8 Simple Ways to Elevate Your Self-Care Routine

For a long time, when I heard the words self-care, I thought about the obvious things: putting on makeup, getting cute, going for a massage, buying a good moisturizer or pampering yourself every now and then.

And don’t get me wrong, I love all of those things. But after spending years taking care of my kids, building a business and handling all of the other responsibilities that come with life, self-care started to mean something much deeper to me.

I’ve realized that taking care of yourself isn’t only about what you do on the outside. It’s also about how you eat, how you sleep, how you manage stress, how you protect your time and whether you’re giving yourself the same care and consideration you give everybody else.

So if you’re ready to take your self-care beyond the occasional massage or spa day, here are eight simple ways I’ve been elevating mine.

1. Romanticize Your Night Routine

I will talk about this until the cows come home. Romanticize your night routine.

Yes, you could jump in the shower, wash up and jump right back out. But I’ve learned to make that time part of my wind-down routine. After a long, busy day, I want my brain and body to get the message that we’re done. It’s time to relax.

Light the candle. Put on some music. Get the soft robe. If you’ve been eyeing one of those towel warmers, get the towel warmer. And make that shower an experience.

I love having my body washes, body scrubs, shower oils and all the little things that make an ordinary shower feel more spa-like. Afterward, I take my time with my creams, oils and skincare. Then I continue winding down.

For me, that might mean making a cup of chamomile tea, reading part of a book and putting on a comfortable pair of pajamas before getting into bed. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. The point is to stop rushing through every moment of your day and give yourself permission to enjoy some of them.

2. Take Time for Yourself Every Day

Self-care shouldn’t be something you finally get around to once every three months. I think we need a little bit of time for ourselves every single day. My nighttime routine has become that time for me, but yours could look completely different.

Maybe you’re a morning person and love getting up before everybody else so you can sit quietly with your coffee. Maybe you use part of your lunch hour to get away from everything.

Maybe it’s 30 minutes before bed when you read your Bible, journal or simply sit somewhere without anybody asking you for anything. Find your pocket of time.

We’re so used to scheduling everything we’re responsible for doing for everyone else. Put yourself somewhere on that schedule too.

3. Prioritize Your Sleep

This is one I didn’t always get right. There were seasons when I was raising kids and building my business when I would work until 3 a.m. and be back up at 7. I could get away with that for a while.

But constantly functioning on four hours of sleep isn’t something I want to normalize anymore. Now I have a cutoff. Ideally, I’d love to be in bed by 10 p.m., but midnight is my absolute cutoff. I don’t care what I’m working on. If the project isn’t finished, it’ll still be there tomorrow.

I’ve also started caring more about the experience of sleeping. Good sheets. Comfortable pillows. A bedroom that feels peaceful. A nighttime routine that helps me transition into bed instead of working until the last possible second and expecting my brain to magically switch off.

Sleep isn’t the thing I squeeze in after everything else gets done anymore. It’s part of taking care of myself.

4. Splurge on Good Food

If there’s one place I’m increasingly willing to spend a little more, it’s on the food I’m putting into my body. Whole foods. Good-quality ingredients. Fruits and vegetables. Protein. Fiber. Foods that actually nourish me.

That doesn’t mean every single item in my refrigerator has to be organic or expensive. It means I’ve changed how I think about my grocery budget. Food isn’t simply another expense I’m trying to make as cheap as possible. It’s something my body needs every single day, and I want to give it good fuel.

I’ve noticed how differently I feel depending on what I’m eating, so nutrition has become a major part of what self-care means to me. Sometimes taking care of yourself looks less like buying another beauty product and more like buying the berries.

5. Take Your Mental Health Seriously

This is one of those forms of self-care that doesn’t photograph quite as beautifully for social media, but it matters. Check in with yourself. How are you actually doing?

And when you’re not doing well, don’t be afraid to say so. That might mean talking with someone you trust. It might mean asking for help. And sometimes it may mean getting support from a qualified professional.

I’ve had to learn that I don’t have to keep everything bottled up and figure everything out by myself. We can become so accustomed to checking on everybody else that we don’t stop to ask ourselves the same questions.

You deserve the check-in too.

6. Get Your Steps in

I’m a huge believer in moving your body. I’m not saying you have to become a gym girl or start doing intense workouts seven days a week. I’m talking about moving.

Walking. Take the stairs. Go outside after dinner. Put your walking shoes on and get your body moving.

I’ve personally made walking a much bigger part of my life because it feels realistic and sustainable for me. I’m also interested in becoming stronger and incorporating other forms of exercise, but walking is something I know I can continue doing.

Self-care doesn’t always have to feel indulgent. Sometimes it’s doing something today that your future self will be grateful you did.

7. Hydrate With Intention

Drink your water. I know. Groundbreaking.

But it’s one of those incredibly basic things that’s also easy to neglect when you’re busy.

And if plain water isn’t your thing, make it more interesting. I’ve been seeing what people online call stacked water, where they dress up their water with different additions. You can keep yours simple with fresh fruit, lemon or another flavor you enjoy. I call mine bougie water.

Whatever we have to call it to get the water down, I’m here for it. The bigger point is to make hydration something you’re intentional about instead of realizing at 8 p.m. that you’ve barely had anything to drink all day.

8. Set Firm Boundaries

This one might be one of the most important forms of self-care I’ve learned. Protect your time. Not everybody who crosses a boundary is intentionally trying to disrespect you. Sometimes we’ve simply never communicated that a boundary exists.

I work from home, for example. For a long time, people could interpret works from home as available. No ma’am. I work during the day just like anybody else. My work might look different, but those are still my working hours.

I’ve had to establish that boundary.

I also have boundaries around my phone. There are times in the morning when I don’t want phone calls and times in the evening when I’m done for the day. My phone eventually goes into Do Not Disturb because that’s my time with my family and myself.

Boundaries aren’t about being mean or shutting people out. They’re about understanding that you have a capacity. Your time, energy and attention aren’t unlimited resources. Protecting some of them for yourself is self-care too.

Self-Care Is Bigger Than Pampering

I still love a good moisturizer. I still love getting my nails done, smelling good, taking an everything shower and doing all the fun things we normally associate with self-care.

But my definition has gotten much bigger. Self-care is getting enough sleep. It’s feeding myself well. It’s going for the walk. It’s drinking the water. It’s checking in with myself. It’s telling somebody I’m unavailable.

And sometimes it’s putting on my pajamas, making my tea and deciding that whatever didn’t get accomplished today can wait until tomorrow.

That’s the kind of self-care I’m interested in these days.

Not simply looking well.

Living well.