Life can get hectic when we have to balance our jobs, kids, and whatever else we may have on our plate. It's difficult to prioritize yourself when you're always busy and have to meet responsibilities and multiple deadlines.
Caring for yourself is never selfish. You need to take care of yourself first before you can look after others. Taking care of yourself doesn't have to be expensive or take a lot of time, and you can do it in the ways that work best for you.
Self-Care Tips
You can take better care of yourself in the following ways:
- Schedule time for yourself and let other things wait. During your personal time, put your mobile devices aside and don’t check messages or social media of any kind, as this is the easiest way to become distracted. Prioritizing your personal time and space will ensure that you can give more of yourself to others. Your relationships will also improve if you have stronger boundaries.
- Exercise is an essential part of regular self-care. However, if you're already exhausted and drained, you may feel like you don't have the time and energy. Exercise doesn't have to be complicated, and it shouldn't add more stress to your life. You simply need to get up and move around. Even short bursts of exercise of five minutes at a time can help you get fit and control your stress levels.
- Another important aspect of self-care, which is not discussed very often, is to make sure you have like-minded people in your life. We tend to be strongly influenced by the people we spend the most time with, so we need to surround ourselves with others who are committed to living their best and healthiest lives. Try to mingle with people who inspire you and empower you.
- Don't feel guilty about taking breaks when you need them. In our fast-paced culture, working has unfortunately become the norm, and you tend to see yourself as lazy if you take breaks. Short rest periods can actually make you more productive and happier, in general. Even taking a few minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee, or to listen to music, can make a difference.
Final Thoughts
You may feel that you're too busy to start with self-care now, but it's essential for your long-term well-being, and you can't keep putting it off indefinitely. The trick is to put a process in place to keep yourself accountable. If you know what you should be doing, but you don't have a plan on how to do it, you're just going to end up feeling guilty and more stressed. It could be worthwhile to use a project management program like Trello or Asana to get your plan in place. Make sure you set your self-care priorities for the week and do your best to follow through on them.