3 Tips to Start Sustainable Self-Care Practices.

Taylor Elyse Morrison talks about finding the right self-care routine, integrating it into daily life, and her love of Epsom salt baths

Self-care has exploded in popularity, with Google searches on the topic spiking during the Coronavirus pandemic. Taylor Elyse Morrison, founder of self-care start-up Inner Workout, says she defines self-care as listening within and responding in the most loving way possible.

“Self-care should be integrated into every aspect of your life,” says Morrison, an international speaker who has been featured in leading publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, Well + Good, Bustle and Thrive Global. “It’s an ongoing internal conversation. What do I need right now? How can I honor that request with love?”

Morrison’s start-up, Inner Workout, is designed to eliminate burnout by helping people build self-care practices through the five dimensions of wellbeing: physical, energetic, mental/emotional, wisdom and bliss. Inner Workout offers classes both in-person and online that blend movement, breathwork, journaling and meditation, plus workshops and workbooks to support people’s self-care journeys.

Morrison also hosts a podcast called “Be School” about personal development, self-study and redefining success. She says her idea for the company came from a place of need.

“A few years ago, I was in a place where I was regularly burning myself out. I was working a full-time job, running a side hustle, volunteering, and planning a wedding. It was not a sustainable way to live, so I started exploring self-care.”

Right now, her favorite forms of self-care include taking long bike rides surrounded by nature and soaking in Epsom salt baths.

“Epsom salt baths are so simple and so healing,” says Morrison. “I feel tension melt away as I soak. My muscles release, and there’s often a mental or emotional release that happens as well.”

Here are her top three tips for integrating self-care into daily life:

  1. Find the right self-care activities for you – Morrison says the biggest misconception about self-care is people associating the term with a specific set of tasks.“Try on the practices that sound interesting to you. If it feels good, keep it. If not, let it go with love!”Not sure where to start? Inner Workout offers a Take Care assessment that helps measure your wellbeing across the five dimensions and offers personalized self-care practices based on the results.
  2. Normalize self-care – Morrison suggests asking friends what self-care looks like for them. This will spark ideas for your own self-care practices and make self-care a normal topic of conversation.
  3. Be present – “When you’re really ‘there’ for every moment, you start to notice thoughts, sensations, and emotions that you might otherwise miss.”

In addition to being present, Morrison says it’s okay to change your self-care routine to reflect your current needs.

“What felt good in January may not feel good for you now. What felt supportive yesterday may not feel supportive today. Honor your needs in the present moment.”