How to turn routines into self-care rituals

What are your self-care rituals? Do you enjoy your self-care rituals or do you sometimes view them as chores? Acts of self-care should always be occasions we look forward to. If they have started to feel like chores, they may have slipped from ritual to routine.

You can tell the difference between a routine and a ritual simply by looking at the thoughts and feelings which drive the action. Very often, routines are things we do without thinking. This is why routines are what create habits.

Now, we need to point out that we do need routines and habits. There are GREAT habits to have, such as brushing our teeth and flossing twice a day. Another would be removing our make-up when we don’t need to have it on. There are also bad habits like smoking or pulling all-nighters.

Our self-care rituals provide us with opportunities to recenter our minds and spirits. When these become routines and habits, then we’ve lost the whole point making them acts of self-care. Luckily, it is possible to turn any of our self-care routines into a self-care ritual by changing the way we think about what it is that we are doing.

Changing our perspective and being aware of our current course of action are all a part of mindfulness. Mindfulness helps inject ritual into routine for body and mind to enjoy the benefits of self-care.

Depending on your self-care routine, injecting mindfulness can be pausing to reflect about a particular moment. It can also be about being aware of your body and how it is reacts or responds to particular situations.

You can turn a fitness routine into a ritual, for example, by choosing exercises which promote an appreciation for your body or an awareness of how your body moves. Feeling the strength of your body and being grateful for how it moves can turn your exercise into a ritual.

We can turn our makeup removal routine into an act of self-care by pausing and reflecting on what we enjoy about makeup or what we like about removing it. Do we like the feel of the makeup remover? How does our skin feel after cleansing? How does the cream smell like? Does it glide onto the skin? As we do these, we can pause to watch our face in the mirror. What do we appreciate about our features? What stories do these laugh lines hide?

As you become more accustomed to mindfulness, you can take any one of your good habits and turn it into a self-care ritual; even the most mundane can become a moment of mindful self-care. For instance, carefully planning your weekly menu can transform every mealtime into a mindful experience. Similarly, choosing a specific toothpaste or toothbrush, carefully brushing your teeth, and feeling how the bristles rub your teeth and massage your gums can make the “must do” activity into a moment of self-love.

Acts of self-care need not be complicated; doing them meaningfully and mindfully would give them a greater purpose in your life.