How many times have you tried to build a wellness routine and given up after a few days? There’s nothing better than feeling productive and healthy, but it’s hard to create these habits when you have such a busy life, leaving you feeling overwhelmed. Not only is it enough to think of habits to create, but also when to do them and how to squeeze them into your daily routine.
Don’t worry, though, as we can help you with that! By following our tips to create an effortless wellness routine that matches your energy that you can implement into your life without it feeling forced.
Step 1: What Already Feels Good
Firstly, you need to think about things that you already do that make you feel good. Most people say taking a hot girl walk after lunch, stretching when you wake up, or always carrying your water bottle and a lip gloss. It’s important when starting your wellness routine to first build off any habits you already have to avoid overwhelming yourself and to make it easier to start this journey with actions you are familiar with.
Step 2: What Wellness Actually Means to You
A common mistake in these journeys is copying someone else’s wellness routine directly. Wellness means something different to everyone, so what works for one person may be completely wrong for you. This is why it is important to really reflect on what wellness means to you. Is it physical wellness? Better sleep? Mental calmness? Life balance?
Once you know what is significant for you, then you can decide what you want to prioritise in your routines, so that your wellness routine is meaningful and purposeful. This way, you’re more likely to want to do it as it means something to you. Goodbye, one-week wellness journeys!
Step 3: Energy, Not Time!
Still thinking that you’ve got no time for a wellness routine? Well, think again.
Let me introduce the concept of energy-based planning. Confused? Energy-based planning is when you decide you implement habits based on your energy levels. Instead of tiring yourself out by going for a run after a long and stressful day at work, take the tram home and meditate instead. This means that your habits feel less like chores.
Step 4: Stack Habits for Simplicity
Behaviour psychologist James Clear, suggests stacking habits. This is when you take advantage of old habits by adding a habit to an old one.
Remember those habits you thought of earlier in step one? Combine those with an everyday habit that you do every day, to create a stack. For example, when you do go set your alarms for the next day, set some goals for the next day, or when you go to check your outfit in the mirror in the mornings, take 5 deep breaths.
Step 5: Make It Flexible, Not Rigid
When you think of a routine, you think of a strict and rigid time schedule; however, this is what you should avoid when creating a wellness routine for yourself. The key is to be flexible with your habits to allow you to fit it into your daily routine. This method helps you to further avoid your habits feeling like chores.
An example of a flexible habit would be having a 5-minute stretch routine and a 30-minute stretch routine, so that if you’ve had a lie- in you can opt for the 5-minute one instead of not doing it at all.
Step 6: Don’t forget!
Are you a forgetful person? It’s easy to forget to implement your habit, especially when you’re so busy and caught up in your day. This is why physical reminders are very important, so that you see them and remember the habit that you want to implement. One very simple physical reminder is Post-it notes around your house telling you that you should meditate; however, others can be a lot more subtle, such as keeping your yoga mat next to your bed, or not so subtle, by setting alarms to get off your phone.
Either way, this is a very easy but effective way to create these healthy wellness habits.
Step 7: Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Well, this isn’t really a step, just more of a tip!
You won’t be perfect to start off with, I can assure you that no one will be, so it’s important to be kind to yourself and try to focus on consistency rather than perfection. So what, you’ve only stretched for 5 minutes today, it’s better than nothing!
And even if you forget, there’s always tomorrow. You have to build up these habits over time; that’s literally what a habit means. Nobody is perfect, so put your lip gloss on and grab your water bottle and start your wellness journey today.
Step 8: Support
If you have a strong foundation and communication with your partner, it might be worth asking them to join you on this journey. Having some else there to share the hard parts of maintaining a wellness journey, but also there to lift you up and keep you accountable when you’ve skipped 2 days on the go.
A strong support system, but also potentially someone to go through it with, can make a world of difference as it’s a lot less lonely and someone to relate to during the ups and downs. This could be something as small as you both making a commitment to limit fast food to once a fortnight, or for you both to do your skincare routine together every night.
Step 9: 3, 2, 1 Rule
If you struggle with motivation and finding the urge to go and do the things you know will make you feel better on the inside and out, there is something that you can do to help you start your wellness routine each time. Simply, if you find yourself lying on the bed, scrolling through your phone, and you are aware that you need to do something else, count to 3 and after 1, get up and go and do it.
It’s a way to reset your brain, but also forces yourself in an easy and healthy way to do what you know needs to be done. This hack works for millions of people, but if you find yourself not falling for this hack, there are several other ways for you to drag yourself out of these mental blocks and limitations and to change your whole mindset on motivation.
Final Thoughts
Overall, you should start small, be kind to yourself and ensure that you and the people around you are supportive through this journey to a healthier and better life.