How to create a self-care routine

Sleep well

Get enough sleep. Although there are researches that suggest we need 7-8 hours of sleep, new information is emerging that shows that we sleep in cycles of 90mins. If you wake up naturally without an alarm, you will notice that the number of hours you’ve slept is roughly a multiple of 90mins.

Feed your body not your mouth.

There is a difference between eating and actually feeding your body the nutrients it needs. So eat healthy. Water, aqua, H2O. There is no substitute, our body is made up of 70% water. Use markers on bottles to help you get enough water in throughout the day. Or you could attach drinking water to time periods for example 100ml every hour.

Keep on moving

Go for a walk, a run, to the gym or up and down the stairs instead of taking the lift. Research has shown that women who exercise more are at low risk of dementia.The key is to try to incorporate these activities into your day so that you do them without having to think about them or make active decisions.

Read or listen

We all know this is important. If you don't have time to read, listen to audiobooks on your commute. Listening is great for your brain because you have to use your imagination.

Use your imagination.

Sit down sometime and do nothing. This childlike act can help relieve stress and keep your brain active.

Take a break.

Have a kitkat. No, i’m kidding. But you need breaks to move away from your routine. This refreshes your brain.

Have a conversation that goes beyond the weather.

Talk about a book you've read or a movie you’ve seen or just ask what other people think about certain topics (try and avoid politics though).

Say ‘No’

Taking on too much is not looking after yourself. Those things will not get done at all if you breakdown. So, know how much you can handle and politely tell people no.

Be part of a community

We are in danger of getting carried away and being isolated through the use of ‘self-’ prefix. Self-help, self-care, self-this, self-that. A lot of care actually requires community and people interaction. Since its women’s history month, I will use women as examples here. The women of old used their communities for support since that’s all most of had. Lets not forget this.

Ask for help

If you are the type that tries to do everything, start learning to ask for help. Pick the practice that works for you and plan it into your day so that it does not feel like another extra thing you have to do.