Finding time for self-care can be tricky. We may be self-isolating, but for many of us, life is as busy as it’s ever been. We’re working, taking care of family members, babysitting grandkids via Skype, not to mention worrying ourselves silly about the pandemic.

Our ‘always on’ world doesn’t help matters either. Whether it’s watching the news or scrolling obsessively through our social media feeds, we’re spending a lot of time glued to our screens.

Creating me-time to do the things that keep us healthy, happy, and emotionally stable is more important than ever. But how do we do that and what do we prioritize?

Michelle Segar — author of No Sweat and one of the world’s leading researchers in the science of sustainable health behaviors— says one of the most important things we can do is identify the one thing that keeps us energized, plugged in and ready to face the world.

That One Thing Is Your #1 Self-Care Habit

Michelle’s #1 self-care habit is sleep, and her husband’s is exercise. Mine is also exercise. If I don’t break a decent sweat at least six days out of seven, my chances of having a bad day increase. A lot.

Likewise, when I do work out on a regular basis my life improves exponentially. Coupling exercise with a morning meditation practice knocks it out the ballpark, but so long as I get my daily fix of endorphins, I’m good.

It doesn’t matter if it’s getting a good night’s sleep, exercising, meditating, or eating well, we all have that one self-care habit that ensures we’ll have consistently great days. Days that make us feel like everything is right with the world.

Why Is Self-Care So Important?

First, let’s look at why self-care matters. Putting yourself first is often seen as selfish, especially when you’re a parent or a caregiver. Even in a relationship, it’s sometimes frowned upon to make yourself a priority.

Our human instinct to nurture causes us to put the needs of others first. But common sense tells us otherwise. Compromising our health, happiness, and wellbeing isn’t a smart move. After all, you can’t give what you don’t have.

What’s Your #1 Self-Care Habit?

If you already know what your #1 self-care habit is good for you, feel free to move right along to the next section. If you don’t, it’s time to do a little digging to find out what it is.

According to Brian Johnson – the founder and leader of Optimize.me, an online learning platform that promises more wisdom in less time – the easiest way to do this is to ask yourself two questions:

• What’s the one thing you do when you’re most on? The thing that helps you ensure you have a great day?
• More to the point, what’s the one thing that if you DON’T do, you risk having a really bad day?

When I have a bad day, I look to what I did (or didn’t do) the day before for clues. For example, drinking too much red wine with dinner leads to a hangover, which results in me skipping my morning run.

Figuring out your #1 self-care habit isn’t that difficult. The tough part is being honest about the things you’re doing to sabotage yourself.

Let’s say getting a good night’s sleep is what stands between you and an awesome day. If you insist on binge-watching Netflix until the early hours, you’re not going to have a so-so day, let alone an awesome one.

You already know this, so it’s more a matter of prioritizing what’s important. Sometimes you have to give up something good to get something better. For me, having a great workout is way more rewarding than a few glasses of organic Shiraz.

How Can You Incorporate Self-Care into Your Daily Life?

If you’re in a relationship, start by looking at how you can help and support one another in your self-care efforts. For example, if sleep is important to you, ask your spouse to watch TV in the lounge instead of in bed.

Likewise, if an early morning meditation practice is their thing, you can commit to keeping a low profile until they’re done. Sticking to your self-care habit is much easier when you have support, so figure out how best to make it happen.

If you’re flying solo, then it’s on you to make your #1 self-care habit stick. Avoiding bad habit triggers helps, but it’s important to have a clear idea of what your ‘why’ is as well.

I know that I want to remain fit and active for as long as possible. If exercise doesn’t take precedence, I’ll run the risk of not being as mobile as I’d like when I’m older. The thought of that motivates me to stick to my #1 self-care habit no matter what. (Even if it means giving up red wine.)

Habit maestro James Clear suggests changing your environment as a way to make new habits stick.

Going back to our Netflix example from earlier, you could move the TV out of the bedroom. Taking it a step further, set the timer to turn it off at bedtime. Sure, you could just turn it back on again, but you’re not going to do that, are you?

For additional inspiration, take a look at TED.com’s playlist on the importance of self-care, which includes thought-provoking talks from the likes of Brené Brown, Kelly McGonigal, and others.

As the playlist descriptor says, if you’re too busy to take care of yourself these talks offer simple ways to stay healthy – both emotionally and physically.

How much importance do you place on self-care? Do you make it a habit to take time out for yourself? Or are you in the habit of always putting others first? Let’s have a conversation!

Garcelle Beauvais’ Pink Tassel Kimono

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Instagram Fashion

This past Saturday Garcelle Beauvais took to Insta to let us know what she’s been up to, which included staying home and recording new episodes of her podcast “Going to Bed with Garcelle” (including an upcoming up with Heather Dubrow who she noted she’s known for a long time), in addition to showing us her gorgeous pink tassel kimono. And while this can be worn with a tank and denim it can also double as a cover up which makes it perfect, just like Garcelle in her role as the newest #RHOBH.

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Click here to See her Michael Stars Cover Up

Click here to Shop Other In Stock Versions

Photo: @Garcelle

Originally posted at: Garcelle Beauvais’ Pink Tassel Kimono

When we were kids, it seems like everything was scented. From markers to stickers to nail polish, it all smelled a bit fruity. Well, everything old is new again. SinfulColors’ Sweet and Salty nail polish collection isn’t just full of fun colors, it also smells like some of your favorite desserts, too. Singer Bebe Rexha is the face of the collection and she posted a cute photo on Instagram showing off the Taco Tuesday color. “@sinfulcolors_official just dropped 6 nail polish shades that looks and smell like different snacks…I have never been happier,” she wrote.

