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7 Self-Care Routine Ideas For The New Year
It’s a new year, and that means a new “you”! We’re excited to share our top self-care routine ideas to help you get your year off to a great start.
This year, we aren’t going to blather on about resolutions. Why? Real talk says resolutions tend to crash and burn. (Broad, vague goals may not get results — they may look like Mt. Everest or simply be too overwhelming.)
Instead, in 2023 let’s focus on routines. Committing to small, quick daily actions creates an easy roadmap to success. The more realistic, practical and specific your routines, the better.
To compare the difference between resolutions and routines, let’s consider these 2 goals:
This year, we aren’t going to blather on about resolutions. Why? Real talk says resolutions tend to crash and burn. (Broad, vague goals may not get results — they may look like Mt. Everest or simply be too overwhelming.)
Instead, in 2023 let’s focus on routines. Committing to small, quick daily actions creates an easy roadmap to success. The more realistic, practical and specific your routines, the better.
To compare the difference between resolutions and routines, let’s consider these 2 goals:
1: Improve my mental health (resolution)
2: Meditate for 5 minutes daily as soon as I wake up (routine)
Which goal are you more likely to succeed at? Naturally, the second one!
Morning routine benefits
Morning routines are, of course, practiced in the morning, before the day gets going. Though you can certainly implement an evening routine, the morning tends to be the time before life’s obligations get in the way. Practicing a routine before you have to work, study, cook or clean makes it much more likely that you’ll stick to it.
All the actions within the morning routine (e.g. exercise, meditation, and journaling) have mental health benefits. Exercise boosts dopamine and serotonin, two common “happy” chemicals. Meditation relieves anxiety, and journaling can help you look inward and tackle the root cause of your stress.
Routines help you break down big goals/resolutions into baby steps. While 15 minutes of yoga everyday can seem like nothing, that adds up to almost 2 hours a week!
Here are our top 7 self-care routine ideas to get you off to a good start. Keep in mind that you don’t have to implement all of these. In fact, we suggest you only pick a few to prevent overwhelm, which can make you give up altogether.
All the actions within the morning routine (e.g. exercise, meditation, and journaling) have mental health benefits. Exercise boosts dopamine and serotonin, two common “happy” chemicals. Meditation relieves anxiety, and journaling can help you look inward and tackle the root cause of your stress.
Routines help you break down big goals/resolutions into baby steps. While 15 minutes of yoga everyday can seem like nothing, that adds up to almost 2 hours a week!
Here are our top 7 self-care routine ideas to get you off to a good start. Keep in mind that you don’t have to implement all of these. In fact, we suggest you only pick a few to prevent overwhelm, which can make you give up altogether.
7 Self-care routine ideas
1. Daily yoga
Yoga is a great self-care routine idea because it combines the benefits of exercise, pain relief, and meditation. Its main benefits include relieving stress and anxiety, and improving strength and flexibility. Stretching underused muscles and holding poses to engage them helps relieve pain and prevent headaches.
Most yoga practices include mindful breathwork, which is essentially a form of meditation. Meditation is proven to reduce anxiety and help us look at life more positively (more on that next).
There are all sorts of yoga how-tos on the web — we love Yoga with Adriene for beginners!
Most yoga practices include mindful breathwork, which is essentially a form of meditation. Meditation is proven to reduce anxiety and help us look at life more positively (more on that next).
There are all sorts of yoga how-tos on the web — we love Yoga with Adriene for beginners!
2. Daily meditation
Meditation is the act of focusing on the present moment. That can look like focusing on your breath, your body, or sounds and sensations. Meditation, or “mindfulness,” has proven mental health benefits, and can make you feel at peace, long after your practice is over. Many people have drastically reduced their anxiety and depression from daily meditation. You can reap the mental health benefits with as little as 5 mins of meditation a day!
3. DrTung’s Ayurvedic oral care routine
Maintaining your oral health is a great self-care routine idea that can greatly improve your mood and sense of self-worth. DrTung’s oral care tools are rooted in Ayurveda, a holistic practice that aims to keep your mind, body, and spirit aligned. Our oral care essentials aim to maintain your mouth’s natural microbiome with natural ingredients for better oral health. Here are our tips for a great oral care routine.
Tongue scraping — Scraping your tongue reduces overall plaque, harmful bacteria, and bad breath (BONUS: it even improves your sense of taste!). We offer tongue cleaners in stainless steel and copper.
Flossing — Flossing at least once daily helps prevents gum disease and targets hard-to-reach plaque. We offer cardamom flavored Smart Floss and lemongrass flavored Activated Charcoal VEGAN Floss — both available in eco-friendly packaging.
Brushing — Brush your teeth at least twice daily for at least 2 minutes at a time to help prevent tooth decay. Be on the lookout for a new addition coming soon to our Ecosentials Oral Care line.
