10 Self-Care Rituals that are Amazing to Embed in your Lifestyle!

Wellness is as easy as A, B and C!

What is the definition of self-care?

You choose to look after your physical, emotional, and mental state by making time for activities and rituals that take care of and maintain your wellness.

When you neglect, your well-being will affect all areas of your life.

Self-care will mean different things to different people; however, at the end of the day, you need to do something to keep yourself in good health and look after your mind, body, and soul.

It is nurturing your body, mind, and soul in equal amounts and filling your cup daily before filling everyone else! So, you can look after your family and friends. Pouring from an empty cup is very dangerous and could cause burnout.

You are allowing yourself to prioritise your well-being so that you are mentally and physically fit to look after your family and loved ones.

Did you know that most of these are FREE?

I will be sharing ten self-care rituals that may be helpful to you; however, you could try to implement them in various ways. The best way to approach this is in baby steps, so you could choose one aspect and do that for a week, then reflect on how that made you feel. Then, please speak to the people who live with you and see if they notice any change in you.

Once you feel ready, you can move to the next; you may need more than a week to embed this into your lifestyle; you are living your life and seeing what is serving you the best. There is no rush to have all of these achieved.

So, what does wellness mean to you?

10 Self-care rituals that you can embed into your lifestyle.

1.      Getting good quality sleep.

2.      Nurturing your body- eat a rainbow daily – food is information to your body.

3.      Stay hydrated.

4.      Move your body daily, plus listen to your body.

5.      Spend more time outdoors.

6.      Make time each day for fun.

7.      Switch off time daily – 5 minutes to an hour- no technology - unplug.

8.      Growth Mindset.

9.      Hygiene care.

10.  Grateful every day for what you have, and nay have for the future.

Who should embed Self-Care?

Self-care is essential for everyone. But how you do it, and which rituals may change for different people. So, it is good to try other things and see what works best for you.

Top Quotes

“How to ‘Self-Love’: workout, eat healthy, practice virtues, defend values, seek challenges, speak truth, accept responsibility.

Self-love is earned not wished.” Carlos Del Valle

‘Meditation is a way for nourishing and blossoming the divinity within you.” Amit Ray

‘You owe yourself one hour a day of self-maintenance. It can include reading, writing, yoga, exercise, dancing, meditation, painting, or whatever, but you owe it to yourself. One hour, 1/24 of your day. That is less than 5%. It matters, it really does. Make it count.

Sarah Brassard.

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures.” Irish Proverb

“Don’t over thing it, just begin”. Rich Roll, Ultra-Athlete

“Water is the driving force of all nature.” Leonardo Da Vinci

“The point is not to clear your mind, as your mind will think involuntary like your heart with beat involuntary.” Emily Fletcher

“Your fork, the most powerful tool to transform your health and change the world.”

Mark Hyman, MD

“We wait, starving for moments of high magic to inspire us, but life is a banquet of common enchantment waiting for our alchemists ‘eyes to notice.’” Jacob Nordby.

All about Self-Care

1.  Getting good quality sleep

Sleep is so essential to your self-care. If you ask anyone who hasn't had enough sleep or whose rest was lacking in quality, they wake up in a bad mood or just mentally and physically exhausted. Parents of a baby will understand this, especially in the first couple of months, when the baby needs to be fed every couple of hours.

Sleep is not a weakness; it is what our body and mind need daily.

You could imagine having a bin in your room and letting go of all your You could imagine having a bin in your room and letting go of all your worries and cares into it; that way, you can have a blissful night's sleep.

Another technique you can do is a journal or think about three things that happened each day that you are grateful for; they do not need to be profound. It could be as simple as having a yummy coffee this morning, finishing work on time to see my family at home, and having dinner prepared when you got home.

Think of your bedroom. Is it a clutter-free environment? The less stuff that is there, the more peaceful you feel.

A diffuser is excellent, too; if you put essential oils that aid with sleep an hour or so before going to bed, this will help, e.g., oils such as Lavender, Lavender peace, and Frankincense. You could also rub these oils with a carrier oil on the bottom of your feet before bed, a sense of calm.