We’re especially into pops of orange on our nails this summer so we’re all over the Cheese Puff shade. It’s that perfect vibrant cirtus—but smells a bit like Hot Cheetos. No complaints here. If salty snacks aren’t your jam, reach for the confetti shade Donut Even or black-and-white Chocolate Cake. There’s something for all your moods—and cravings.

Right now, the ultra-affordable collection is sold out online but Walmart is restocking the line ASAP. Shop it now, below, and sign up to be notified when it’s back before it’s gone again—for good this time.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Image: Walmart.

Sinful Colors Sweet and Salty Nail Polish in Cheese Puff

A bright orange.

Image: Walmart.

Sinful Colors Sweet and Salty Nail Polish in Chocolate Cake

A black with white dots.

Image: Walmart.

Sinful Colors Sweet and Salty Nail Polish in Cookies and Creme

A tan with black specs.

Image: Walmart.

Sinful Colors Sweet and Salty Nail Polish in Donut Even

A rainbow confetti.

Image: Walmart.

Sinful Colors Sweet and Salty Nail Polish in Pizza Party

A tan with reg and gold confetti.

Image: Walmart.

Sinful Colors Sweet and Salty Nail Polish in Taco Tuesday

A yellow with red, green and white confetti.

I’ve always been a passionate person. Passion has filled my life. When I’m interested in something, I go for it, and I’ve been blessed with abundant energy. My 64-year-old partner has a hard time keeping up with me!

But I’ve noticed since turning 70 that my mojo is sometimes lagging. Sometimes, after a good night’s sleep, I’m tired. I wondered about this at first. Is it just aging? Do I get enough sleep? Is my diet affecting my energy? Is it a health issue?

I love my work and I’m generally a happy and healthy person. But this was starting to annoy me.

Change

Then I went to Bangkok with my friend, Victoria, on a visa run. I saw suppliers there and had things made. It was a perfect week.

We stayed in our favorite room overlooking the Chao Praya River – a major working waterway in Bangkok. We ate our favorite duck soup for breakfast, had copious glasses of Thai iced tea, we shopped, and we listened to monks chanting.

A long-time Thai friend took me to a temple that was special to his father. The gatekeeper let us into the main room, locked to the public.

Suddenly, my passion was re-ignited. In seeing new things, new inspiration came. I drew ideas on scraps of paper in coffee shops, so I wouldn’t forget them. I bought unusual elements to put in our necklaces and sculptures. I started dreaming of creative ideas during the night.

Out all day, often walking for hours, we climbed five flights of stairs up to our room at the end of the day, since our guest house had no elevator. But the energy was there, revived. I’m not implying I was walking like a 30-year-old, but the lag I’d been feeling was gone.

I’ve thought about this a lot since came home to Bali, and I think it all boils down to three things: change, inspiring people, and play.

Surround Yourself with Inspiring People

We had dinner with two Thai women friends I’ve known for years. Happily retired now, Burapan’s hobby is discovering new coffee houses all over Bangkok. This passion takes her to places in the city she’s not explored before.

She often photographs with her cell phone on these excursions and turns the photos into works of art with a phone app. This is her first foray into creating art. Her face lights up as she shows me her images.

Yama, on the other hand, is still a professional baker and teacher. Her current passion is making kefir, a cultured milk drink. After dinner, she took us back to her kitchen and gave us both some of her kefir starter, so we could make it at home too. Her enthusiasm and elfin-like energy were infectious.

I realize that part of what inspired me on this trip was being with other switched-on people. Who we spend time with affects us. Having inspiring people in our lives, and especially from our own age group, gives us a boost.

Play

This was not my first trip to Bangkok. I sometimes go twice a year. But I always find something new. My late husband Bob and I came for the first time in 1987.

In 2009, Bangkok was our last trip together, as Bob went deep into Alzheimer’s. I wrote about the terrifying experience of losing him on a crowded Bangkok street in my book, Piece by Piece: Love in the Land of Alzheimer’s.

Just getting away from my routine and the urge to work instead of play was a relief. Gazing at the river, watching the tugboats pulling heavy barges upriver, or watching the neon-lit disco-dinner boats in the evening mesmerized me.

Victoria and I took a Thai cooking class and had a great time learning some of our favorite Thai dishes. We seriously played in Bangkok.

In his TED talk Stuart Brown said, “Play leads to brain plasticity, adaptability, and creativity… Nothing fires up the brain like play.”

It’s easy to get stuck in our routines and forget about play or feel unproductive if we do play. But it’s an important element in keeping our passions alive.

So, if you feel your passion for life waning, try introducing some changes. You don’t need to go to exotic foreign places – just find new ones near you to explore. Spend time with people you admire and who inspire you in some way. And don’t forget to play.

Now that I’m home, I’m still reveling in the renewed energy and enthusiasm I gained on the trip. I’m also up to my ears in kefir… that stuff grows like crazy – it’s taking over the kitchen!

Do you have any ideas for keeping your passions alive after 60? What do you do for play? And who inspires you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.