A Self-Care Ritual for More Energy
Self-care is predominantly viewed as a luxury when, in fact, it’s a necessity!
The term ‘self-care’ encompasses everything that has to do with self-improvement, whether it’s mental, physical, or spiritual. Self-care has nothing to do with self-indulgence or self-soothing. It’s not an escape, as some people may think – it’s empowerment and prioritising one’s well-being!
There are many benefits that a proper self-care routine can offer you, from improved physical, mental, and emotional health to a break from the stress and strain of everyday life. Together, the benefits of practicing self-care serve as a means of replenishing your energy level, enabling you to overcome exhaustion, lethargy, crankiness, and burnout.
With that being said, this guide will walk you step-by-step through a simple yet highly effective self-care ritual for more energy, motivation, and self-reliance, so stick around.
10-Step Self-Care Ritual for More Energy
There are literally hundreds of self-care tips floating around the web, and they’re all worth trying. However, not all self-care tips have a direct relationship with physical energy.
With that in mind, you can’t just go for any self-care routine you find online and expect it to boost your energy level significantly.
The 10 steps that make up our self-care ritual all directly relate to bodily energy, meaning you should start seeing results right from the get-go. So without any further ado, let us walk you through our 10-step self-care ritual.
1. Start Eating Healthy
Junk food may taste good, but it doesn’t contain nearly enough nutrients to keep your energy at an optimum level. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is key to feeling energised and at your best.
Apart from what you should and shouldn't eat, you should pay close attention to the quantity of food you eat and the time you eat it. Ideally, you should eat regular-sized meals, alongside healthy snacks, every 3-4 hours. Eating often will help you overcome tiredness, but overeating in one go can make you sluggish.
When it comes to snacks, we recommend avocado and nuts, as they’re packed with protein and healthy fats. And don’t forget your fruits and vegetables.
If you’re into dense foods, we recommend eating whole grains and root vegetables because their release of energy is relatively slow, which will help keep you energised for long.
2. Shed Off Some Weight
The more excess weight your body carries, the more strain is put on your heart, making you feel exhausted and worn out. With that being said, shedding off some weight will automatically boost your energy level and help you overcome tiredness.
There are many ways to lose weight, from eating healthy foods to being more active. You can also experiment with intermittent fasting.
You don't have to shed off a significant amount of weight in a short period. Just make it your goal to burn enough calories every day.
3. Reduce Caffeine
If you're constantly exhausted and cranky, you must cut out all caffeinated drinks, including coffee, cola, tea, energy drinks, and even herbal remedies that contain caffeine.
Cutting out caffeinated drinks cold turkey can be quite challenging, so it's best to do it gradually. Your caffeine consumption should be entirely stopped over three weeks, ideally. If you experience headaches when you reduce your caffeine consumption, try slowing down the process. After a month of no caffeine, you should start feeling less tired.
Afterward, you can enjoy a cup of joe or any other caffeinated drink every so often. Moderation is key!
4. Drink More Water
Mild dehydration can be one of the reasons why you’re feeling exhausted and out of it. After all, your body is mostly made up of water.
Ideally, you need to drink a glass of water every hour. Granted, the need to go to the restroom 6-8 times a day can be a nuisance, especially when you’re fast asleep, but there are plenty of benefits to reap from drinking water.
Not only does drinking enough water keep you hydrated, but it also keeps you alert, flushes out the bacteria in your bladder, helps with digestion, stabilises your heartbeat, cushions your joints, and prevents constipation.
In the winter, we recommend drinking water with a squeeze of lemon for additional hydration since you may not feel the need to drink a lot of water.
Also, bear in mind that the more effort you exert in your day-to-day routine, the more water you need to drink.
5. Exercise Regularly
As odd as this may sound, you have to exert energy to gain more energy. Leading an active lifestyle will help you feel less exhausted and more energetic in the long run. Being active isn’t all about lifting weights and playing sports. Taking a morning walk every day is enough to increase your energy level. Not to mention, it’ll gradually help you lose weight.
There are many other benefits to exercising, such as increasing the dopamine levels in your brain, which, in turn, elevates your mood and makes you more motivated.
Ideally, you should spend 2-3 hours per week doing aerobic exercise, be it fast walking, cycling, or other. You can start small and build it up over a few weeks until you reach the specified amount of time.
6. Get Enough Sleep
Not only does sleep deprivation strip away your energy and alertness, but it can cause a wide range of serious health problems, from obesity and immunity impairment to diabetes and high blood pressure. Sleep deprivation is also associated with lower sex drive.
There are several tips you can implement to enjoy quality sleep. Firstly, you must get used to going to bed and waking up early. Secondly, you need to unwind and relax before going to bed. And thirdly, you need to avoid taking naps during the day.
Reducing caffeine consumption can be greatly beneficial to improving the quality of your sleep, too. Of course, that's along with abstaining from heavy foods before bed.
Speaking of food, certain foods and drinks can help you sleep better, including almonds, chamomile tea, fatty fish, walnuts, kiwi, and passionflower tea.
7. Practice Meditation
The meditation practice may not seem like much, but it's truly revolutionary and has a ton of benefits to offer. Most of the benefits of meditation are, in fact, backed by science.
Some of the most notable benefits of meditation with a direct relationship with energy level include improved sleep quality, stress reduction, and blood pressure reduction.
There are several types of meditation, the most notable being mindfulness meditation. This beginner-friendly technique is all about observing your thoughts and letting them pass by without assigning any judgment.
The more you practice mindfulness, the better the quality of your life will be and the more energised and motivated you’ll feel. To learn more about meditation, check out our introductory guide to meditation.
8. Turn Your Phone Off
Modern-day technology can be a blessing or a curse. On one hand, you're reading this article and learning how to improve the quality of your life thanks to modern-day technology. But, on the other hand, the overabundance of information and distractions that comes with today's technology can be overwhelming and draining.
Make it a habit to enjoy a phone-free day; no calls, no texts, and no internet. Practice enjoying your own company without the need for external validation.
Instead of wasting hours online, read a book, cook a healthy meal, meet a friend, visit relatives, or go to the gym.
It’s especially important to turn your phone off an hour or two before bedtime to ensure quality, replenishing sleep.
9. Drink Less Alcohol
Did you know that alcohol consumption can lessen the quality of your sleep? Granted, it might make you fall asleep faster than usual, but the sleep itself won’t be deep enough to replenish your body.
Drinking alcoholic drinks before bedtime will make you feel tired and groggy the next day, regardless of how many hours you slept.
According to the NHS, you shouldn’t be drinking more than 14 units per week. This is around 10 small glasses of wine (low strength) or six pints of beer (average strength).
It would be best if you aimed to have alcohol-free days throughout the week. Once again, moderation is key!
10. Get Enough Me-Time
Capitalising on what we said earlier about turning your phone off, it's essential to spend some time by yourself doing the activities you love.
Enjoying some quality me-time can be anything from reading a book in bed as you’re sipping on your favourite drink to taking yourself out for a fancy meal in your favourite restaurant.
It doesn’t hurt to pamper yourself every now and then! In fact, it’ll help energise and prepare you for next week’s responsibilities.
Final Words
There you have it; our simple yet highly effective self-care ritual for more energy! Of course, you can add to the tips mentioned above and create your very own self-care ritual. Just be sure to make it an enjoyable and uplifting process.
Good luck!