6 Essential Self-Care Practices for Happiness

We can get so caught up in the every day that we forget to take care of the most important person in
our lives... ourselves.

Self-care routines are vital for happiness. When we're fulfilling our own needs and desires, we become the best version of ourselves in every given moment, and not only will you feel the benefits, but so will everyone else around you. Give yourself permission now to respect, love and nourish both your body and mind with these 6 effective tools: 

1. Eat Clean: 

When we nourish our body, we also nourish our minds. Make sure to feed yourself the best foods whenever possible. I tend to eat clean and healthy for six days out of the week and take one of the days to enjoy a treat meal. In a typical day I may eat porridge with fruit and seeds for breakfast, for lunch I will enjoy avocado on seeded gluten-free toast, and for dinner I will have tofu, wholegrain rice and veggies. Snacks also include hummus, carrots, falafels, rice cakes, soya yoghurt with fruit etc. This obviously varies each day, but you get the idea, lots of fruits and veg. On a treat day I choose a meal I am really craving and make sure I fully enjoy it without feeling guilty. 

Nourishing our bodies also includes what we drink. Make the healthy swap from sugary soda drinks to water, and from tea and coffee to herbal teas. 

2. Meditate: 

This practice of breathing and silencing the mind is so powerful and is essential when finding our inner state of peace and happiness. Once you find yourself in the routine of meditating daily it becomes so easy and natural. In the beginning I struggled to sit in meditation for longer than 5 minutes without my mind drifting, thinking about what I was going to make for tea, or what I did yesterday. However, today I can happily sit for 20+ minutes in complete silence purely focusing on just my breath. 

In my daily routine I usually meditate in the morning. 

A really powerful practice I have just begun is listening to mantra chanting meditations. Here is the audio for one that I find particularly effective in relaxing and letting my intuition and inner guidance system to come forward. Whenever I'm struggling to be creative or make a decision, I listen to this and sing along. 

3. Get Moving: 

Our bodies are meant to be active. Movement is a powerful way to shift our energy to a more positive, loving place when we're on a low feeling frequency. Find the time in your week to move every day, whether this is taking a 20 minute walk around the block, or putting on your favorite music and dancing around your room. Take the time to exercise at least 3 times a week. I tend to work out most days as it is something I really enjoy doing. I use home workouts such as Les Mills Combat, T25, Gillian Michael's' DVD's etc. and tend to mix it up each day. Doing something you really enjoy is the most important factor here, pick an activity that makes you feel good whether that's swimming, running, combat, yoga, or dance. 

4. Forgive Yourself: 

You forgot to meditate today, you had two treat meals this week, so what? Forgive yourself and move on. 

When we beat ourselves up over the little things, we are causing our own unhappiness and suffering. 

If you find yourself feeling guilty for slipping up, say to yourself:

"I forgive myself for ______________. I know that I am doing my best in this moment. I love and accept myself exactly as I am. I am choosing to be happy and make positive changes now." 

5. Journal: 

I use my journal to write down the things that I am grateful for every day. I also use it to write down anything that has come to me during meditations, or to log new ideas and goals/desires. I find an effective tool for creativity and releasing negative emotions is morning pages. The idea of morning pages is to write in your journal as soon as you wake up for 3 pages, ideally for a week (it can be longer if you wish). And the wonderful thing is you can write absolutely anything, don't even think about it, just write. You'll be amazed at what comes forward if you continue this practice. 

6. Do Something For You: 

Take time every day to do something that makes feel really good, whether its baking, dancing. singing, running, walking, swimming, talking with an old friend, watching a movie, taking a bath, buying flowers. Anything. Remember, this is your time to feel good. Don't feel guilty about taking this time out, you deserve it.