How To Curate A Self Care Routine You’ll Actually Stick To

A self care routine you can be proud of

What does it actually mean to have a ‘self care routine?’ Does it mean washing our face and brushing our teeth in the morning? Having a bath or shower at the same time each night? If we take a walk after dinner each night, are we ‘doing it?’

The definition of a self care routine is vast and varied; some of our favorite words to focus on when we think about self care include intentionality, thoughtfulness and kindness. What choices would you make throughout the day if you focused on them more intentionally? Would you make time for tea and meditation in the morning? What if you chose gentleness and that extra 30 minutes of sleep over the gym in the morning - is that the kindness your body and mind need today? At Saje we believe that part of a sustainable self care routine is checking in with yourself and your unique, ever changing needs regularly so you can become really, really good at hearing both your body and mind tell you what will best serve them today.

The how-to’s of a sustainable self care routine; what it is and isn’t

In order to curate a self care routine you’ll actually stick to, you need to first determine for yourself what self care is and is not. Because of the broad (and frankly, vague) definition of a self care routine we mentioned earlier, here are some thought starters for you to mull over:

1. Consistency. Like most Healthy Habits, creating new facets of a self care routine often requires a certain dedication or discipline to the practice which starts with something we actually like doing. Even if we aren’t yet ‘good’ at something, if we employ the age-old measuring stick of improvement - practice and repetition - we’re bound to have more success in sticking with it. Let’s pretend a part of your self care routine involves improving your hydration. If you consistently choose to incorporate a cup of water 30 minutes before each meal, or a warm lemon water for improved digestion first thing each morning, you’ll gradually create an ingrained habit in which you won’t have to think much before doing it. Boom! Healthy Habit on the road to a self care routine.
2. Be realistic about what you can offer your body and mind. As the old saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and neither will your favorite and most sustainable self care routine be. If you want to increase your odds of maintaining your new wellness practices, you need to be practical. If today is the first day you’ve ever tried meditation, don’t set your alarm for an hour - it’s setting you up to fail. Start with a realistic and attainable goal, like 5-10 minutes of meditation each day for the first week and add 5 minutes each week that follows. Sometimes a little pragmatism goes a long way in helping us create truly livable self care routines.
 



 
3. Find your passion. One part of self care, movement, is a great place to start. Take for example running or weight lifting; universally accepted as good for your health and long-term well-being. If you downright hate doing them, this isn’t self care. You will dread lacing up your shoes or changing into your gym clothes each morning, which is the opposite of self care. Go inside, tune into your intuition and really listen to yourself; what type of movement or activity feels right for you? Does your body feel its best after an hour on your yoga mat? Does it feel like you haven’t actually finished a workout if there’s still a dry spot on your body? An important part of building a self care routine that will serve you in the long run is actually liking the activities you are taking part in.

One thing that self care certainly is not, is punishment. It does not mean going to the gym for an hour because you had dessert last night or reading an entire self help book today because you spent a little too much time scrolling on your phone before bed last night. This is where kindness comes in. Practice self kindness and self compassion while exploring all of the different ways you’re building your ultimate self care routine.

Skin care products for an enhanced self care routine

We want to suggest some of the products we offer at Saje that can be used as part of your holistic and integrative self care practices each day. We believe that taking intentional time to do everyday tasks like skin care for example can enhance and elevate your mindset, helping you to look at these seemingly small daily tasks as potential Healthy Habits in waiting.

Rose Mist: starting each morning with a generous spritz of floral, refreshing and renewing rose might be our favorite way to lean into self care each day. Rose is revered in aromatherapy for its many benefits both to our skin and to the way our mind receives it as nurturing, balancing and supportive. After you’ve washed your face in the morning, mist generously to the face as well as over the head, the hair and the body, encouraging yourself to take deep, slow inhales through the nose and long, slow exhales through the mouth. After a week or so of Rose Mist as part of your daily skincare routine, we almost guarantee you’re going to be feeling your best.

Home and air care products for an enhanced self care routine

The home is a great example of a place in which we can very easily find ourselves on autopilot. Fluffing the pillows on the couch or putting the dishes away after dinner each night is automated, and not something we spend much time thinking about doing. What if we looked at the ways in which we take care of our living space as self care? What if we added thoughtful, fashionable and functional products to our homes to enhance the way our home smells and feels, thus the way we feel when we’re in it?

Aroma Om Stone: the addition of a diffuser to a room in your home is one of the simplest ways to impact the vibe positively, helping to curate another facet of a self care routine you look forward to each day. This chic, stylish diffuser is made from slate-gray cement and BPA-free plastic, and can be used to refresh your air and your mind with the power of scent, tailored to your personal preferences. This unit doubles as a classic decor piece, with the option of running continuously for about 3 hours or intermittently (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off) for 6.

Deep Breath: we love to pair a renewing, opening blend like Deep Breath with our favorite diffuser everyday to not only fill our home with calming, restorative aromas from essential oils like eucalyptus, marjoram and lemon but to help invoke the spa-like experience that for most of us is akin to instant relaxation. Add 10-15 drops to your diffuser of choice and let your senses guide you.

Bedtime products for an enhanced self care routine

When it comes to curating a self care routine, almost no area of our health is as important as our sleep health. Sleep, including the duration and quality of it, is known to have a profound impact on almost every aspect of how our body functions each day, including our energy levels, digestive function and even the health of our skin. It stands to reason that creating a self care routine for sleep each night should be priority number one for all of us.

Sweet Sheets: who wouldn’t want to climb into a bed each night that felt calming, balanced and restful? This linen and fabric spray can help get you there, with sweet, floral and refreshing essential oils of lemon and lavender. Though traditionally most people think of lemon as uplifting, because it has such a unique ability to help give us a sunny disposition, it can be very relaxing to the mind by helping to quash worries or thoughts that for many of us keep us from falling into a restful sleep. Lavender is the most well-known oil in aromatherapy, specifically used in many instances to invite peace and calm for both the body and mind. We love to spritz this mist generously over our pillows, sheets and bedding prior to climbing in each night to set the tone for rest and relaxation. It can also be used anytime to freshen air and fabrics in any room of the home. Don’t forget to breathe deeply!

Our favorite ways to enhance our own self care routines

We know that creating Healthy Habits as part of a self care routine is unique to each of us, though universally we also know that certain practices or rituals are widely practiced and accepted as being beneficial to our physical, emotional and spiritual health. We’ll leave you here today with three of our favorite ways to enhance our own self care routines:

1. Treat yourself. Whether it’s a new pair of running shoes or a fancy, reusable water bottle, having the right gear ups our chances of success when it comes to employing a new practice. For some, this is a necessary re-train of the brain that sometimes equates splurging on ourselves as selfish or unnecessary. Practice self-kindness and repeat after us: self care is not selfish. Self care is an investment in your most important asset: you.
2. Write it down. Countless people share that one of the most important things they do each day to ensure they meet their goals is to write them down. Whether it’s a gratitude journal, a to-do list in bullet style, a food diary or a water log, seeing it on paper can sometimes be the type of accountability we need to push ourselves in the right direction.
3. Be gentle. This is by far the most important point there is when it comes to curating a self care routine. Change is hard, consistency takes practice, and the cold hard truth is that sometimes… life gets in the way. Building resilience and fortitude is one of the ways in which we overcome setbacks, and being gentle with ourselves in the process is what makes us all uniquely human.
In a society that says “put yourself last”, self-love and self-acceptance are almost revolutionary.

— Brene Brown