“A sustainable self-care practice is about creating moments within each day, week, month, season, and year to practice the kind of meaningful self-care that makes you feel healthy and joyful in mind, body, and soul,” says Shel Pink, author of Slow Beauty, a book on mindful self-care. “When practiced over time, these small rituals add up to a healthier and more joyful life.” If you’re not quite sure where to begin when it comes to taking care of yourself, these simple self-care suggestions will help you set off on the right path forward, one day at a time. Instead of only focusing on setting an alarm to wake up, Dr. Lickerman also suggests setting one to go to sleep. To figure out a good bedtime, start with when you need to wake up and count back eight hours. “Even in the midst of a crappy day, reminding yourself of gratitudes—whether it’s the sun, a productive meeting at work, a special moment with family, or simply that your day is over and tomorrow brings a fresh start—can reframe the day,” says Jess-Huff. “The more you practice gratitude, the more it becomes a natural part of your life.” “A consistent meditation practice can be life-changing. It’s even been scientifically proven to reduce stress, increase feelings of empathy, improve focus, boost the immune system, and slow the signs of aging,” Pink says.“To start, I recommend using [a meditation app] to access a variety of different styles of meditation to see what works for you.” RELATED: 14 Meditation Apps to Help You Keep Your Cool All Day, Every Day “Many voices in your head may push you to say yes when you really want to say no, and the chief among these voices is the one that tells you that you risk being disliked if you say no,” Dr. Lickerman says. “You must learn to tolerate the anxiety that saying no likely brings. Once you learn to do this, you’ll discover people don’t dislike you for it. In fact, they’ll likely respect you even more.” RELATED: 10 Small, Healthy Things You Should Do for Yourself Every Day
