5 Ways to Make Loving Yourself Part of Your Daily Ritual

Self-care is more important than ever. Make it a priority with these mini moments throughout your day.

The practice of self-care—more skeptically known as the art of self-love—used to feel like a woo-woo wellness trend reserved for those with more free time than you. But in its modern incarnation, self-care is a powerful (and more relevant than ever) antidote to your daily stressors. Which, let’s be honest, we could all use. Self-care is a necessity, not a luxury.

Luckily, since not only are you stressed but strapped for time, making self-care part of your daily ritual doesn’t need to involve devoting huge amounts of time to meditating or taking up yoga if that’s not your thing. Think of self-care as a core part of your wellness routine, as important as brushing your teeth or getting in some daily exercise. It exists not in adding new things to your schedule, but in optimizing the things you’re already doing to bring you more moments of calm. Here’s how to make showing yourself a little love part of your daily ritual.

1. Meditate in the shower.

A shower is already a part of your routine, so instead of using those moments under the water to run over your to-do list, listen to the news, or anxiously cycle through the things that are stressing you out, make this your 10 minutes of dedicated “me time.” Put on a playlist that soothes you and reach for an aromatherapy in-shower mist that will help you feel centered for your day, or calm and peaceful before bed.

2. Workout.

Daily movement is one of the most effective and efficient ways to show your body some love and boost your mental health in the process—don’t even think about bringing the scale into this. A vast body of research shows that as little as 20 minutes of movement can help significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Take a walk in a green space for the most powerful calming effect.

3. Stop second screening.

How many times have you sat down to relax with your favorite show only to find yourself answering emails or responding to texts? Protect your switch off time—for the fraction of your day that you treat yourself to some good content, stay present. You’ll feel more grounded and less stressed when you do get to those emails.

4. Prioritize pleasure.  

Pleasure is scientifically proven to be good for you. That means doing things that make you happy and feel good—physically, mentally, and emotionally—isn’t just delightful, but a powerful act of self-care. This might take the form of an indulgent hour-long bath or simply spending an extra five minutes massaging your favorite body oil mist into your skin after you step out of the shower.

5. Start a bedtime ritual.

If you do nothing else for your self-care routine, put your phone away 30 minutes before bed. It’s a simple but powerful tweak to your routine that can mean the difference between falling into bed bleary-eyed and amped up and drifting off after a bedtime ritual that leaves you feeling deeply relaxed. Instead of scrolling through your newsfeed, use these vital moments to grab an aromatherapy pillow mist, stretch or read a few pages of a book, and practice gratitude.