How to Make Time for Self-Care (No Matter How Busy You Are)
Image via A Modern Muse
“Self-care” is a buzzword that has become super popular in the last several years. It definitely seems like it could be a trend, but self-care isn’t something that’s going to fade into the background any time soon. That’s because it’s not so much a trend in the traditional sense, but it’s a shift in the way we think about and care for ourselves on a daily basis.
Self-care is all about creating a lifestyle that we can sustain longterm that doesn’t leave us feeling physically and emotionally drained all the time, and balances all of the doing with simply being. In a society that places so much importance on being “busy”, taking care of ourselves on a physical, mental and/or soul level gets put on the back burner and we often end up burning ourselves out.
But, we have to focus on our wellbeing now if we want to avoid burning out and feeling like sh*t down the road. No matter how “busy” you are, no matter how little time you think you have to devote to self-care, you can find the time… and here’s how:
1) Understand what self-care means to you. There is no one way to self-care. Self-care for one person might look totally different than what self-care looks like for you. Don’t base your self-care on what you see other people doing.
For me, self-care can be taking a bath, reading a book, going on a hike, meditating, or journaling (just to name a few). For someone else, going on a run or zoning out to reality TV might be considered self-care. Everyone is different and self-care is unique and personal to you.
As a general guideline, try to come up with at least one self-care activity for your mind (i.e. reading) and one for your body (i.e. going to yoga). Bonus if you have a third for your soul (i.e. meditating, reiki)!
2) Get clear on what your ideal day would look like… and write it down. Once you’ve identified some self-care activities for yourself, write down what your ideal looks like… no matter how far from your currently reality it might be… and include those activities!
Think about when you want to wake up, what you want your mornings to look like, how you want to feel throughout the day, what you want to accomplish… and write it alllllllll down. Seeing everything written down on paper can help you figure out where to start.
3) Approach self-care the way you would any other goal. When we’re setting goals in other areas of our life, we’re told to get specific. To write things down, make a plan or a schedule and be disciplined. Because self-care is so important to our wellbeing, this should be no different.
4) Make it a routine… but be realistic. We create habits and build routines when we’re consistent. So if you’re wanting to build a self-care practice, consistency is going to be key. Think about ways you can easily fit your self-care activities in your schedule and commit to it.
5) Don’t complicate your self-care. The easiest way to make time in your routine for self-care is to make it easy. Don’t try to add 5 different things to your routine at once. Start small, and when one thing becomes a habit that you don’t even have to think about, add something else!
Life is already stressful enough, so why complicate something that is supposed to make your life easier and more balanced?
6) Let go of guilt. There’s a few types of guilt that come along with a self-care practice. The first is the guilt that we’re being selfish by taking time for ourselves when there are a hundred other things on our plate. It’s important to remember that if we don’t take care of ourselves first, we can’t be there to take care of others, or work efficiently towards our goals when we’re burnt out.
The other type of guilt that could come up is the guilt you might feel when you fall off track. If you miss a day in your morning routine, or don’t go for your post-work walk for a week, it’s okay. It’s actually more than okay. Self-care isn’t about being perfect, and setbacks will happen. Instead of throwing in the towel after a setback, let go of the guilt and move forward the next day, picking up right where you left off.
To wrap things up, the next time you find yourself wanting to skip your lunch break workout or cancel your massage appointment, remember that taking care of you is necessary. When we leave self-care at the bottom of our to-do lists, our mental and physical wellbeing can suffer.
Through a combination of commitment to yourself, time management and goal setting, even the busiest person can make self-care a part of their daily routine.
What are some ways you’ve incorporated self-care into your day to day? Share in the comments below!
xo,
Kelsey