Between work, home, and social responsibilities do you often feel that all your time is spent taking care of others?
Neglecting self-care is easy in a busy world, but the consequences can be serious. It’s not OK to allow your mental, physical, and emotional health to suffer in the name of “doing it all.”
Adding self-care practices to your daily routine can greatly strengthen your health and well-being. And, it won’t take as much time as you may think. The truth is, self-care is essential. The happiest and most successful people regularly focus on self-care.
So, if you’ve allowed your self-care to fall off the list of priorities, keep reading for some simple practices you can implement today to re-start your self-care routine.
Try these 5 simple self-care strategies today:
1. Block out time for self-care in your schedule.
It’s not enough to occasionally stop your busy lifestyle and take a walk or indulge in a hot bath. Self-care is an ongoing process. Just as you reserve time in your schedule for other appointments, set aside time to take care of yourself, too.
* It’s important to adopt self-care habits that you can enjoy on a regular basis. They’ll help you avoid burnout, increase your productivity, and allow you to enjoy life.
2. Enjoy your favorite hobby.
Whether you love to experiment with new recipes in the kitchen or paint pictures of sunsets, your favorite hobbies can be part of self-care. Hobbies and activities that you already enjoy are easy to select and put into practice.
* You just have to find room in your schedule to do them. This is an important step and shows your commitment to self-care.
3. Make note of the compliments you receive.
You can enjoy this self-care practice even as you work or run errands! Start taking notes of the compliments you receive. You can keep them in a journal, diary, or online folder.
* Your compliment folder can also include emails, notes, thank you cards, and other things that make you smile.
* This self-care practice can help you fight negative thoughts. Compliments can serve as reminders that you matter, your existence is important, and someone appreciates you.
4. Remove clutter.
Whether you decide to declutter your closet or clean out the fridge, removing clutter will uplift you. Clutter can drain you physically and mentally. It can also make you unhappy as you try to move through your day.
* Eliminate the things that no longer serve you. For example, if you’re keeping clothes in your closet that you hate each time you open the door, replace them with clothes that you love.
5. Do one selfish act.
Living selfishly all day isn’t recommended, but doing one selfish act that makes you happy can do wonders. You can enjoy just that one thing without feeling guilty about it!
* If you struggle with self-care, it’s often because you spend all of your energy and time taking care of others. There’s nothing left in your well for yourself. By taking the time to do one selfish act, such as reading your favorite book or ignoring a boring phone call, you’ll be restoring your own importance.
Self-care often takes a backseat to work, family, and other obligations. However, without stopping to take care of your mind and body, you’re at risk of burning out and suffering from serious health issues.
Try these tips and start making time for your self-care practices today!
I want to hear from you!
What are some of your favorite ways to practice self-care? Please join the discussion in the comments section below.
Comments 17
Incorporate gentle movement into your routine. Whether it’s a short stretching session, a leisurely walk, or a brief yoga flow, movement contributes to both physical and mental well-being.
Great advice! My greatest struggle is removing clutter, as small as it is, it’s still a bother to me. I want to be more organized. If I could only find the motivation. I know I have to have a plan in mind such as do a room-by-room de-cluttering. Maybe a room each week would help.
I recently had an accident that put me in the “stop and smell the roses” mode. I broke my femur and can’t put it any weight on it for at least 12 weeks. It will take on average a year to completely heal. I was running so fast in my life and this is giving me time to look at my life and decide what I need to cut out.. I was glad to come across your post to help me rethink some more choices. I was trying too hard for perfection. Thank you so much for posting this advice..
I realize self care is important, however with kids, grand kids and farm life I’m finding it very difficult to keep up or stay organized.My relaxation is reading my favorite blogs, such as yours… but even at that I rarely have time to do it everyday. I’m LUCKY if I get to do it once a week!
I find that the biggest problem with self care in convincing ourselves that we are worth it’ It’s very difficult to set aside time to be nice to yourself if you don’t really believe that you deserve it.
Author
Very true, Miranda! That’s the biggest hurdle to overcome in practicing self-care.
I’m a single mom and I’m busy, this was so great to read, thank you.
I can’t take a compliment to save my life…thanks for the advice.
As a full time carer I desperately need to make time for self-care! Some good ideas – thanks!
Self care is very important, people often neglect it. Glad you emphasized this topic.
this sounds interesting thanks for posting
Decluttering helps massively. I hate doing it but I always feel so much better afterwards
Self-care? Someone tore that page out of my dictionary! But really…I have a problem with this. I am caregiver to 2 disabled family members, 24/7…never go out, or anything. One thing I HAVE to do is de-clutter…both within and without. Thanks for giving me hope!
Thank you for sharing. This sounds very interesting.
Self care is very much needed. Thank you for sharing with us!
You are so right. We all need to take some time for ourselves. It needs to be a priority. Thank you so much for sharing these suggestions. God Bless
Author
Absolutely, Linda!?