August 9, 2020

I love taking nature walks as a self-care practice. This is a picture of a lake near my house.

Before I start talking about self-care. Here are simple 7 things that you can control in your life.

• Your sleep routine

• How you speak to yourself

• How you treat others

• What you eat

• Who you follow on social media

• Your outlook

• How soon you try again when you fail

What is Self-Care?

When I was doing my masters and someone told me about self-care I always thought of a wine party, luxurious beach vacations, or going for a fancy dinner (thanks to social media and the advertisements). Mostly activities that sounded selfish, lazy, and expensive. But I was wrong.

Just like our phones, our bodies also run on battery- but sadly we don’t come with a low-battery warning. Instead, we feel burned out, irritated, sick, lack of mental clarity, unhappy, etc.

Let me share my self-care routine and how do I take care of my mind, body, and soul.

1. Be Kind to Yourself

It is okay to just spend a day doing nothing. Well, let me tell you a secret this one hard for me as well. I have always been the hustler in my family. Lying lazy doing nothing or watching a movie for 3 hours makes me feel I am wasting time. But recently I talked to a Director at Microsoft and she told me when you be kind to yourself and pause -it promotes your well-being, makes you grateful and more productive.

I have shared previously how much gratitude has changed me in the past. Taking some time out daily to feel blessed about little things in our lives is another way to be kind to oneself. To get you all started I have created a gratitude template.

2. Practice saying NO

As women, we are expected to say yes. Especially in South Asian culture our parents teach us to say yes to everyone as this is equivalent to showing respect. When I joined Microsoft one of the best advice I got was to say “no” to protect my energy, sanity, and time. I was asked to take time to reflect before saying yes to anything I was asked to do. This small act of saying “NO” took me a long time to practice but it gave me clarity on what I want to sign up for, where I want to go or what I want to work on. This is an important pillar of self-care and is not selfish at all.

3. Stillness and Movement- Meditating on your purpose

I guess each one of us at some point in our lives has faced one or all of these- anxiety or stress, not getting enough sleep, problem focusing, or burned out.

Meditation is not about self-help plan its about understanding the mind. It has helped me discover my true self, take care of my anxiety, find my purpose, and much more.

New to Meditation? I use the headspace app. You can find daily meditation, courses on acceptance, balance, finding focus, relieving stress and anxiety, and much more. I am new to meditation myself and this app just helps me focus.

Meditation in Nature- this is a must try!

4. Learn something new!

Our greatest experience comes from trying or learning something new. The pandemic gives a perfect opportunity to learn a new language, an instrument, a new dance form, photography, or anything else. Some of my fav free learning websites are:

• YouTube

• Coursera

• edX

• Podcasts

• Friends( yes, each one of us is different and knows something better. Leverage the skills and brains of your friends)

5. Nourish your body and soul

Taking care of your body is an important aspect of self-care. Believe it or not, I take out time to exercise 5-6 days a week. Physical activity stimulates the brain and releases chemicals like endorphins that trigger a positive feeling in the body. If workouts aren’t your thing- a walk, yoga, dance, hike, HIIT will make you happy, relaxed, and do the work.

Apart from physical activity, your relationship with food is an important aspect of nourishing your body and soul. Making healthy food choices becomes easier if you have fruits on the counter, less processed food at home, and a plan.

Sharing my 2 quick healthy delicious recipes that you can make in less than 30 minutes.

1. Shakshuka: A close friend of mine taught me this. The ingredients are below:

• 6 Eggs

• 1-2 Onions

• 2 Tomatoes

• 1-2 Thai peppers

• 3 cloves of garlic

• Arrabbiata sauce

• Water

• Cilantro

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions- Heat the olive oil and cook the onions, thai peppers, garlic in a skillet. When the onions turn golden brown add the tomatoes and later the sauce and half cup water. Cook for another 3-4 min until the sauce is thick. Use the back of the spoon to create 6 wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each well. Cover the skillet for 5 more minutes and later garnish with cilantro. Serve with bread.

2. Chickpea Coconut Curry- Rishab’s and my absolute favorite. This one reminds us of India as well as is super healthy and easy. Ingredients are below:

• 1-2 Onions

• 3-4 cloves of garlic

• ground cumin

• Chilli powder

• Paprika

• Curry powder

• Coriander powder

• Cumin powder

• 2 cans of Chickpea

• Diced tomatoes

• 1 can of coconut milk

• Spinach

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions-To a large pot on high heat, add the olive oil and when hot add in the onions and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Add splashes of water to prevent burning and to deglaze the pan. Add chickpeas and tomatoes to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes. Add all the spices and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Add spinach at the end, stir, and remove from heat. I enjoy it with quinoa or roti(India bread) garnished with lemon wedges.

There you have it! I hope you find some tips or inspiration from my self-care routine. In the end, do what makes you happy and make your own self-care routine.

Let me know how did you find my blog or how do you practice self-care? – in the comments below or reach out to me on the ‘gram. Subscribe if you like!

17 COMMENTS

• AMBICA BHATIA AUGUST 9, 2020 AT 9:15 AM Hey read your blog. It’s really amazing. I get so much inspired by reading ur blogs. Thank u so much dear for such inspirations blogs.

  • PIYUSH TYAGI AUGUST 10, 2020 AT 9:46 AM Nice one

    • ANKITA AUGUST 15, 2020 AT 4:05 PM Thanks piyush!

  • ANKITA AUGUST 15, 2020 AT 4:04 PM Thank you ambica, glad you liked it!

• MAYANK SHARMA AUGUST 9, 2020 AT 1:35 PM Very nicely articulated

  • ANKITA AUGUST 15, 2020 AT 4:04 PM Thank you so much mayank.

• CHAHAT AUGUST 10, 2020 AT 8:13 AM Thank you for sharing these recipes. Eating healthy has definitely helped me think clearly and keep calm

  • ANKITA AUGUST 15, 2020 AT 4:05 PM Thanks for sharing what worked for you and dropping by to ready my blog, appreciate it!

• KAUMUDI AUGUST 10, 2020 AT 1:49 PM Hey, this blog is great. I used to workout regularly earlier but became lazy after the start of the pandemic. From a few days ago though, I started dancing as a substitute to working out and it’s been great. Will also surely try your recipes

  • ANKITA AUGUST 15, 2020 AT 4:06 PM I love dancing, thanks for sharing your form of self-care kaumudi. Keep reading and keep sharing your thoughts

• VAIBHAV KANDEL AUGUST 10, 2020 AT 9:14 PM Really motivating and full of answers to many of my questions on self

  • ANKITA AUGUST 15, 2020 AT 4:06 PM Thanks vaibhav for dropping by and reading my blog. Appreciate it!

• KAUSHLENDRA SHAKYA AUGUST 13, 2020 AT 4:21 AM This blog is truly inspiring and motivational, I always admire your blogs mam. Keep enjoying the life and inspiring others like me. I’m your junior(JUET).

  • ANKITA AUGUST 15, 2020 AT 4:07 PM Thank you so much kaushlendra for your kind words. Keep reading and subscribe to get updates everytime I write

• AMAN WADHWA AUGUST 14, 2020 AT 10:49 PM Very relevant and nicely articulated blog !!!

  • ANKITA AUGUST 15, 2020 AT 4:06 PM Thanks aman

• SHREYA AUGUST 17, 2020 AT 9:02 AM Really great tips Ankita!! I totally follow these too. Will try your Shakshuka recipe