stranger's smile or accomplishing a to-do. Regularly focusing on positive events and feelings will strengthen your appreciation of the world and yourself.
• Exercise 4: The mirror
  In the morning after getting up, stand in front of the mirror and look deeply into your eyes. Compliment yourself out loud and express your self-love and self-acceptance, for example "You look wonderfully refreshed today" or "Your eyes are shining like the morning sun". By the way, this exercise is perfect as part of your morning routine.
• Exercise 5: Self-acceptance
  Sit or lie down comfortably and close your eyes. Mentally go through each part of your body and send heat to the corresponding region. Accept everything as it is, including subjective weaknesses or flaws. Feel the self-acceptance and love spreading through your body.
• Exercise 6: Forgiveness
  Reflect on past mistakes or situations in which you blamed yourself. Then write a letter to yourself in which you forgive yourself for these mistakes and assure yourself that you have learned and developed from them. You can then tear up the letter or burn it in a fireproof bowl.

Motivation and suggestions to get started with self-care and maintain it over the long term

Are you having a major self-care slump? You simply don't have enough time, you are under stress or you can't get going with your plans? All the more important it is now to practice intensive self-care, because: It has nothing to do with egoism! It is a fundamental prerequisite for a healthy, happy and fulfilled life - which ultimately benefits not only you, but also your environment.

To maintain motivation for self-care in the long term, you should start with small, achievable goals and gradually increase them. This will help you avoid overwhelm or frustration. Set aside fixed times for your routines, as these will make it much easier for you to stick to them. However, also remain flexible and adapt self-care practices to your individual needs and circumstances - especially when major changes are coming.

Celebrate every bit of progress and connect with like-minded people who are also focused on self-care. Shared experiences and support can boost your motivation immensely. Books, podcasts or workshops will serve as additional inspiration and provide ideas for your self-care in everyday life. Last but not least, you should always remind yourself of the reasons why you started caring for yourself and what benefits it brings to your life.

Special case: self-care in social professions

For people working in social professions, self-care is of particular importance: they are often confronted with stressful, emotionally charged situations and are "always there for others."

The following self-care strategies help these people not disregard themselves:

• Define clear boundaries between work and personal life to maintain a healthy balance and avoid overwork.
• Seek supervision and collegial advice to address problems or challenges.
• Regular breaks during the workday and fixed vacation times.
• Use of stress management strategies such as meditation, breathing exercises, yoga or mindfulness.
• Deal with own feelings and needs and seek professional support if needed.
• Observe physical health, exercise, eat healthy and get enough sleep.
• Exchange with friends, family or colleagues to strengthen each other in difficult times.
• Professional development to enhance self-care skills and competencies.