Oil pulling — Instead of using harsh generic mouthwash, practice gentle oil pulling instead. Add our Oil Pulling Concentrate with 24 herbs and botanicals to your favorite oil to reduce pulling time.
4. Walking
Taking a stroll around the block or walking to your local park combines physical and mental health benefits. Walking might not be an intense, calorie-burning exercise, but it elevates your heart rate and is a great form of cardio. Plus, there are mental health benefits associated with fresh air, the sounds of birds, and being around trees. Walking can improve your sleep, boost your energy, and brighten your mood.
5. Gratitude journaling
Free-writing your feelings is great for your mental health, but gratitude journaling in particular has proven mental health benefits. Gratitude journaling is the act of writing lists of things that you’re grateful for. This can be anything from “running water” to “my new toaster”!
The science behind gratitude journaling is fascinating. In short, it helps you make positive thinking a habit. The human brain is wired to look for danger at every turn. This stressed-out disposition helped our distant ancestors flee real dangers, like wooly mammoths and saber-tooth tigers. While modern-day stressors look more like overdue bills and your demanding boss, they still trigger the same fight-or-flight response.
Fortunately, you can hack your brain to focus on the positive. Making a daily list of 5-10 things you’re grateful for can greatly improve your mood and promote positive thinking.
Take a moment after each entry to really feel the gratitude.
The science behind gratitude journaling is fascinating. In short, it helps you make positive thinking a habit. The human brain is wired to look for danger at every turn. This stressed-out disposition helped our distant ancestors flee real dangers, like wooly mammoths and saber-tooth tigers. While modern-day stressors look more like overdue bills and your demanding boss, they still trigger the same fight-or-flight response.
Fortunately, you can hack your brain to focus on the positive. Making a daily list of 5-10 things you’re grateful for can greatly improve your mood and promote positive thinking.
Take a moment after each entry to really feel the gratitude.
6. Daily affirmations
Daily affirmations are similar to journaling, because you’ll need to do some journaling in order to create them.
Affirmations are phrases you can repeat to yourself daily to counter negative thoughts and assumptions you have about yourself. We all have an “old script” of outdated truths we tell ourselves, and sometimes we don’t even realize we’re doing it! Negative self-talk can dominate our lives, promote fear and avoidance, and prevent personal growth.
For example, if you hold the belief that you’re unable to find love, a new daily affirmation can be, “I am loveable, and if I keep searching, I will find my soulmate.”
Affirmations are phrases you can repeat to yourself daily to counter negative thoughts and assumptions you have about yourself. We all have an “old script” of outdated truths we tell ourselves, and sometimes we don’t even realize we’re doing it! Negative self-talk can dominate our lives, promote fear and avoidance, and prevent personal growth.
For example, if you hold the belief that you’re unable to find love, a new daily affirmation can be, “I am loveable, and if I keep searching, I will find my soulmate.”
7. Eating well
Eating healthy food is a staple in any self-care routine. Even the act of preparing a healthy meal or snack is a great act of self-care.
Try to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet. If you’re new to dark leafy greens like spinach and kale, try adding them to delicious fruit smoothies. You won’t even notice they’re there!
Purchase locally-grown food without preservatives, and look for whole foods at the grocery store. Buy only what you know you’ll eat in a certain period of time to prevent waste.
Whether you have a whole yard or a balcony, consider growing your own food. Being intentional and thoughtful about what you eat is a form of mindfulness.
Try to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet. If you’re new to dark leafy greens like spinach and kale, try adding them to delicious fruit smoothies. You won’t even notice they’re there!
Purchase locally-grown food without preservatives, and look for whole foods at the grocery store. Buy only what you know you’ll eat in a certain period of time to prevent waste.
Whether you have a whole yard or a balcony, consider growing your own food. Being intentional and thoughtful about what you eat is a form of mindfulness.
The Takeaway
We hope these self-care routine ideas add to a more joyful, fulfilling year. The key to reaching your goals is to break them up into baby steps, in a way that makes them easy and fun to complete everyday.
It can be difficult to behave in a different way all of a sudden. Be easy on yourself — self-care comes with growing pains at first. Take it one step at a time, and never underestimate the power of a baby step!
Looking to improve your oral health routine, but not sure where to start? Check out our oral care Kits & Bundles! Our Smart Floss and Tongue Cleaner bundle is great for beginners looking to up their oral health game!
It can be difficult to behave in a different way all of a sudden. Be easy on yourself — self-care comes with growing pains at first. Take it one step at a time, and never underestimate the power of a baby step!
Looking to improve your oral health routine, but not sure where to start? Check out our oral care Kits & Bundles! Our Smart Floss and Tongue Cleaner bundle is great for beginners looking to up their oral health game!
