Feeling Demotivated About Self-Care? Here are 5 Ways to Get Back on Track!

Going on a self-care journey is a commitment to taking better care of yourself. We all need to take care of ourselves to a certain extent as it is essential to survival. But a self-care journey is a more conscious and mindful effort to truly fulfil our needs so that we can live life to the fullest, flourish in every aspect, and extend ourselves to take care of others as well.

It is a commitment, and for this reason, it could be hard to be motivated to engage in self-care. Ironically, it is in these moments that self-care becomes more important than ever. We have five ideas for when these moments hit, hopefully helping you get back on track, and remembering the importance of giving the gift of-self care to yourself on a regular basis.

TAKE STOCK OF WHERE YOU ARE

First, take stock of where you are. Often, these moments of low-energy and low-motivation are calls to pay attention to where we are. In the moment, it can be helpful to ask yourself the following questions: “How am I really feeling?”, “Why do I feel this way?”, “What can I do to feel better?”  It is also bound to be insightful if you ask yourself questions that take into account the entirety of your self-care journey: “What have I been doing to take care of myself?”, “Is what I am doing still working for me?”, “Are there things I will need to change or omit in my self-care routine?”

Taking stock doesn’t have to be done just in moments of low-motivation either. You can do it anytime you feel called to check in with yourself, as well as in periods of great change such as a move, a pregnancy, a breakup, or any new life chapter.

Taking stock is like the reset button you hit, so that you can better give yourself what you need.

LISTEN TO YOUR NEEDS

Much of the pressure that often comes with the self-care journey as it is portrayed in popular media is that it is made to look a certain way. We’ve all seen the Tiktoks of 5AM alarms, 2-hour a day gym sessions, and  green juice concoctions. While a routine like that is absolutely wonderful if it works for you and fulfils your needs, the reality is that self-care looks as varied as the individuals who implement it in their lives.

And so the question here is: What do you need? Maybe you need an extra hour of sleep because you had a late night. Maybe you do need additional supplements because your nutrition has been off lately and your body is showing it. Maybe you need a short walk outside because you have been staring at a screen all day and you only have 10 minutes to do it. Or maybe you need a long, hot soak in the tub with a Strawberry Buttercream Bath Bomb because you have drained your physical and social energy in the past week.

Your needs are always valid, so are the ways you choose to fulfil them. This is YOUR self-care journey and you are the Boss of Everything. 

KEEP YOUR EYE ON A GOAL

On days when it is tough to keep up with your commitments to yourself, keep your eye on the end goal. Although the self-care journey is one that doesn’t end and has no particular destination other than complete wellbeing, having a goal will definitely keep you motivated. Maybe you are too tired to take your makeup off before bed tonight, but your goal is to have healthier skin. Maybe you have been aiming to eat better and that includes a few hours on the weekend to prep your meals for the week, but your favourite series just dropped and entire binge-able season. Keeping an eye on that goal will help you push yourself towards staying consistent. 

Keep your heart and mind focused on what you can gain by taking better care of yourself instead of focusing on what you stand to lose when you don’t do it. Positive motivation is certainly healthier and just imagine the feeling of keeping your promise to yourself. Nothing quite like it!

MAKE IT EASY!

One thing people get wrong about self care is that it’s difficult and it takes a lot of effort. The truth is that there are ways to make it easy and it’s always worth it. Here are a few examples:

- If you decide you need to sleep earlier, you can set an alarm to wind down at night and keep your devices away in another room. You can also use a scented candle like the Starry Night Candle or any other one you enjoy from our collection and light it every night so it can remind your body that it’s time to sleep.

-If you are going for a night out, leave a pitcher of water, a snack, makeup wipes, and even an aspirin on your bedside table, so that you can come home and still keep up with taking care of yourself even if you’ve been out late.

- If you have a hard time motivating yourself to go to the gym in the morning, prepare your outfit and your bag the night before so that you don’t have to make decisions in the morning. All you have to do is dress up and go! If you also find that working out at any other time of the day other than the morning works better for you, decrease resistance by just going at the time of day that works best for you and your schedule.

- If you have a book that you have been meaning to read, don’t pressure yourself to read it in its entirety in a certain timeframe. Instead, set easy, reachable goals that you can complete easily daily, like a 5-10 page read every day. You can even light an Espresso Martini Candle to help with focus. The book will actually get read this way instead of the goal of a book a week, for instance, which could be too daunting to even begin for most people.

These are just a few examples, but the thing is for you to make things easier for yourself. Think about it like setting your future self up for an easier time by preparing and planning now. Make it easy and your future self will thank you!

MAKE IT FUN!

Self-care is supposed to be fun! As much as it is a conscious commitment, it shouldn't be a chore. There are a lot of ways to make self-care fun and that’s really important, so that  you look forward to it and you can stay consistent. If you’re having trouble motivating yourself to stay fit by going to the gym, maybe you can try dance or boxing, if those seem like more fun to you than using the treadmill or lifting weights. Treat yourself to the Candy Wonderland Body Scrub so you can have a candy-scented shower and get a fabulous piece of jewellery as a reward for taking care of yourself,too! If you struggle with journaling at day’s end, you can make it a reason to light a Rose Quartz Candle and play some of your favourite music. Any self-care practice can be fun! Just sprinkle in a little bit of something you already know you enjoy into it.

We hope these tips give have you excited to keep going on your self-care journey. Remember that there is no standard prescription for how self-care looks like and there is no perfect journey, so take the pressure off yourself! What matters is you feel happy and fulfilled, while feeling good giving that to yourself.