Thrive Global: How to Incorporate Self-care Into Your Everyday Life

"We often think of self-care rituals as luxuries or indulgences. But in reality, taking care of ourselves is fundamental to our well-being. And when we carve out small moments for the things that bring us joy, we’re able to live happier, less stressful lives.

We asked our Thrive community to share with us the small self-care rituals that bring them joy, no matter how busy or stressful their day is. Which of these will you try?

Start your day with a short meditation

“When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is meditate for 15 minutes and then listen to a 5-minute affirmation. It’s my favorite self-care ritual to help me start the day. After that, I’ll go shower, brush up and get cleaned up to get ready for the day.”

—Lesley Kao, business analyst, St. Petersburg, FL

Take 3 deep breaths

“I have set my phone to alert me at 1:00 pm every day to take a mindfulness break. When it chimes, I take a minute to put my feet firmly on the ground. Then I stretch and expand my posture so I feel like I am sitting taller. Next, I take three slow, deep breaths and reflect on my intention that I set at the beginning of the day. This daily self-care moment helps me reset my mindset and energy, especially if it has been a busy or stressful day.”

—Shea Ki, career momentum coach, Ashburn, VA

Look at a picture of your dog

“Whenever I need to boost my mood, I glance at three life-size photos of my grand fur baby on my wall. Mochi is a puginese that my daughter rescued four years ago. Mochi lives with her, so I only see him once or twice a week. Gazing at his picture and reminiscing about his most recent sleepover always makes me smile and reminds me of the simple joys in life.”

—Marcia Rhodes, public relations executive, Scottsdale, AZ

Get outside

“My morning self-care ritual is to exercise minutes before I do anything else: no e-mail, text, or social media for almost two hours after I wake up. I try to be outside almost all year round, jogging, hiking, or cross-country skiing in the very cold weather. To keep things interesting, I track my activities on an app called Strava and chart my progress against yearly goals. During the winter I make slow steady progress against running and swimming goals, while in the summer things get exciting. With an early sunrise, I can work on biking – enjoying the scenery while building up mileage and climbing goals, and even a bit of speed. On weekends if the weather is good, I enjoy longer bike rides with great scenery and no checking email until the afternoon.”

—Bruce Segall, marketing consultant, Dobbs Ferry, NY

Have a meaningful conversation

“A deep, meaningful conversation is my go to practice for deep self-care. I’m fortunate to have built a career which at its core is simply about having deep, meaningful and insightful conversations with other people, all day long. People ask if I’m tired at the end of the day, and I say, ‘No, I’ve been feeding my soul.’ That’s self care.”

—Carolyn Mahboubi, life and leadership coach, CA

Write in your journal

“My go-to self-care ritual is writing down three things every day that I am grateful for. On the next line, I also write this: ‘3 Things That Are Awesome About Me and How I Honor Myself.’ Sounding self-absorbed? Hang with me. Our 60 to 90 thousand thoughts a day are heavily-laden with thoughts of fear, self-criticism, and even self-loathing. And in today’s fast-paced world, the people around us often aren’t stopping to reflect back to us how amazing we are or the things we did well. So honor yourself today. Acknowledge that you are an amazing human being. If this seems foreign and awkward to you, start with something small. You just might be amazed at how amazing you truly are!”

—Annie Bauer, mindset coach, Asheville, NC"

*Self care can seem like such a foreign idea anymore. We only do self-care as a last resort when it should be at the top of our list! Doing these little things that bring us joy can help us feel less stressed before it all becomes too much. It doesn't have to be anything big! This list provides some great ideas for everyone!*

Do you practice preventative self-care? What is your favorite activity to do?

For the full list of ways to practice some self-care, read here! ❤️