30 Before 30: My Self Care Plan

Happy Sunday!

Today I am working on one of my "30 Before 30" challenges which is to make and stick to a self care plan. Over the past year and a half or so I have come to realize how important self care is to maintaining overall health and prosperity. There are so many amazing benefits of having and sticking to a self care plan. It's a total game changer. Even if you already feel happy and healthy, you should still make a self care plan. You will feel even better!

So, what exactly is "self-care"? It's simple. Self care is the conscious and active nurturing of oneself.
This means you take or make time to care for yourself. I know it sounds ridiculously simple but so often it is easy to put personal needs on the back burner due to work, school, or family obligations.

It is also important to remember that each person's self care plan will look different. I once went to a self care seminar where a woman raised her hand and asked the presenter "How am I supposed to create time for my favorite hobby when I don't even have time to take a shower alone some nights?" This woman was a busy working mother of two children. The presenter pointed out that maybe for her a self care plan would include: "Take shower alone twice a week."

The point is that you don't have to list a bunch of extravagant activities in your self care plan. First start with basic personal needs. Do you make time each day to eat well? Do you make time to get enough sleep? Are you drinking enough water? These small changes will make a big difference. Once you have the basics worked into your routine you can add hobbies, Netflix marathons, and nights out.

Another practice that goes along with self-care is mindfulness. This practice will also help you enjoy each day and activity to the fullest. If you're interested you should check out this article from TIME magazine that shows how practicing mindfulness can actually help your professional success.  http://time.com/3670202/daily-mindfulness/

Ready to create your own self care plan?
I created some printable worksheets to get you started. I also included my completed self care plan as an example. Every few months or so I will re-evaluate this plan and see where changes need to be made.


Click on the box at the right hand corner of the document below to download my printable worksheets including: "My Self Care Brainstorming Sheet", "My Complete Self Care Plan", & "Self-Care Idea List."