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If you think that you’re too busy to have a self-care routine, I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong.
I know that self-care has been portrayed as an indulgent, selfish pampering session, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Self-care is actually the ongoing practice of keeping ourselves emotionally and physically healthy.
Even the busiest of people should make time for a self-care routine.
Self-care does not have to require a 3-hour block of time every evening to soak in the tub while you listen to spa music and read a book with a glass of wine in hand. If that’s your self-care routine, that’s okay, too! But busy people tend to avoid doing anything for themselves because they don’t think they have enough time.
It’s a misconception that you need a ton of time to take care of your health and well-being. Even if you think that you don’t have the time for self-care, you should make time. Taking care of yourself is too important not to. Here are a few tips from one busy person to another.
It’s popular to portray self-care as a selfish act of pampering ourselves, but it’s about meeting your human needs and it’s vital to your well-being. I’m sure that you’ve heard the saying, “you can’t pour from an empty cup,” and it’s true.
You absolutely need to refill your cup or recharge your batteries, in order to do everything else. Give yourself permission to take care of yourself.
Everyone is different, and everyone will have a different self-care routine that they benefit from. Instead of just engaging in random self-care activities in an attempt to feel better, sit down and listen to your body and your mind to understand your own needs. To take care of yourself, do you need to make time to read alone?
Should you clear your mind through meditation, or would you benefit more from getting a sitter and going out with friends?
From one busy person to another, I promise that I understand what it’s like. Life is hectic and there’s always a ton of things that need to get done. Taking care of ourselves always seems to get shuffled to the bottom of the priority list.
It’s important to remember that ditching your self-care isn’t going to help anyone, least of all, you. Even the busiest people need to make sure that self-care is somewhere on that priority list, and need to take a few moments to themselves.
If you made an appointment or plans with someone else, would you keep canceling on that person? You should treat your self-care “appointments” with yourself the same way. Block off non-negotiable appointments with yourself, and write it in the calendar. Schedule the rest of your life around it.
I know this one is really hard for a lot of people, but seriously, put it away. In fact, put all the tech away, if even for a little while. Social media and other apps are really just a huge time suck, and zoning out in front of a screen can end up more exhausting than it is restful or restorative.
Your self-care time is about the most important thing: you. You don’t need to get worked up over what celebrities are doing, the news, or what other people are posting on social media. Step away for a little while.
