My Year-Long Self-Care Challenge with The Self-Care Solution

Want to make self-care a priority this year? Here’s how I'm doing it...

Over the past couple of years, I’ve let my health slide. I stopped enjoying exercising, stress piled on, life changed drastically, and its lead me to feeling emotionally heavy and physically tired. Now, as a new mum, finding time for myself feels even harder.

If you’ve been there too—trying to juggle life, stress, and the guilt of putting yourself first—this post is for you.

I’ll share how I’m tackling a year-long self-care challenge inspired by The Self-Care Solution by Dr. Jennifer Ashton. I’ll break down my goals, the challenges I’ll face, and how this simple plan promises to help me feel healthier, more balanced, and less stressed.

By the end of this post, you’ll learn how one simple habit a month can lead to a bigger transformation in your own life—no overwhelm, just practical steps... because that's what I hope I will learn too.

The Self Care Solution

Why I’m Taking on This Self-Care Challenge

I’ve struggled with self-care for years. With a busy life and a new baby, it can be hard to find time for myself. Sometimes even when I had the time instead of filling my cup with intentional self-care, I’ve often opted for quick fixes like binge-watching Netflix. There's nothing wrong with binging your fave series but my habit to destress quickly became skipping the gym for Netflix and chocolate.

Self Care isn't a matter of having time; its a matter of readjusting what you do with that time. - Dr. Jennifer Ashton

Here’s why I’m taking on this self-care challenge:
  • Stress has taken its toll: Between work, family, and motherhood, stress has built up over the years.
  • Consistency has been a struggle: I’ve tried self-care routines in the past but never stuck with them.
  • I need something manageable: With a baby, focusing on one new thing each month feels much more doable than looking at all aspects of my life and feeling overwhelmed.

My Personal Goals for This Year

What do I want to accomplish with this self-care challenge? I’m setting goals that are simple but impactful:

  1. Prioritise intentional self-care: No more last-minute self-care routines that aren't really filling my cup or end up making me feel worse than when I started.
  2. Reduce stress: I want to find ways to manage mental and physical clutter.
  3. Definitely feel less frumpy: A huge goal is to improve my confidence and overall well-being—inside and out. 
The Self-Care Solution came up in my library reading recommendation list for New Years. The book caught my attention because of its practical approach:

• One task a month: No overwhelming to-do lists—just one self-care habit to focus on each month.

• I feel like with this book, I can tailor the challenges to suit my own needs and goals.

What’s Coming Up: Monthly Challenges

Here’s a sneak peek at the challenges I’ll be tackling each month. These are designed to be simple but powerful steps that can add up to meaningful change:

January: Dry January—Cutting out alcohol for a month to reset my body and mind.

February: 10,000 steps a day—Getting active while balancing my new mum duties.

March: Improving sleep—Building a sleep routine to boost energy and mental clarity.

April: Meal prep—Simplifying healthy eating with easy-to-prepare meals.

And more to come: Each month offers a new challenge to keep me motivated.

Adjusting the Challenges to Fit My Life

Each month, I plan to tweak the challenges based on my needs. As a new mum, some tasks will be easier than others, but the goal is to make self-care a consistent part of my life. I’ll adjust the pace, time, and intensity to what works best for me.

If you’re a mum, busy professional, or anyone who feels like self-care is always last on your list, this blog series is for you. I’m here to show you that small changes can lead to big results. You don’t have to overhaul your life to feel better—just take one step at a time.

Join Me in Self-Care

I’ll be documenting my journey here on this blog to share updates, tips, and challenges I encounter. I’ll also be reflecting on how each task affects my mental and physical health, so you can see what’s working for me. If you're doing a self-care challenge too my comments section is always open and I would love to hear how you are going.

If you’re ready to make self-care a priority this year, follow along as I take on The Self-Care Solution. I’ll be sharing updates each month and offering insights into how small, manageable steps can lead to big changes. Grab the book here.

Let’s make 2025 the year we put ourselves first.

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