Increase Resilience With a Simple Self-Care and Relaxation Practice in Your Home
Creating a space and routine in your home to practice relaxation, meditation, prayer or a diligent self-care routine is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and those around you. A place and a routine to recharge, refocus and just relax doesn’t need to cost anything and doesn’t need to take much time. Here is a simple plan to set up a place and routine to “get your head on straight” so you can be more resilient in the face of all that life throws your way each day.
Pick a Place
We all have a place or two in our home where we go to close off the rest of the world for a few minutes. Maybe a big comfortable chair in the living room, or, if you have an active home, maybe it’s a bathroom where you can lock the door! Maybe its the front porch or the back yard where you can focus on nature. Wherever you choose, dedicating a space for relaxation and self-care can make it easier to step away from the busyness of daily life and check-in with yourself.
Clean and Declutter
Now that you’ve chosen your space, take away anything that is not intentional and functional. Too much clutter and too many things to clean and work around are distracting. It’s ok that you have a pile of bills to pay or laundry to fold, just put it in a different area so you can have a space free of distractions. A simple and clean environment brings joy and a sense of peace. You have heard the phrase cleanliness is next to Godliness? The basic truth here is that cleaning promotes a positive mindset, a sense of accomplishment and relaxation that bring clarity.
Bring Nature In
A view of the outdoors, house plants or flowers in your self-care space can bring a sense of peace and relaxation and is a great way to focus on something natural while we disconnect for a few moments. Avik Basu, lecturer and research specialist at The University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment says that natural environments “have restorative properties that are especially beneficial in today’s information-overloaded world [and] when we engage with nature — whether by walking in it, tending to it, or simply gazing at it — our attentional system gets to rest and restore itself”.
Make it a habit
Set a time and duration for your practice. Setting up a routine makes it easier to do and once you have established a habit, you will take the time naturally as part of your day for your practice. For me, it is 15-30 minutes when I wake up, and the same before going to bed. After work before dinner is another good time. Just pick a time and duration and hit it each day.
Turn off the gadgets
Studies suggest that globally the average amount of time people spend online each day is around two hours. This obviously increases in countries like the U.S. and across different age groups. So, if you’re in your mid-twenties or mid-thirties living in an urban, metropolitan area, you can safely multiply that stat by two.
One good practice is to not turn on any phones, computers or tablets for an hour after waking and turn them off 1 hour before going to bed. And also, keep them out of your new stress-free space. Why not devote some of this time to yourself and you’re well being without the distraction of technology and the internet?
What is a self-care routine?
There are as many ways to practice as there are different kinds of people, so remember to do what feels right for you and don’t worry about it! Self-care is anything that provides rejuvenation and relaxation into your life. What you do will change and evolve over time but if you put in the work to develop a routine now you will find the benefits begin to accrue pretty quickly!
Examples Of Self-Care:
- Meditating
- Praying
- Breathing
- Singing or chanting
- Playing an instrument
- Listening
- Doing nothing
- Journaling
- Cooking
- Reading
- Yoga, stretching or movement
- Any self-expression
- Bathing