When you have the right amount of sleep, other people want to be around you, and you are more like yourself.

So next time you watch Netflix or on your laptop, ask yourself, what time do I need to get up tomorrow? If you are not going to get enough sleep, go to bed now, and finish whatever you are doing later!

Sleep improves your brain function and allows you to think quickly, be grounded and make decisions better.

2.  Nurturing your body- eat a rainbow daily- food is information to your body.

Are you eating enough vegetables and fruits daily?

Food is your body’s primary fuel; this will directly impact your health, shape, and mood!

Would you like to know a hack to increase your fruit intake?

If you catch public transport, pack two fruits for yourself; when you finish work and on your way from the office to your public transport, have one fruit; then, on your way from off the bus to home, have your other fruit.

For those that don’t use catch public transport. Are you picking up your kids from school? You could do the same 2- one walking from your car to the school, the other as you have your kid(s), and the other walking back to the car.

If neither of these applies to you, how else could you implement these two fruits into your diet daily?

Could you try getting 4-6 vegetables per day; the more different colours, the better, also the more variety is excellent!

You can make green shakes or other vegetables and fruit juice for those interested.

The below vegetables are great for shakes or to eat cooked or raw:

Kale: low in calories, powerful antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, which are helpful for arthritis and autoimmune disease.

Spinach: packed with vitamins, has anti-cancerous properties and is very healthy.

Cucumber: 95% water; this incredible detoxifier helps with liver and kidney function.

Lemon: highly effective cleansing agent and cuts through the bitterness of greens.

Carrots: good source of beta-carotene, fibre, vitamin K, and potassium. Carrots have been linked to lower cholesterol levels and improved eye health.

Celery: low in calories, mainly water. It is low glycaemic food and a good source of dietary fibre, vitamins A, C and K.

Beetroots: very nutritious, can lower blood pressure, fight inflammation and support detoxification.

Apples: help to fight inflammation and heart health.

Oranges: immune system booster since it is high in vitamin C and low in calories.

Turmeric: anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Ginger: aids in digestion and supports the immune system.

Mangoes: lowering cholesterol levels, are an excellent source of antioxidants, magnesium, and potassium, are rich in vitamin A and are great for eye health. Alkalisation of the whole body, essential digestion aid, anti-cancer proprietors, and a better immune system and memory.

Many others are also beneficial for consumption!

Did you know it best to consume 1.6 grams of protein per kg you are?

For instance, if your weight is 60 kg, you should aim to have 60 * 1.6grams= 96 grams. Then it is best to divide by the number of meals you have; on average most people have three meals, so I use that for this example.

However, if you have different amount, you can edit! 96 grams on average, three meals, which would give you 32 grams per meal.

You would aim to consume that amount of protein in each meal, totalling approximately 96 grams daily!

Protein doesn’t have to be meat- there are many products available that have protein, that is, vegetables, beans etc.

Whether you want to lose or maintain weight, this will allow you to fill fuller for longer and less snacking!

I don’t believe in having soda, as they are just empty calories; however, if you enjoy this, could you try to limit this to a smaller amount?

Could you start having one nutritious meal a day?

3.      Stay hydrated.

Start your morning with a glass of warm water, a pinch of good-quality salt, a squeeze of lemons, and a small piece of lemon rind.

End your day with a glass of water too with a pinch of good-quality salt.

The benefits of the morning water:

• Help lose or maintain weight.
• Aids with digestion.
• It may support liver detox.
• Boost immunity function.
• Nourish the skin.
• High nutritional value.
• High in antioxidants.
• It may promote heart health.

Drinking fluids is crucial to staying healthy and maintaining the functions of every system in your body. This includes your heart, brain, and muscle. Fluids carry nutrients to your cells; they flush bacteria from your bladder and prevent constipation.

When you are having coffee, wine, or other alcoholic beverage, you are dehydrating your body. I am not saying I don’t drink the above; however, ensure you get plenty of water during your day!

4.  Move your body daily plus listen to your body.

Physical exercise boosts energy, keeps you more flexible and increases muscle mass.

Did you know that sweating is significant to your body?

