How I Practice Daily Gratitude and Self-Care

Let’s not kick off this post acting like “self-care” isn’t an overused term plaguing the self-love movement. I know it’s trendy, but there is still validity, under all of the bath bombs and face masks, within this entire conversation.

Appreciating and respecting yourself enough to practice self-care is something that I believe stems from having a sense of gratitude for life, in general. Being grateful for what you have, who you are, and how you “arrived” where you are, is imperative to successfully move forward with life through glasses that are healthy and emotionally intelligent enough to tackle whatever obstacles arise.

Today, I’m feeding into self-care culture by sharing my small habits and portions of my daily routines that contribute to my sense of gratitude and mindfulness. It’s not a comfortable journey, but every little healthy habit counts, my friends. If you enjoy this post, make sure to watch the sister video released on my YouTube Channel (and subscribe if you haven’t already).

1. make the bed

First off, making the bed is a habit that I’m happy to have finally established in my daily morning routine, and one that is actually a cliche trend you SHOULD want to adopt.

Although making the bed may not be something you think feeds into this conversation logically, it’s another form of caring for your things. Actually, showing some appreciation for your space, and respecting your stuff enough to use them appropriately, is the name of the gratitude game. It’s all about perspective and building those disciplined habits that yield benefits, no matter how small or seemingly “insignificant.”

Quick Tip: Making the bed is actually a personal hack that helps me resist the urge to jump back IN for social media scrolling and YouTube video binges. It’s an easy way to trick the mind into focusing on the bed at night when it’s time to rest your body, rather than abuse the mattress as an “everything” place.

I also enjoy spraying essential oils or scents on my sheets, daily, to calm the nerves or sweeten up my space in a way that feels refreshing or “homey.” My favorite scent to spray on my bed and pillows is a pure “vanilla” scent, but don’t be afraid to add a calming Eucalyptus or Lavender that promotes those ‘feel-good’ vibes.

2. gratitude journal 

Next up is one of the more popular and easy (ish) ways to practice gratitude—the infamous gratitude journal. Although I have a personal favorite, shared below, there are plenty of platforms and ways to document your appreciation. Whether that’s speaking them aloud in the shower, cliche (I know) but effective, or writing them in the notes app of your phone, the act itself is more important than the forum.

With that said, expressing your gratitude has a million positive effects on the mind and body. Not only is it the perfect way to remember little reasons you are lucky, successful, privileged, and every other word under the sun, but it forces the body into a state of reflection—one that trains the mind to find the good BEFORE the bad.

My favorite gratitude journal is the 5 Minute Journal from Intelligent Change, co-created by my favorite entrepreneurs, Alex and Mimi Ikonn. Unfortunately, I misplaced my physical journal but decided to buy the iOS app version to do the same thing, document my gratitude each morning.

Of course, journaling is also an incredible way to express yourself. If you write or unload in any capacity, slipping in some affirmations might be a helpful addition, regardless of what you’re currently going through. This one practice has been incredible for me, and something I plan to continue for the days ahead.

3. discover new music

This may not seem like the best way to practice “gratitude” per se, but it IS self-care for someone that genuinely appreciates music as entertainment. I personally feel like I have the wildest taste in music, with every genre gaining a “listen” from me at least once a day (from trap music to worship to contemporary classic and everything in-between).

Not only is listening to music a form of self-care, instead of flooding the mind with social media and videos (if you’re someone that consumes a lot of content online), but the act of discovering new music is healing in itself. It feels incredible and fresh to have a new playlist or new artist that you appreciate. I dance more and sing louder when I know that something is new and feels like a delightful addition to my repertoire. If you haven’t already, spend some time on the “explore” page of your favorite music platform!

4. plan what’s important

I love planning, especially when a cute or aesthetic planner is involved. Not only is planning something I love to do, even if NOTHING gets completed in a day, but I thrive when I have a guideline or list of tasks to focus on for a sense of direction. This is why I adopted the “Top Three,” a hack that I learned from one of my favorite online entrepreneurs, ErinOnDemand.

Erin speaks heavily about her “Top Three” routine, being a way to only write 3 major tasks that need to be completed that day (rather than forcing 25.6 different checkboxes that you feel pressured to tackle—causing overwhelm).

Once you get a hold of your “top three” or an effective planning routine, you’ll begin to feel a sense of peace with what you have the opportunity to accomplish—another form of gratitude, go figure.

5. consume beneficial things

I know, I know… Eating your greens and drinking a healthy smoothie is NOT what people want to hear when trying to speak about self-care and gratitude. Hear me out, consuming things that benefit you is, in turn, taking care of the body that you have. This, my friends, is a mindful and responsible way of tending to your given powerhouse (powerhouse being your "body").

If you really respect yourself, you will make small attempts to feed your body what it needs. Whether that's though liquids or meals (or both, of course), any effort to promote your health is self-care. Mindful eating is a way for us to take back control over the decisions we have, primarily when referring to what we put INTO our body. It's the best kind of power to have, and the best way to improve our quality of life.

For me, drinking tea is a daily routine that can benefit my body by promoting longevity and healthy digestion. I usually run towards green tea, but experimenting with new blends is also a way to keep things fresh. I also tend to add certain ingredients that assist with my hormone imbalance and promote a healthy gut, but this decision is unique for each person. Regardless, I'm usually trying to consume something that makes me feel good, even if I fall short for an individual meal or "cheat" one day (because it's impossible to have the perfect diet).

That’s all for now, my friends. This is definitely one of those posts that can either raise eyebrows, in a bad way, or get people to think twice about their daily routines. Either way, this is how I choose to practice self-care, which usually lends itself into the same realm of practicing gratitude.

At the end of the day, it’s healthy to find ways to appreciate yourself and your body, while also taking care of things you own or privileges you have in your day-to-day. We all have the opportunity to change our daily routine and lives in ways that land us where we dream of being, mentally or physically, and it all begins with small changes and practices.

I hope you all are doing well in current crazy times, and are keeping healthy and staying SMART (hint hint) as we develop a “new normal.” If you want to continue this conversation, find me over on social media @themakaylalynn or check out the Gratitude and Self-Care YouTube Video here.

Wishing you all nothing but the best.
As always, Live (and love) Intentionally.