Have you ever stopped for a moment to consider what aspects of your life are building you up and what things are tearing you down? It’s easy to let the crazy schedule of kids, work and life get in the way of figuring out what things need to be a part of your life and what is just clutter.

Clutter is that stuff that takes up time in your life but doesn’t add to the quality of your life. It looks for your attention but gives nothing back in return. I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about, we all have that clutter in our lives!

For years I lived with life-clutter. I’ve always wanted to be a more balanced, mindful individual. I knew I needed to focus on self-care but it was hard to get things to stick. Self-care means to actively improve one’s own health (that’s the dictionary definition!!). I started realizing that a good self-care routine means you need to pay attention to all aspects of yourself: mind, body and spirit. These are the things I have incorporated into my routine in order to hit all three.

Self-care for your Spirit: Taking care of my spirit means feeding it with love and family. That’s why I started turning off my cell phone after dinner so that I could spend quality time with my kids and husband. We have a few hours each night before the kids go to bed where we can laugh and play together as a family. No distractions, no work. We love seeing our kids grow and don’t ever want to miss that.

Tim and I also make time for each other. We go on date nights frequently so that we are building up our relationship. Date nights are a perfect way to relax together and connect. Family time and hubby time are exactly what I need to energize my spirit.

Another way that I feed my spirit is through meditation. I start by centering myself, becoming quiet and still and aware of the world around me. Then I visualize my goals and I manifest my dreams, I see them become reality. By visualizing what I can accomplish, my spirit is empowered.

Self-care for your Body: When I properly take care of my body, I feel my best. For me, that means getting regular exercise, eating healthy meals and getting enough sleep. I’ll admit, the last one is difficult because my youngest is a night owl!! But all of these are simple self-care routines because you have to eat and sleep everyday anyway, so why not make sure it’s the right food and the right amount of sleep?

I started going to the gym consistently over a year ago and have made it a part of my week that is non-negotiable. I have to go even if I don’t feel like it. And even on those hard days I am always so happy that I am giving my body what it needs.

Cooking healthy meals for my family is a way that I can not only give my body what it needs, but I also am able to give my kids and husband some body self-care too! It’s a win win. I love to find new recipes to try because most of the time I am so amazed that something can taste SO good and still be so healthy! I love to share the good recipes too, so keep an eye out!

Self-care for your Mind: I think this is the one that is most forgotten but it is just as important! Your mind is what keeps you going when you feel like giving up after a hard day at work. It’s what tells you you can when everything and everyone tells you you can’t. A healthy mind can give you the strength to push on.

I try to stimulate my mind by learning from other people. I read books, watch webinars, and sign up for classes. When I engage my mind, I not only learn tons of really helpful things, but I also find myself with renewed energy for my business. If I learn a new skill, I immediately incorporate it into my business strategies. I love finding better ways to run a business and by constantly learning, I am preparing for the future and whatever may come my way.

Everybody should have a self-care routine, but yours may not look like mine because we all find energy in different things. Find things that feed your body, mind and spirit. Find things you love and that bring you joy. Make them your non-negotiables. Write them down and stick to them!

Photo by Silvia Rossana Garavaglia on Unsplash