6 Ways to practice Self Care (even when you have very little time)
I don’t need to tell you that practicing self care is important. We know that scheduling time for ourselves is essential to be able to function well but how the fudge do you actually do that amongst a really busy schedule?!
Well, as a single mum and business owner, I get it. This is why I’ve put together my top 6 tips on how you can make time for yourself when life is hectic. They all take very little resources (apart from maybe a notepad and pen, so grab one now) and they are in order of priority so you can address one at a time. Right, your time is precious so let’s get to it:
Start small. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t expect you’re wonderful self care regime to be either. But do not underestimate how helpful even a tiny amount of time for yourself can be - and then build, baby, build. Start by scanning your weekly schedule and look for some small pockets of time that you could find for yourself. This maybe just 2 mins before you switch on your computer or 45 mins once a week. It doesn’t matter how small it is, just make sure it can be regular. Regularity is the key here, rather than duration. You’re going to be playing the long game and enjoying every step along the way.
Be boundaried. Once you’ve found this time, guard it. Put it in the diary, block it out as a ‘meeting’ and set an alarm. Then put some good ol’ fashioned boundaries around it so that it is a non-negotiable time for yourself, otherwise it will easily get swallowed up. Tell anyone who asks to sacrifice that time “I’m sorry I can’t, I’m busy”. Simple. Though some people might find this harder to except than others, they will survive, you’ll arrange another time or they’ll find someone else, and life will go on with you being more cared for. And exhale….
Prioritise. Let’s be realistic, we’d all love to do an hour yoga, eat all organic food, go for a massage, read one of the many untouched books on our shelves AND have a long soak in a bubble bath everyday, but for the majority of us, this just ain’t happening. When thinking about your self care plans with a busy schedule, you’ve got to prioritise. With your notebook reflect on where or when you feel the most energised, loved, content, in your flow or joy in your life. Is it out socialising or having time to yourself? Maybe getting out in nature or reading a good book? Cooking, exercising, cuddling on the sofa, learning something new - whatever it is, knowing exactly what helps you feel rejuvenated is really going to help to get the very most out of your limited time.
Check your self talk. Ok, yes, our busy schedules are definitely an issue, I’m not denying that. But often there is also some underlying beliefs about what it means to care for yourself that can be stopping you, too. Do you worry that giving yourself time is maybe self-centred? Do you feel if you’re not working you’re lazy? Maybe apart of you believes other peoples needs are more important than yours? Give yourself some time to acknowledge what else might be going on around your lack of time for yourself. It will be worth it, I assure you. Knowledge of what makes you tick is key to making any kind of change. Where possible, talk to someone you trust about what comes up, note it in a diary or chat to a therapist if you have the resources. Remember, this time is VITAL for you to be able to do all the other things you give time and effort to in your life. By giving yourself this time you’ll be able to perform far better at work, in your relationships, with your parenting and everything else. This isn’t self-indulgent, lazy or unnecessary. Self-care is crucial.
Make a back up plan. We all know life doesn’t always go to plan, and with a busy schedule often things are chucked at us left right and centre and we need to adapt. This is where it is always good to a plan for something else you can do if your wonderfully guarded time to yourself does get lost to something unavoidable. Always have something else up your sleeve. For example, if you know for you that going out with your friends for a coffee is what you need to keep you sane and you miss it one week, maybe schedule a 15 min video call with a friend instead from home, heat up some oat milk with your coffee and find a quiet corner to natter instead. Or if going out to an exercise class is your thing and you can’t one week, then pop on a online workout on instead (we know a good On Demand service if your keen, wink wink!). Don’t give up on your selfcare, just adapt.
Build up over time. Right so we’ve found a small pocket of time, popped it in the diary, guarded it with our lives AND prioritised what we spend this precious time on. YES! This is a massive win already. Maybe this is all you can manage for a while, and there isn’t anything wrong with that. But ideally we want this time to breed with other pockets of time and make little self-care time babies. How? Well funnily enough this happens pretty naturally with out too much effort if you keep being consistent. Once you get a taste for how it’s done, your life style starts to shift, the people around you understand your boundaries and you put some of your inner critics to bed; suddenly 5 mins becomes 10 or once a week becomes three times. Life adapts and the pendulum swings. Voila! Self care grows and becomes a way of life you don’t need to think about.
Hopefully now you’ve got an idea of how the heck you can start getting self-care into your busy schedule. If you’d now like a little inspiration for what to do with this precious time, check out our other post: Self-care ideas in no more than 15 mins.
At the end of the day, the main takeaway is this; it doesn’t matter what you do to take care of yourself or how long for. It’s that you are consistently making an effort to do so and giving self-care importance. By doing this you are sending a message to yourself to say “I am worthy of being cared for” and this can be life changing.
Take care of yourself!
Alice x