5 Must-Have Ingredients of your Daily Self-Care Routine

Good morning lovely dreamers, and welcome to another lifestyle-altering (and improving, of course) blog post here on Dreaming of Butterflies! 

Today, because March is here, and International Women’s Day ( and Mother’s Day in Transylvania) is fast approaching, we want to celebrate all the beautiful (and tired) beings out there that do it all. 

You know them. They cook, they clean, they often work more than one job, they dream, and they follow their dreams, and they do, do, do… every single day. But sometimes, they forget about themselves, and how important a daily self-care routine is.

And I'm not talking just about the mothers here. I’m talking about every beautiful, magical being that sacrifices itself. 

So let’s change that.

This is particularly important now when our world is still being torn apart by the big C (not going to mention the name, we all know it by now), but also by the violence and madness that has taken over in the last few days in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. 

The stress and anxiety in the world right now are insane, but we must not let them dominate our lives.

You see, since I was diagnosed with subependymal grey matter heterotopia, a few years ago, I’ve learned that a “side effect” of my condition is Epilepsy, and I do have seizures from time to time, very randomly, and sometimes without any signs.

After understanding how my body functions now, I know that stress, anxiety and the lack of self-care can definitely make me have fits. So I made it a challenge for me to do small things daily, to make myself better.

And it worked!

Because we know a change like this can be hard to fit in with a busy schedule, we have to help you be sneaky about it.

Today’s list is the collection of our own little “ingredients”, if you will, what we added gradually to our lives, and that helps fuel us every single day.

Related:

5+ Awesome health benefits of dark chocolate

5+ Strange Benefits of Drinking Water

The Ultimate Detox Cheatsheet for newbies

But enough with the chit-chatting! Let’s get to it!

5+ Important things you should include in your daily self-care routine (and why) 

1. Morning boost (make the bed, exercise, beautify) 

Let’s get one thing clear. You don’t need to be a morning person to be able to function in the morning.

You might be the type that needs at least 1 cup of coffee or English breakfast tea to even start thinking and stop dragging your body through the house. Or you might be like our cat, Einstein, who just wants to jump and climb all the walls, and can’t stop talking. 

Both of those are perfectly fine.

But you need to create a morning routine that works for your mental health as well. Here’s where these three simple things come in place:

• Make your bed

Start by making the bed every morning for 3 weeks straight. It takes less than 5 minutes to do it, it instantly makes your room look tidy and clean, and you’ll definitely thank yourself in the evening, when you’re tired and just want to sleep.

• Exercise

After those 3 weeks, add on an exercise routine. I recommend either going for Chloe Ting’s challenges or Boho Beautiful Yoga. They're amazing! Plus they help with your energy levels, overall health and mind.

• Beautify

After another 2 weeks, start implementing a beauty routine. Face creams, body lotions, make-up. Even if you don’t have to get out of the house. This will instantly make you feel better, enhance your self-esteem and help clear your mind.

2. Eat well & healthy

This might sound silly, but if you’re at a point in your life where you work, and work, and work, you definitely forget to eat or eat healthily. Yes, we all slip up and go for a burger or a fried chicken wing from time to time, but try to not make it more than once per month.

Learn how to cook simple and healthy recipes, from amazing people, like Lisa, from Downshiftology, Joshua Weissman or even the man - Gordon Ramsay.

It’s definitely cheaper to buy ingredients and cook them yourself, and the cooking process can become another way for you to express creativity, learn a new skill, and calm your mind (this one’s for you, anxiety). 

3. Drink enough water

This is a reminder for everyone reading this, including myself while editing. Drink that water! That’s why we added it in our new Daily Planner as well. 

The recommended quantity for you to drink daily is somewhere around 2l of liquids, but this is an estimate, as every single person has different needs. It’s not a one size fits all.

You might be on a diet that requires you to drink more or have a cold. 

The only important aspect to keep in mind is to not overdo it, and drink too much water, as this can lead to serious problems, like water poisoning (yup, that’s a thing). So please be careful. 

4. Read (a lot)

Ignorance might be bliss, but information is power, so it’s important to keep yourself in the loop when it comes to anything and everything that interests and affects you.

If you don’t have time (or the patience and attention) to read read, audiobooks and podcasts are the things for you. But whatever you do, keep yourself informed from the right sources, the quality sources.

And also read books.

Books that help you be better, books that teach you valuable life skills (like how to understand money) or professional skills, and last but not least, books that relax your mind, like fantasy books.

5. Learn something new every day

Another way to keep your mind healthy is to learn something new every single day. 

It might be something as simple as this fun fact about the Eiffel Tower, for example: Did you know that it grows every year during the summer, because of the heat? It’s true. With somewhere around 6 inches (15cm). 

Bonus: 

• Relax your mind and keep the positive vibes up

As there is no “one size fits all”, not even in this case, you must do whatever you need to do to relax your mind. 

Exercise, take a bath, go for a walk, sing, write, dance, and cuddle with your loved one and your pet. 

Being able to quiet down your mind is crucial, in order to help yourself heal, and rest. Having a rested mind and body will make you a more productive person. 

Laughter is a great medicine that quite a few people forget about, especially in dark times, like the ones we live in today, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t try to smile or find that second of happiness.

Having a positive attitude in spite of hardship helps by giving you that boost to keep fighting - for your dreams, your goals, and yourself. So keep on fighting!

Today's article is dedicated to our brothers and sisters of Ukraine. We are with you.

And that’s all for today, lovely dreamers! If you enjoyed today’s blog post, and agree with our daily self-care routine, please make sure to share it, pin it, and tweet it!

QOTD: What do you do for yourself every single day?