This daily self care checklist is a basic guide for women who lead busy life but still want to incorporate self care into their daily schedule. I do this everyday and have seen significant improvement in my self esteem, mental health and wellbeing.

Making a self care checklist is so important because you take the responsibility of your wellbeing and you are less likely to be burnt out at both ends of the stick. Creating a self care checklist or a plan, will also ensure that you have made time for it, that way you most likely get it done.

How do I start basic self care?

Self care is definitely not a one-size fits all. So you would have to take your needs and your lifestyle into consideration when coming up with a daily plan. I personally like to have a morning routine and night time routine to keep me balanced and grounded.

There are 8 aspects of self care that I try to incorporate into my daily routine. Though this might sound like a lot and even time consuming, these tasks don’t take as much time as you think and can be grouped together. It might help if you see it as doing something for your mind body and soul each day.

Related: Self Care Sunday Ideas To Reset The Mind, Body & Soul

Here are 5 things you can do for your self care daily

1. Move your body

This is for all my gals who don’t like to exercise. exercise can dramatically improve your mood, your energy and confidence. You do not have to go to the gym to reap the benefits, there are plenty other options to choose from that ere easy like walking, doing yoga, joining a dance, class anything to get your heart pumping and embrace those feel-good hormones!

2. Meditate

There isn’t any special way to meditate. Start dedicating 5 minutes a day to sit still and be aware of your breath while observing your thoughts without judgement. If you suffer with anxiety, I recommend meditating regularly as it is a big stress reliever, it also makes you more aware of the thoughts you have on auto-pilot and you get to have a deeper relationship with yourself.

3. Journal

Journalling is another way to build a deeper relationship with self. You connect with yourself by expressing your emotions through words on paper. If you are a complete beginner to journaling and have no idea where to start, I recommend checking out this post on 50 Life-Changing Journal Prompts For Healing or this 50 Journal Prompts for Self Love

4. Take care of your appearance

Plan healthy meals. Ditch your pyjamas and bonnet for a nice outfit and some makeup even if you work from home. Don’t forget your skin care routine! Taking pride in our appearance communicates to the world and ourselves that we were worth the extra 10 minutes in the morning, we are worth the effort.

Taking care of your appearance not only raises your perceived value, you raise the bar for how people will treat you too.

5. Learn something new

If you aren’t learning you aren’t growing. Take a new class. Read a blog post on something you want to learn more about. Read books that you actually have an interest in. Reading before bedtime is an excellent way to destress and unwind from a busy day, extra points for improving sleep quality.

There are more surprising benefits stated in this article.

Just be sure to avoid reading from phones too close to bedtime as that could impact your sleeping pattern negatively.