A Simple Way to Look Forward to Each Day: Self-Care Hack

So many of us have gotten used to feeling blah, dull or uninspired as we drift through the same predictable activities each day. There are so many reasons why a day can seem dreadful, stressful, or just plain boring. For most of us working adults, much of our days are filled with emotionally unfulfilling tasks. For example, dragging ourselves out the bed for work, paying bills we wish we didn’t have to pay, or running unexciting errands can all feel like chores we groan our way through. In fact, many of us spend upwards of 80 hours a week engaging in activities that bring us mediocre blahness, at best. That’s A LOT of time we can’t ever get back.

A few years ago, I caught on to this cyclical trend and decided to do something about it. Unfortunately, we cannot remove many of these unfulfilling chores because we are adults and well, this is how we have to function in order to sustain our livelihood. BUT, let’s focus on what we CAN do. We can make our days more pleasant and rewarding by making a simple adjustment- building a daily and mandatory self-care policy into our schedules.

Self-care Tip 1: Force it Into Your Day

Each and every day, add ONE thing to your schedule that will make you smile. That’s it, that’s all.

Each day, I add at least one activity to my calendar that I will look forward to. Some activities I plan and schedule in advance, other times I allow my activity to come about spontaneously. But one thing about me… I’m going to see a self-care activity through regardless of what “chores” I have planned for the day. Now when I wake up in the morning and think about all the unfavorable and mundane things I must tackle, I immediately shift my mind to that one self-care item I squeezed into my busy schedule and I focus on looking forward to it.

Sometimes my activity is being pampered. I love scheduling appointments for nails, hair, massages, waxing and facials in advance so that they can count as my self-care for the day. One of my other favorite activities is dating myself. My happy place is popping into a restaurant or bar by myself, and enjoying a nice cocktail while listening to my headphones. Other times I schedule time to simply sit on my front porch and soak up the sun for an hour, or take a walk without being on my phone – both activities completely free.

Self-care Tip 2: Venture Into the Unknown

Much of our lives are constant duplicates of what we’ve already done. We are notorious for taking the same routes, visiting the same restaurants, and mindlessly completing our days with our eyes closed. But breaking the monotony adds fresh experiences to our lives and gives us something new and unique to look forward to each day. I find that people that are intentional about uncovering new experiences are rarely bored and have an abundance of wealth to share with the rest of us.

They say “life begins at the end of your comfort zone” and I can vouch for that. Another strategy I use when deciding on an activity is to often pick something new I’ve never experienced. Venturing into the unknown sometimes makes me a tad nervous, but also gives me the push I need to make my life experiences richer. I may eat my lunch at the lake, visit a unique boutique in a part of town I rarely travel to, or read an article about a subject I don’t know much about while I enjoy a latte in a coffee shop I’ve never stepped in. No matter how small- do something different. New experiences yield new life, new aspirations and new goals.

Self-care Tip 3: Make Yourself a Priority

Because who else will? And if there is someone that will, why wait on them? I suggest everyone practice this mindset and watch how your days brighten. There is so much in the world we can’t control, so why not be the boss of your healthy spirit? Self-care is not selfish or egotistical. It should be a requirement for living. So add a standing date with yourself to the calendar, and do it NOW (said in my sweet, but stern mother voice).