How Emotional Eaters Can Build a Daily Self-Care Routine
Self-care – taking care of your physical, emotional and mental needs – is essential for emotional eaters. When you set up and follow a daily self-care routine, you will feel full, nourished, and cared for. And when you nurture yourself with activities and things that soothe you, you’re less likely to turn to food for comfort.
Here are 6 Ways to Build a Self-Care Routine:
1. Schedule some time for yourself every day
Whether it’s a cup of tea or coffee as soon as you wake up, or a relaxing bath before bed, setting aside a bit of time for yourself each day is important for your overall wellness.
2. Add breaks in your day
Taking a few breaks throughout the day gives you a mental break from the work you’re doing. Over-working doesn’t help productivity. In fact, it will do the exact opposite. Managing your work-life balance and setting aside a few rest breaks through-out the day is a simple way to take care of yourself mental and physically.
3. Over-estimate time for an activity
If you think a task will take you 30 minutes to complete, give yourself 45 minutes. Starting this practice will rid you of so much unnecessary worry and anxiety! By giving yourself extra time, you’ll be more relaxed and feel good about completing tasks within a timely manner.
4. Brainstorm self-care ideas
Sit down and write out a list of everything that makes you happy and any activity you enjoy doing. You may not think of everything in one sitting, so leave the list out and keep adding to it when you think of a new idea. To get you started, a few self-care ideas are:
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getting a manicure
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going for a walk
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spending time with friends
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being alone
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drawing
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reading or writing poetry
5. Tune-in to what and how you want to be nurtured
Emotional eaters turn to food for comfort, but you can replace eating with any activity that makes you feel good. Tune-in to what activities make you feel warm, safe and comforted whether its cuddling with a pet, talking to a friend on the phone, getting a massage or curling up on the couch under a blanket with a good book.
6. Create a routine that works for you and follow it!
Now that you’ve brainstormed ideas and figured out what nurtures you, build a routine that works for you! Try scheduling a few minutes every day just for you – trust me, you’re worth it! And if it’s too hard or unrealistic for you to find time every-day, start with a commitment to do one activity a week that you enjoy doing.