Self Care September Challenge

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September is Self Care Awareness Month, so I decided to create a Self Care September Challenge!

I am in desperate need of more self care in my life. My school reopened last month for the first time since March, and it has been hard adjusting to working full time again, especially since nothing about my job is the same right now.

For the last month, I mostly came home and crashed on the couch, mindlessly scrolling through Facebook or playing games on my phone until bed time. Then I would complain that I never had enough time to do the things I wanted to do, but the reality is, I was wasting the few hours I did have each night on my phone.

I want to change that in September!

Maybe you are in a similar situation or you just want to incorporate more self care in your daily routine. I would love for you to join me on this journey and participate in my Self Care September Challenge!

Challenge 1: No screen time after 9:00 pm

You can totally choose a different time for this challenge, but I try to be in bed by 10:00 each night. But then I end up scrolling through my phone another half hour before trying to sleep. Not good.

The idea behind this challenge is to give your brain a chance to shut down. The blue light from phones and tablets makes it harder to go to sleep. Also, filling your mind with negativity from social media before bed will cause anxiety, which also leads to sleep troubles.

Instead of scrolling through my phone before bed, I plan to use this time to read more. But you could use the extra hour for anything! Think of what you would do with an extra hour each night and use this time to engage in that activity. Some other ideas are journaling, meditating/yoga, cleaning/tidying up, or crafting.

Related: 8 Easy Ways To Read More Books

Challenge 2: Get active at least four days each week

I go to the gym several days a week, but I will admit I made excuses last month and went home some days without doing any exercise or activity.

Physical activity is so good for your body-both mentally and physically. Even on days I don’t want to go to the gym, I can’t deny I feel rejuvenated once I am finished with my workout.

Make a point to get active at least four days a week in September. That might mean yoga, taking a walk, lifting weights, or taking a fitness class.

If you are already active, push yourself to try something new! I try to work out at least 30 minutes when I go to the gym, but I want to push myself to stay longer during September by adding time to cardio or adding a new exercise to my weight training.

Challenge 3: Treat yo self

I am the world’s worst about denying myself something because I feel bad about spending money. But sometimes, treating yourself can be as simple as buying a coffee before work or doing a spa night at home.

Find one way to treat yourself each week. And your treat needs to be something out of the ordinary. So while a relaxing bubble bath may be a treat for you, it would not be for me because I already make that part of my daily routine.

Allow yourself to take time for yourself or buy yourself something you’ve had your eye on. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive and it can be a spontaneous purchase, like stopping for a doughnut before work. Giving yourself a treat is a celebration of you, and you deserve to be celebrated!

Challenge 4: Change your thinking with positive affirmations

Admittedly, this is going to be the hardest challenge for me. I am naturally negative and rarely look on the bright side of things. It is something I want to change about myself. So this month, I will be repeating positive affirmations to myself and making a point to keep negative talk out of my mouth.

Positive affirmations have been proven to lead to positive thoughts, and positive thoughts mean less negative self-talk. It is completely natural to vent about your day to your significant other or friend, but you will also begin to dwell on the bad things about life when that’s the only thing you talk or think about.

I have a free printable with some of the positive affirmations I will be using during this challenge. I plan to write them on post-it notes for my desk, car, and bathroom mirror.

Challenge 5: Unplug from social media one day each week

This is another challenge that will be hard for me, but I know it needs to happen!

At one point during quarantine, I was taking a full day off from social media on the weekends. I always felt like that day was never ending because I wasn’t scrolling my life away all day.

I know I need to make this part of my routine again, not only because of the time I waste, but because of how social media affects my mental health.

There is nothing but negativity on my Facebook feeds. Instagram has gotten almost as a bad recently, and I totally deleted Twitter from my phone months ago. However, now that school is open again, our teacher group chat is constant, even on weekends. I’ve noticed even if I just read the messages without engaging, it causes my anxiety to spike and I waste my weekend worrying about what needs to be done the next week.

I already shut my phone off on Friday nights, but I want to unplug from social media one day each week, probably a Saturday or Sunday. Nothing good comes from staring at my phone all weekend, and I know that time could be better spent.

I hope you will join me in this Self Care September Challenge! Hopefully these challenges will bring more peace and positive vibes to your life! Let me know which challenge you are most excited about in the comments.