three practical self-care tips for more ease

What are some habits and practices you do to meet basic, practical needs and live an easier life?

I often think about this question when I revisit my daily habits and rituals. Although there are several areas of self-care (nine to be exact), one basic self-care principle is that our habits should nurture our needs so we can live an easier and fulfilling life.

This is where practical self-care would like to enter the chat!

My planner sis Tone and I define practical self-care as the actions we take every day for our core needs; those simply yet mighty tasks we do to reduce stress and center our lives.

Whether life is stressful for you right now or going pretty well, now is a great time to re-evaluate your rituals to see where you can improve or add new habits to meet your current needs.

Here are three practical self-care tips for meeting some basic needs and adding more ease in life:

Meditation

Andy Puddicombe, a co-founder of Headspace, once said, "clarity dictates our perspective, and our perspective dictates our experience. Get more clarity in your life.”

Meditation not only brings clarity to your life, it can reduce stress and anxiety, get focused, or even shift your mindset. Need to get into a creative flow? Meditation can be helpful for that too! (Here’s an article from Healthline that talks about more benefits of meditation, in case you needed more convincing!)

I recently tried guided meditation because I found that in times of distress, free flowing meditation doesn’t work for me in this season. What meditation works for you? Maybe you need guided meditation in the morning to get your mind ready for the day, but free flowing (without words) meditation at night to help calm your mind and reflect on the day. Maybe your daily meditation routine should be a combination of both!

Meditation Suggestions

If you’re looking for guided meditation sessions, try Headspace or this free session on YouTube from Calm. For free-flowing meditation, try finding which form of white noise works for you. I love listening to brown noise for a few minutes to quiet my mind and help me fall asleep.

The key here is to find a meditation ritual that meets your needs and allows you to live an easier life!

evening routine

Effective evening routines are important for setting the tone for your night. Just think about: those end-of-the-day rituals help to calm your mind and spirit and help us prepare for rest.

Take some time to think about your evening routine. Is it effective? Do you feel calmer? Does your routine give you a chance to reflect on your day? Take out the habits that aren’t working for you and add in a few practices to meet your needs during this season in your life.

So why not a morning routine?

Both evening and morning routines are important. But if I had to choose one, I will always advocate for evening routines.

Here’s why:

The right evening routine will give you more free time in the morning to do whatever you want to do. For example, if you take a shower at night, make lunch, and pull out your clothes for the next day, you can save time in the morning for some extra sleep or reading a few pages of a new book.

Want to dive deeper? Check out this blog post I wrote about choosing your best evening routine.

meal planning

Have you heard of analysis paralysis?

Well after a long day of work, I have decision paralysis. The last thing I want to do at the end of the day is decide what I want to eat. I know we all feel the same way sometimes.

Meal planning should not be the most stressful part of your day! A great way to add more ease into your every day life is to meal plan. Take time to plan out your meals and snacks ahead of time so that you are not making decisions every day about how you will feed yourselves or your loved ones.

Meal Planning Tips

Some people meal plan a week or two weeks at a time. When I lived alone, I meal planned for two weeks (so my shopping days would correspond with my pay days). But do what works for you! I’ve seen people on TikTok plan for months at a time. I don’t know how they do it, but hey, this is a judgment free zone. If monthly meal planning works best for you, DO IT!

Start your Practical Self-Care Routines Today

Practical self-care should help you meeting basic needs and adding more ease in life. Whether those rituals calm you down during times of high anxiety or stress, help you accomplish annoying or boring tasks, or help you have more free time in the morning, the goal is to ensure your needs are met.

What are some practical self-care practices you want to try? Comment below!