The reason we sweat is to cool your body; however, more importantly, it removes the body of toxins, things like metals, bacteria, viruses and excess salt and calcium.

There are so many free choices available with exercise, whether you prefer to walk, run, do yoga at home, do weight training at home, do other workouts at home, dance etc.

If you prefer to join a gym, that is an option. Find something that you can incorporate into your lifestyle. It doesn’t need to be a long workout daily; try to move your body in some way for 30 minutes 5 times a week.

Did you know that muscle mass decrease after the age of 30?

The best way to combat this is weight training to keep them strong. With the muscle you have in your body, you can burn fat faster! On average, you lose 300 grams of muscle mass annually once you reach 30 years.

Calculate how much you have lost.

If you do weight training, if that is suitable for you, then you will combat this.

By exercising, you are pumping your body and mind with feel-good natural chemicals and flooding them with endorphins.

If you want to slow down your brain, don’t exercise; this is exactly what will happen.

Investing in your health will always be a good decision. This is the one body you have for all your life; love it, nurture it.

One form of exercise I enjoy a few times a week that is free is:

From your YouTube- Yoga with Adriene, there are plenty of choices.

There are several paid services available for exercise too. For example, I have mention few I have tried and enjoyed:

Om daily – I have purchased the 2-Week Fascia Miracle and Be Abtastic in 7 days.

10 x program offered by Mindvalley.

Please note that when you are feeling pain in your body, do not ignore this; your body is trying to communicate to you by a  whisper; if you choose not to listen, the pain will get worse, and your body will be shouting at you. So, listen when it is a whisper, not when it is yelling!

5.      Spend more time outdoors.

Could you enjoy the sunshine, walk on the grass barefoot, or sand barefoot this week?

Have you heard of the term forest bathing?

This is a Japanese practice that is relatively peaceful. Being in nature and observing the trees and doing deep breathing. This will destress and boost health.

Are you getting enough sunshine and vitamin D for you?

We all require vitamin D to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. We need these nutrients to keep our bones, teeth, and muscles healthy. So could you go outside and soak in some sun, make sure you use sun protection.

Did you know studies conducted in general people are indoors way too long? We are meant to be indoors less!

This can affect your sleep, mood, and health! Twenty minutes in the sun is all you need daily! Be mindful of people with fair skin, as you don't want your skin to go red. Sun safe!

6.       Make time each day for fun.

Start scheduling things that make you smile and happy; you may not be able to do it all the time; however, if you can schedule 20 minutes- or up to an hour, to do the thing that lights you up, how would you feel afterwards?

I invite you today to start your 100-dream list; you don't need to be practical, have fun with it!

This is a lot of fun; you can complete the list in one sitting or break it up. Once you have written this somewhere, you can see it daily, read it often and start doing the things on your list. Start small and work your way up.

Another way you can add some spice to your weeks is from Laura Vanderkam book called Tranquillity by Tuesday rule 6 - organise one big adventure (a couple of hours) and one little adventure (1 hour) with your family or friends each week, schedule it and enjoy!

Make some memories and have fun doing it!

I have written a blog about the book review if you’re interested you could check this out:

https://www.muktisantos.com/book-review/

When we were kids, we were always having fun, we had no responsibilities, and we were free to have fun; as we get older, we have responsibilities – we have forgotten the art of just having fun.

7.      Switch off time daily – 5 minutes to an hour- no technology - unplug.

If we cleaned out our minds the way we clean our homes daily, would we operate in a different frequency?

The benefits of quite a time are:

• Increase awareness.
• It can generate kindness and compassion.
• Quiet your mind and a feeling of centred.
• Reducing negative emotion
• Increase imagination and creativity.
• Increase patience and tolerance.
• Focusing on the present, not the past or the future, which we do not have control over.

Please incorporate some quiet time for yourself, whether this is meditation, walking in the garden on your own without any distractions, or just sitting outside/indoors in silence!

You can do this for 3-20 minutes daily, ideally twice daily. If you are starting, do this once a day! The routine could take time to implement.

Please try it out and find a practice that works for you. If you google meditation, there are plenty of choices.

Did you know that breath is how you were born and how you will die? Yet, we do not value our breath; it is vital.

