My recent solo episode went live and keeping on theme with my last solo, tips to upgrade your morning, I want to share 10 self-care habits that will upgrade your life.
It’s always important for me to say that everything I list below is the goal and sometimes it doesn’t happen. Being a wife, mother, CEO and entrepreneur means that I can’t expect every day to go perfectly. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. But these are the things that help me increase my clarity, manage my mood, be a better mother, move the needle of my business and show up for myself in the best way I can.
10 Self-Care Habits To Upgrade Your Life
Warming neck pillow.
This is a must. It smells like herbs, is slightly weighted and I use it every single night. You can put it in the microwave but I got a salon warmer and it’s such a good hack. If you’re into this, read this post where I discuss my entire evening situation.
Do something for your skin.
Whether that’s facial massage, ice rolling in the morning or a sheet mask – anything that can improve your skin. As soon as I wake up I ice roll and always do a quick 5 minute routine. No 20 steps, nothing crazy, but something to give my skin some attention.
If I’m really short on time, I’ll do my skincare in the car. Recently I got a makeup bag and filled it with skincare so that if I’m in a rush I can do it while Michael drives. I”ll do anything to get invigorate and get my circulation going.
Facial at least twice a month.
This may not be for everyone, and I totally get that. Investing in my skin is much more important to me than buying clothes or handbags. Lucky for me I’ve found facialists who give me exactly what I ask for, which is always lots of facial manipulation. In Austin I see Brooke at The Road and in San Diego I see Staci Christie and Mo at Heal Thy Goddess.
Plan out your day.
While I’m meditating or doing an activation (try the ones by Mimi Bouchard), I like to visualize my entire day. I envision it working out seamlessly, harmoniously and completely in my favor. Then, I’ll go to my planner and write it all down. The priorities are listed out first, in order of importance. I’ve come to realization that prioritization is KEY, for business and your personal life. Taking the time and space to be thoughtful about what you do in a day helps you perform at the level you want to perform at.
It helps you focus on what going to move the needle and is absolutely essential. This way of managing your to-do list is called The Ivy Lee Method and it’s worked for Michael and I for years. It helps you be thoughtful about your whole day.
Sex up your water.
Add anything you want. Herbs, citrus, electrolytes, Kion amino acids and creatine, colostrum, ginger – whatever! Spicing up your water gets you nutrients and helps you drink more. Optimizing your water is just efficient if you ask me. There are tons of spa water recipes for you here and I’m currently obsessed with this water bottle.
After I’m nice and hydrated I’ll have a coffee with raw milk. I love raw milk. You get some protein, some carbs, minerals and vitamins, not to mention pre and pro biotics. Try waiting 90 minutes before you have your morning coffee. This is good for your circadian rhythm and your body will feel way better because you’ll be hydrated with electrolytes and minerals first.
Habit stack.
When I wake up and make the bed I listen to something educational or inspirational. Same goes when I’m getting my nails done. I don’t want to listen to trash or gossip first thing in the morning especially so I turn on something inspirational like Lousie Hay, Robert Greene or Ryan Holiday. Any chance you get to learn while you’re doing something else that’s more passive, take it.
Water your relationship.
Every single day I try to do something that waters my marriage, as if it’s a garden. It might be scheduling a date night, putting my phone away in the car to really listen to him, set up something sexy at night or just doing something new together. My marriage is the foundation of my entire life. We have kids together, businesses together, work together so that foundation needs to be strong. Most people put their kids first, but we put our marriage first so our kids can see passion, respect and a good, healthy relationship.
Find your hole in the wall.
For me, this is a foot spa. It literally is a hole in the wall and it’s where deep work happens.
When I’m in the office, I’m fluid. I’m talking to my EA Katie or other members of the team, organizing, having meetings, but when I go to the foot spa for 2 hours, the amount of work I get done is astounding. You get uninterrupted time to work however you want. Sometimes I answer emails and texts for an hour and then work on a project. I started writing my next book and actually get things down that affect the business. More on how this works for me here.
Self-care is beauty.
For me. This may not be the case for you, but a lot of my self-care has to do with beauty. A manicure, a blow out, a facial, having my makeup done are all things that make me feel good which means I can show up as my best self. Usually I will schedule work calls while I’m going through the ‘beauty car wash’ and this helps me be more present when my kids are home.
Reading.
Reading keeps your interested and interesting. Over the last couple years I’ve opted for a Kindle and I have a full Beauty and the Beast size library on there. It’s helped me read more. Reading is so relaxing and a non-negotiable in my day. It gets you outside of yourself and the best thing about a Kindle is it’s easy to have more than one book going at once. I like to be reading on business, one on self-care and then a fun one. If I do read a hardcover, it’s with this red light book light. It makes all the difference.
Legs up, magnesium tea, warm neck pillow and a good book (this one is so good) – nothing better.
Other stuff.
The other little things I do that I consider self care are:
Salt rock nightlight – in our house it’s salt rock light, red light or natural light, never a yellow glaring light.
Hot shower at night – essential to wind down and wash off the day (I do a cold blast on my face), a bath works too but it’s not something I can manage with 2 kids under 4. Add eucalyptus and you’ll never look back.
Grounding – getting your feet in the grass or on some sand will instantly change your mood and the whole vibration of your body (more here).
AM sunlight – getting sunlight as soon as you wake up is so good for your circadian rhythm and hormones (if I can’t do this on my own I go with my kids and their books to our patio and sit there, it’s the best and your body will crave it).
Tell me all your self-care hacks and how you fit them into your day. The little things add up to big things so I’m all about the quick and seamless tips.
x, Lauryn
+ Listen to the full episode for more details on all the above.
++ 80 gratitude affirmations for a better day.
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