How to create the perfect self-care day routine (International Self-care Day)

It’s been about four years since I had a full day where I felt like I was truly caring for myself. A day where I felt like I was doing things to re-centre myself or taking the time to rejuvenate myself without worrying about a hundred different things or making lists in my head throughout the day. I know what my ideal self care day routine would look like. I just don’t know when I will have the chance to have one again. Hopefully I’ll be reporting back on that soon!

I know that many moms can relate to me on that level and that is regardless of where they are, what they do, how much money they have or any other factors that you might imagine affect whether moms take enough care of themselves. International self care day is a good day to look at your attention to self-care as a parent. It is especially important for you because you cannot give of yourself to your kids if you do not have much to give. Your self care day routine is not just important for you but for your whole family as well.

RELATED: How to rediscover yourself after motherhood

In this article, we will look at the point of international self-care day and how to prepare for a fruitful self-care day. I will also suggest some activities for your perfect self-care routine.

RELATED: How to have an ideal self-care day when you have kids around

What is self-care?

Self-care is all the activities that go into improving and maintaining your health and finding sustainable ways to manage any chronic issues you may be facing. Health in the context of self-care is every kind of healthcare from physical to mental to emotional.

International self care day is a time for a lot of tips on self care practices to be shared in the media especially.

What is international self-care day?

International self care day falls on the 24th of July each year. Put simply, it is a chance for everyone to take their daily routines into consideration and see whether they are living healthy lifestyles. 

At the World Health Organisation (WHO) self care month is June and starts specifically on 24th June making it a full month before Self-care day on the 24th of July. During that month, the WHO issues new or updated guidelines on different things from mental health to reproductive health to ways to manage chronic health conditions. 

READ: Being a mom when you have chronic pain

It makes sense that people break self-care into four separate categories.

What are 4 categories of self-care?

Self-care can be broken down into physical (which people will usually think of first), mental, emotional and spiritual. Spiritual self-care can include activities like prayer, meditation and worship.

Mental self-care can involve a visit to a therapist or a journaling session while emotional self-care, quite similar to mental self-care, could be anything from frequently and intentionally checking in with your feelings to expressing your emotions more openly and without fear.

Physical self-care activities are more recogizable and include things like yoga and eating a balanced diet.

READ: Folded underwear and self-care

Your self-care day checklist should ideally include things that address all areas of your health. Having said that, you might be wondering what specific kinds of things one does on self-care day. 

Before we get into that, I would say it is important to strategize. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Especially when you have a busy lifestyle. It does not get any busier than having children.

READ: Why moms need to give themselves a break

What are 5 self-care strategies?

1. Prepare your village. Let your support system know what you have planned and how you might need them to step in to help you out.
2. Plan an event or activity. Put activities into different slots in the day from a check up with your gynaecologist to a pedicure to a haircut to a lunch date with one of your kids. Do something for one or two hours that you have been wanting to do for a long time.
3. Plan to do nothing. Have several hours in the day when you have no activities planned. You need time to breathe.
4. Make it a team effort. Rope one or two of your loved ones into this. Plan a self-care day routine with a couple of friends or family whom you know you will have the best time with and whom you can truly relax and be yourself around.
5. Check in with yourself. Arguably, this is the first thing you should do in strategizing for your self-care day routine. In the few quiet moments that you manage to grab in the days leading up to your big self-care day, consider what aspects of your life you think you need to work on and what you would like to drastically change.

Now that you have facilitated your self care day routine working out the way you want it to, what exactly are some of the things that you could get up to?

25 Great Ideas of what to do on self-care day

This will depend on your personality, your particular family situation and any physical, mental, emotional or spiritual issues you may be currently facing. However, here are some suggestions for a valuable international self-care day.

1. Gardening
2. Deep cleaning one part of your living space
3. Set boundaries
4. Reading a book
5. Laugh 
6. Journal 
7. Yoga
8. Satisfy a food craving
9. Work out 
10. Get a massage
11. Have a difficult conversation that has been weighing on you
12. Go walking
13. Speak to a therapist
14. Detox from social media
15. Dance 
16. Book yourself a spa day
17. Get a physical check up
18. Spend quality time with loved ones
19. Take a day off of all housework
20. Wake up an hour earlier than everyone else to get in some me-time
21. Painting 
22. Meditate 
23. Take naps
24. Get a dental check up
25. Have a long shower or run a bath and sit for ages in it

From the list above, pick out a few that seem achievable based on your lifestyle and what you truly desire for yourself. Try your best to make it happen. Just remember that your perfect self care day routine is not likely to happen without a plan!