The power of breath:

• Anti-anxiety
• Self-love activation
• Restorative sleep aid
• Immune booster
• Stress relief
• Increased energy
• Digestive support

Great meditation, only 3 minutes below for anyone interested. Could you spare 3 minutes of 24 hours a day?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uWHnR_bSLY

See the pictures below; what do you see?

This is the lint from my dryer! Do you clean away your lint after each or every 2nd load of wet washing for those who own a dryer? If so, what are you doing to clear out your mind daily? Each day something happens to us; some are good, and some are not.

If we do a daily clean-up for our minds, just like we do a clean-up for our homes, how would we operate?

8. Growth Mindset!

What is the definition of this?

A growth mindset means that you thrive on challenges and do not see failures as negative; it is a progression of learning and changing.

Growth for each person is different, and every person has a unique way of implementing things. Therefore, each person will deal with this differently! There is no one-size-fits-all here.

Below is my story; we all have our own story, and-no one is better than someone else. It is what you experience and how you navigate this thing we call life!

We should learn something daily to keep our brain and body optimal. The environment around us is constantly evolving, and the more open we are to change the better we will deal with this.

How you know and what you learn is up to you!

My story of personal growth started about eight years ago, and I am evolving daily. Each day I try to be 1% better than the day before; some days, I am successful, and other days I do not reach where I like to be, however still trying. I am not competitive with anyone outside of myself.

I am a human with many hats daily, from mother, wife, employee, coach, friend, sibling, daughter, cousin etc. These are beautiful and, at the same time, challenging to me daily!

When my son Ruben was six months, he is currently 9 years old; one of my friends from my mother's group posted a book called Raising boys on our Facebook community and advised that this was a good read if you had a boy! So, when I was 35 years old, I said to myself- who has time to read with a baby? It didn't seem like something I wanted then, and I wondered who wants to read at this stage of their life when you are pretty time-poor!

Now I think back over the past eight and half years, and I have grown so much, curious to learn and develop my knowledge in different areas. So, I have read this book and Raising girls, too; these are great books if these topics interest you.

I have also completed several online courses; many quests are from Mindvalley, which I have learn and implemented into my life. I feel fantastic when I am learning about what I am passionate about. I am happy to give up an hour or 2 of TV and work on my quest or other courses, as they genuinely make me happy!

Now I think of the person I was when I was 35 to the person, I am 43 years old. I now know what I want and am working on ways to learn, teach, and support people in their life journey.

How can I support people in a way that best serves them?

I am also learning to slow down and have many aspects of fun incorporated into my life! The balance is the key! This is an ongoing progression. Some days are great, and others are a juggling act!

Just because your journey is different to mine doesn't mean we cannot get along and learn from one another!

What is fantastic is learning from all the different journeys of people and supporting everyone through this!

9. Hygiene care

There are many things that I can share here; please feel free to try these things if you like and see how you go. I recommend doing one thing at a time.

Dry blushing is to unclog your pores in the exfoliation process. It will help detoxify your skin by increasing blood circulation and promoting lymph flow and drainage. Unclogging your pores makes sweat easier for you and eliminates the toxins in your system. If you could do this three times a week, that would work well. The best way to dry brush is towards your heart.

Skincare: Apply toner and moisturising twice daily for your face once you remove makeup. Try your best never to go to bed without washing your face; whether you have makeup on or not, there is a build of bacteria on your face, which should be removed daily.

Aromatic dressing a few times a week –at the minimum once a week. Use a carrier oil and essential oils that you feel are best for that day, mix and apply on your body after a shower or bath. Applying your body massage in a circular motion from your feet to your neck sends your body good vibes.

Make sure you massage well in lymphatic areas, such as the armpits, where we hold a lot of toxins. My favourite oils are for aromatic dressing:

Frankincense, Sandalwood, Wild orange, Lavender peace and Balance.

The oil you be using would be different whether you are doing it in the morning or evening.

Massaging your feet with oil or cream twice a day.

Face Mask weekly

Epsom bath if you enjoy those.

