5 Self-Care Habits that Have Changed My Life

(1) Silent Walks

Nowadays, our environment is usually polluted with outside distractions such as music or podcasts. While this isn't necessarily always bad, it's important to just take a moment with ourselves and observe everything silently. Sometimes after a long day, I feel so tempted to throw myself on my bed and take a fat nap but I manage to force myself to take a solo, silent walk to rejuvenate. This habit helps me avoid mid-day naps (which I'm notoriously guilty of) and it helps me manage my stress better. Taking a moment to just observe my thoughts and the beautiful environment around helps me appreciate the simple things in life.

(2) Talking to myself in the mirror

Okay, I know this might sound strange and when you first try it, it'll feel weird but TRUST ME, it works! I originally found this idea from David Goggins' book, Can't Hurt Me where one of his challenges in his book instructs you to look at yourself in the mirror, be ruthlessly honest with yourself, and tag Post-It notes of your insecurities and goals. Through this challenge, I've found that talking to myself as if I were talking to my best friend helped. I didn't follow all of Goggins' suggestions (for reasons I'll explain later) but being able to face myself and verbalize my thoughts and feelings helped me connect with my inner self. If you want to take this further, attach a baby picture of yourself to your mirror. I've done this and sometimes when I catch myself saying something mean or negative to myself, looking at my baby picture reminds me to be more compassionate. Like, who can say all those mean things to that 5-year-old cutie!?!?

(3) Expressing Gratitude

I know this is something that most lifestyle gurus always suggest but it is worth the hype. One of my favorite quotes is "Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more" (Melody Beattie). Honestly, thinking about what I wish I had or could do is draining. Comparing yourself with other people's lavish lifestyles is so easy and we're so quick to do that internally. It's time to train our minds to do the opposite. Practice expressing gratitude for the littlest things like the first sip of your matcha latte in the morning (no kidding, I literally do this almost every morning) or the warm feeling of the snuggly rug underneath and in between your toes (like yes! Thank you universe for allowing me to experience such a cozy feeling). Trust me, this habit took a while for me to implement but through intense practice, I was able to train my mind to automatically express gratitude (of course, I still do have some setbacks; I'm only human of course!). Maybe start by writing down three things that you're grateful for every morning or night. You don't need a fancy schmancy journal for this; a notepad from Dollar Tree will do.

(4) Dancing

Whether it be Bollywood music or hip-hop, I love to move my body to the rhythm of every beat. It feels so good to just let loose and vibe with the lyrics. Dancing is not only a great exercise but it can also help you reconnect with your inner child.

(5) Setting Boundaries

This is by far one of the most difficult habits that took me so long to implement in my life. While I still have some room for improvement, I know I've come so far compared to when I first started my self-care journey. To be honest, I didn't understand what boundaries were until I reached college (tell me you're desi without telling me you're desi LOL). But ever since I started learning and setting boundaries, my life has changed for the better. For folks who struggle with this, Setting Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab was my saving grace. In her book, Tawwab specifically mentions that the feeling of guilt that comes with boundaries is inescapable and unavoidable but through the consistent practice of setting boundaries, the feeling of guilt becomes less intense and it becomes easier to deal with. Learning this was really what helped me with my journey. Guilt was one of my main barriers to setting boundaries in the past, especially with family. I was afraid of coming off as self-fish or destroying relationships or just hurting others. But I've come to realize that boundaries are healthy for relationships and in fact, it helps your bond become stronger. As for the relationships that are destroyed due to setting boundaries, then good riddance; it just wasn't meant to be and that's okay too.