How to get back into your self-care routines

We hear a lot about the importance of self-Care, and that all sounds well and good until we've gotten ourselves in a bind and have forgotten how to do it. Yes, it sounds weird, but this can easily happen if you go through an extended period where life revolves around work or school, or if you go through a tough life experience without a survival plan. Sometimes you start to cut corners to save time or energy and the corners you cut are off your own wellbeing. You stop eating actual meals, stay up later or get up earlier than usual, and maybe even neglect your social life.

Because it can be a little embarrassing to ask loved ones to remind you how to take care of yourself like a grownup, here are a few Tips for getting back on the self-care wagon.

Getting back to the basics of self-care

As silly as it sounds, it is oh-so-easy to forget simple things like going grocery shopping, so that will be the second thing on our list. Instead of taking the easy way out and stopping by the local burger joint where the employees now greet you by name, go to the grocery store and buy some actual food you can use for actual meals. You can start with meats and canned veggies and graduate to better stuff later. But for now, keep it simple and non-overwhelming. The third thing on the list, of course, is exercise.

If nothing else, take a daily walk around the block until you can work up to doing something more. Just keep a relaxed pace: You're not training for a marathon. Before you do those two things, though, get some sleep. Adopt a regular sleep schedule of at least eight hours and stick to it.

Don't isolate yourself when going through a tough time

When life hands you a lot of overtime, or a breakup, or some other stressful situation, it can be very tempting to hide in your room and lick your wounds at the end of each day. But doing that will only cause problems down the line as you miss out on the emotional support that regular time with a friendly face can provide.

Isolating yourself, even if you don't feel the effects at first, can lead to, or exacerbate, loneliness and even lead to depression and anxiety. In addition to that, those friendly faces may even have some words of wisdom about how to navigate or get out of your current stressful situation. If the situation is a good thing, your people can help you stay in the fight and celebrate your impending victory.

Don't forget to have fun and relax!

Although we don't often think of fun as part of self-care, it is. If soaking in the bath is not your thing, there are a million other things you can do to blow off some steam. Go see a movie at the theater, even if you have to go alone. In fact, if you usually go with friends and loved ones, taking yourself out on a solitary adventure could be a welcome treat.

Just don't go see something you promised to see with your sweetie because then that makes you a movie cheater and the argument that comes after he or she finds out will not help you relax. You may even have something you like to do – or once upon a time liked to do – that is somewhat unique to you. As a kid, I spent hours listening to my albums and making up little stories to go with them. That was how I enjoyed music. Dancing in the living room is fun too. It doesn't matter what you do, just so you have fun doing it.

These tips should at least get the ideas flowing if you haven't been exactly kind to yourself lately. If you know ahead of time that you are in for a busy period or stressful event, you may even want to turn them into a list and tack them to the bulletin board so that you don't start cutting those corners. Take care of yourself!