A cold shower at the end of your shower (30-120 seconds) could reduce inflammation, relieve pain, improve circulation, lower stress levels, and reduce soreness and fatigue.

Tongue cleaning is done with a metal stainless steel material, or you can use a spoon to try this out before investing in buying something new.

The reason you do this:

Overnight while we all sleep, we accumulate a toxin called ama in Sanskrit.

Benefits of Tongue cleaning:

• Clear the toxins and bacteria from your mouth.
• The food tastes better.
• Your tongue reflects your gastrointestinal tract.
• The healthier your tongue, the healthier your body and mind are.
• Did you know your digestion begins in the mouth?

How to do this:

Whether you use a tongue scraper or teaspoon after brushing your teeth in the morning and evening, you use the tongue scraper gentling from the back of your mouth to the front. You are doing this a minimum of 10 times, and as you do this, you are removing the toxins from your mouth.

Once you complete, rinse your mouth.

Enjoy; your mouth will thank you for this!

Oil pulling:

Benefits:

• Improve breath!
• Improves digestion.
• Strengthen teeth and gums.
• Reduced acne and eczema.

How:

Oil pulling can be conducted with sesame or coconut oil, and if you are swishing a teaspoon of the oil in your mouth, you can carry on with whatever you usually do while this happens. Sesame oil tastes much more robust, so start with coconut oil. It would help if you tried to keep swishing in your mouth for a minimum of 1 minute, then going to 5 minutes, then eventually getting to 20 minutes. You could do it for a shorter period if this is too long.

This will pull the bacteria from your mouth—allowing for a healthier mouth and body.

One note- please do not spit this out in the kitchen or any sink, as there are many toxins here. Best to spit into a paper towel and put that in the garbage or remove it straight into the trash.

This only needs to be done once a day, in the morning!

Your mouth and body will thank you for this.

10. Grateful every day for what you have and may have for the future.

Could you do this exercise daily, ask yourself what three things you are grateful for every morning and evening. By the end of the day, you have a minimum of six items, maybe more. This will make you happier and your interactions with people will be better!

If you are like me and enjoy writing a journal or prefer to do it on your phone, there are many apps out there you can record or open a notepad FREE.

Could you start a gratitude journal?

I have a 5-minute journal which I enjoy writing it.

Depending on how much you write, this takes 5 minutes (300 seconds). Such a beautiful and easy practice that you may love and treasure!

Once a week, they put a challenge in there, which is always so much fun!

I also love on Sunday to read over the week how my week went, how I felt and how grateful I am!

The last part of each day is a great question:

How could I have made today even better?

This is an excellent self-reflective question.

Ask yourself these questions and reflect:

· Everyone’s self-care ritual looks different- how will yours look?

· What are your interests and or hobbies? Are you scheduling time for these regularly?

· How are you feeling in your body, mind, and soul?

· What is one self-care ritual you could start to implement in your life today?

· Could you make yourself a priority today?

To Conclude

Taking the time to listen to your body and focus on your well-being means you can get the most out of your health and fitness journey and feel your best. This way you can look after your family and friends too. You can only help or support people if your health is good.

Do you have any self-care secrets? Please share!

Your headspace of all-or-nothing mentality. So, you can do nothing, as it seems too hard. But something is better than nothing! So, keep moving forward, however small it may be. If you want to change something, you must take the first step. If you carry the same, your life will be the same next year.

I have embedded most of these rituals into my life. Some are daily, and some a weekly.

After much self-study, research on the wellness field, and doing the practices myself, I am grateful to share this with you all.

These two books were great resources for some of the material I have shared in this blog. Also, I am an ongoing learner. I pick up this and that from many platforms:

If you have a medical condition, please seek your doctor's advice before changing your diet or introducing exercise.

I am hoping you have found this blog useful!

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https://www.muktisantos.com/contact/

Share something exciting you did this week?

Below is a picture from our date lunch to celebrate our 19 years anniversary from Sunday last week with my hubby Ed!

Next week's Blog on the 12th of February 2023 – 10 essential oils that every home’s needs!

Have a lovely Valentine Day on Tuesday!

Have an amazing week!

Thank you for your time! 😊

Kind Regards,

Mukti