My Self Care Goals for 2019

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Confession: I tend to put my heart and soul into everything I do; it’s practically impossible for me to do things by half. Because of that, I also carry around a lot of stress, anger, and disappointment because things never live up to my high expectations. That’s life, right? Expectations versus reality?

It’s something I’ve been “working on” for many years, but this time I’m making a real, concerted effort, and I’m doing that with a self care regimen. I’ve shared a little bit about self care for young professionals, but this goes a bit more into the nitty-gritty of what I’m specifically doing to give myself a break every once in a while. Self care goals should be just as important as work or reading or blogging goals, and I’m making an effort to treat them as such this year!

Daily yoga

Last January, my coworker Molly introduced me to Adriene Mishler and her Yoga With Adriene channel on YouTube. I immediately jumped on the “30 Days of Yoga” bandwagon and ended up doing over 100 days of consecutive yoga!

And then life got crazy, and I stopped making time for it in my schedule. This year, I’m starting 2019 off right with Dedicate, this year’s 30-day yoga journey, and I plan to continue from there by either following Adriene’s monthly calendars or doing some of the 30 Days of Yoga series I haven’t completed yet. (I even asked for this yoga mat for Christmas, and I love it!)

Yoga makes me feel good on every level: physical, mental, and even emotional, which is why I’m making a conscious effort to include it in my self care for the year. Maybe for you, this translates to meditating daily (a great habit for writers to form) or making an effort to get in 150 minutes of cardio each week.

I find that finding stillness regularly is just as important for me as getting up and moving my body. Luckily, yoga does both!

Weekly baths

I don’t regularly take baths. And by that, I mean that before January 1, I had taken exactly one bath in our en suite bathtub. (To help put that into perspective for you, we’ve lived in our house since October 2015.)

But then I got these amazing sheet masks for my birthday, and I realized just how relaxing a warm bath with a glass of wine and a little skin care could be. I’m a total convert now.

I always take my baths at night. The longer the day, the more relaxing the bath. There’s nothing better than a little sleep-inducing, lavender soak to relax your muscles and lull you into the perfect zen state for a good night’s sleep.

Indulgent skin care

Ever since exiting those lovely teenage years, I’ve been pretty lucky with my skin. That’s why I’m prefacing this one with “indulgent.” Does my balanced skin really need biweekly masks? Probably not. Do I care? Nope.

I kick off the work week with something that leaves my skin feeling clean and my pores tight like this charcoal mask or this awesome mask made from carrots and kale. (I’m obsessed with the Yes to brand and can never seem to leave Target without a new sample to try.)

Then, on Thursday night, I draw myself a bath and chill out for half an hour with a sheet mask. I plan to use this seven-day sheet mask routine during my biggest work week of the year! The bath leaves my body relaxed and my face glowing, which is the perfect way to get the weekend started.

Hydration

I am the worst at keeping myself hydrated. I never remember to drink water, and then I eat when my body is trying to tell me it’s thirsty, and I get major headaches. This year will be the year of hydration for me, and it all begins with my new favorite water bottle. It’s a little smaller than my older one, but it keeps water super cold, and I actually think the smaller size makes it feel more manageable throughout the day.

Drinking more water, especially based on my yoga plans for the new year, is paramount to my overall health, making hydration the epitome of self care goals.

What’s your go-to for self care? A specific form of exercise? Food that nourishes your body? Particularly bad television? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. I’ve also made some goals as a blogger, a writer, and a reader in 2019. Check ’em out!

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