How to Make a Self Care Checklist

You brush your teeth every day. You try to grab a salad a few times a week. Once in a while, you take an extra-long shower to exfoliate your body or moisturize your skin. These are great things to do for yourself, but they aren’t the only things you should be doing for yourself.

Life moves fast. We all get busy. Everyone has a laundry list of responsibilities. Self-care usually falls toward the bottom and is neglected in favor of things that feel desperately important at the moment, like an extra hour of sleep, a decadent dessert, or two more episodes of a great show. 

Exploring the different areas of your life and creating a self-care checklist will change the way you manage your time. You’ll feel better and be able to enjoy your little catnap, a special treat, or an impromptu binge-watching session without sacrificing your responsibilities or neglecting yourself. It’s just a matter of rearranging your priorities.

Why is Self Care Important?

Many people fail to understand the importance of self-care. We tend to treat things like massages as expensive luxuries or assume that a bi-annual dentist checkup is the extent of the self-care we require.

Sometimes, we put the needs of others before ourselves. This is especially true for parents. They’re very concerned with the wellbeing of their children, to the extent where they put their own well being on hold. It never occurs to them that part of their responsibility is taking care of their child’s parent. 

If you aren’t tending to your own personal needs, everything else you do will suffer for it. If you’re exhausted, stressed out, and haven’t had a decent home-cooked meal in a few weeks, everything you do is going to feel like an uphill battle. Self-care is important for both your mental and physical health.

How to Make a Self Care Checklist

The best way to make a self-care checklist is to go over each area of your life and determine which aspects need more tending to. There will be things you should do every day, every week, and every month. Pencil your weekly and monthly events into your calendar. Keep your daily routine on your phone, referring to it until it becomes second nature.

Considering your personal needs and the means you have to achieve those needs is key. Don’t make a self-care checklist for anyone else. Make a self-care checklist that you’re sure you can and will abide by — even if it’s a little short.

The most important thing to remember when making a self-care checklist is that no one becomes superhuman overnight. Don’t attempt to take on too much or make promises to yourself that you can’t reasonably keep. Start small and build as you go. This will keep you consistently making progress without leaving room for discouragement. 

You’ll also want to keep in mind that self-care is different from person to person. Many people vow to cook healthier meals, but if the issue with self-care is that cooking takes up time you could spend relaxing or hiking, your solution might involve ordering healthier takeout or having fresh meals delivered. Don’t follow someone else’s idea of self-care.

Your Personal Routine

The first part of caring for yourself is establishing a routine. How would you like to change or add to your routine to improve your self-care habits? Think about your current personal routine. What can you change, or how can you spend your time differently to benefit your mental and physical health?

Physical Health

Prioritizing your physical health doesn’t have to be difficult. Don’t start making excruciating changes. Being physically healthy should not ever feel like torture. The wrong thing to say is “I will never have pizza again!” — the right thing to say is, “I will only have pizza on family movie night!” 

Adding vitamins and supplements is a very easy way to benefit your physical health. Washing them down with a lighter, healthier breakfast is a great place to start. A big bowl of oatmeal with a dollop of peanut butter and a few pieces of fruit doesn’t really take any time to prepare, and it beats the empty carbs in most grab-and-go breakfast options. 

Can you incorporate a fifteen-minute walk while you’re drinking your morning coffee and opt for listening to the news rather than reading it? It takes the same amount of time either way, but it’s an easy swap to benefit your health. You don’t have to commit to doing it every day. Plan to do it three days a week and see how it makes you feel. If it works, add it to your daily checklist. Like we’ve mentioned before it’s different for everyone for some it’s a walk for others it’s a hike through nature.

Mental Health

Are you stressed out? Are you sad? Are you taking enough time to decompress? You need to incorporate healthy coping mechanisms into your daily routine. Some people use sublingual CBD to help them relax after a long day. Others write in a journal, spend time in nature, attend yoga classes, or learn martial arts to give themselves an expressive outlet that helps them clear their mind. 

If you do have an outlet and you’ve simply been falling behind, pencil it into your schedule and make it mandatory. If you don’t have an outlet, the most important thing to do is find one. Start using your outlet at least once a week. If you feel like it’s helping your mental health, increase your frequency. This has been life-changing for many of us at Leafwell Botanicals with just incorporating a hike, bike, or ski in nature 1-2 times a week our quality of life increased significantly. 

If you have serious mental health concerns, you should seek professional help. Sometimes, the greatest act of self-care is seeking a professional who understands what you’re going through and is prepared to help you. If you’re dealing with things you don’t think simple habits can fix, you deserve to love yourself enough to get the care you need.

Your Personal Goals

Your personal goals are a part of self-care. Working towards your goals and doing things that make you feel happy and fulfilled are just as important as going for walks and eating your vegetables. You should incorporate small steps towards achieving your long-term goals into your daily self-care checklist. 

Life Achievements

What do you want to achieve? Do you want to lose 20 pounds? Do you want to complete a 5k or a marathon? Do you want to learn how to read sheet music and perform like a concert pianist? Maybe become a pro gamer?! Do you want to stop biting your nails, quit smoking, or finally save up enough money to take that trip to Morocco? Put a small step towards achieving that goal on your daily checklist, even if it’s choosing to save $5 instead of spending it on a latte or spending five minutes sitting at the piano.

Career or Educational Goals

Do you want a promotion in your field? Do you want to go back to college or attend a trade school? It’s not as simple as finding fulfillment overnight. Things take time and money, and you’ll have to work toward them incrementally until you’re ready to make your big transition. Investing in yourself is the most important investment you will make.

Even if you can only set aside 20 minutes each day for researching better career or educational opportunities until you can make that transition happen, it’s better than sitting on your dreams. You need to feel happy and fulfilled. If a career change (or even just ditching a workplace where you feel underappreciated after you’ve found another gig) or a completely new path is instrumental in improving your sense of wellbeing, crawling there is better than staying still. 

Your Relationships with Other People

Spending more time with your significant other, your children & family, and friends is important. You need the company of the people who love you. Sharing laughter, eating meals together, spending some time in the mountains, or experiencing something new and different is beneficial for everyone. Include some “together time” on your self-care checklist. Interaction with people you care about is good for your overall well-being.

The Takeaway

Self care, in all of its forms, is one of the most important gifts you can give yourself. Your wellness should be one of your main priorities in life. Everyone deserves to thrive. Your goals, aspirations, and mental and physical health are just as important as everything else on your list especially because if you take care of yourself you’ll do better at everything else. They’re so important that they deserve their own list that requires as much time and dedication as everything else you set out to do in your busy life. Plus, you owe yourself the love you so freely give to others on a daily basis.

Leafwell Botanicals understands self care. We’re in the business of wellness. Our CBD products and wellness products are designed to help relax you, promote homeostasis, and support better sleep. You’re ready to make positive changes in your life, and we’ve got your back. Whether it’s our products or you just want to reach out for some advice, give us a call or send us an email!

Sources:

https://www.health.com/food/healthy-takeout

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261

https://www.npr.org/2019/12/11/787058888/how-to-start-therapy