Is self-care something you only get to do when everything else is done? Then you might make your life more difficult than necessary. In this article, I’m going to show you 37 easy self-care tips for busy days.
Just the other day it happened again…
I was unhappy with myself without knowing why. I snapped at my favorite people. I got stuck on Facebook instead of sleeping.
I’d had a really stressful week not long ago. And self-care had fallen by the wayside.
Yet whenever our energy gets used up, it is crucial to recharge. Unfortunately, more often than not, that only happens on weekends or vacation, right? If that…
Self-care to the rescue
You may not be able to book a night at the Spa on a weekly basis. What you can do on busy days are tiny little acts of self-care:
- Sneaking out for a few minutes of yoga while the kids snuggle with Dad.
- Listening to an audiobook while dealing with the dishwasher.
- Taking a deep breath for a couple of minutes – several times a day.
I had an impressive experience with the power of these tiny steps of mini-self-care.
Within a day, I was back to normal-ish. I was able to relieve some of the stress simply by using just a few minutes here and there. And it made all the difference.
My environment hadn’t changed.
But my experience of everyday life had changed dramatically. Just because of a few simple steps of self-care.
The outside world was the same, but inside I was more calm and peaceful. More composed. And way more resilient to the constant chatter in our home.
Self-care for stress prevention
There are two dimensions of self-care: Stress prevention and stress relief. Let’s first talk about the things you can do to prevent stress from adding up.
Here are 5 tips for stress prevention:
- Schedule time for leisure and relaxation. Don’t schedule everything else and hope for leftovers.
- Look for a change if your work is a constant source of stress.
- As an extrovert, make happy human connection a priority. If you’re an introvert, decline a night out in favor of a quiet date with your couch.
- Get very clear on what you enjoy doing. And then do more if it.
- Make sure your needs don’t always come last.
Self-care for stress relief
Once you’ve got preventative measures in place, it’s time to look at self-care for stress relief.
Self-care is so more than meditation and healthy eating. In a nutshell, it’s everything that:
- nurtures you
- helps you to calm down
- allows you to breathe deeply
- causes that quiet feeling of well-being
The Simple Balance Tip #1
Make a list of activities that make you feel good. Here are 29 ideas for self-care to get you started:
The Simple Balance Tip #2
During particularly stressful periods of life, it is part of self-care to use all available shortcuts:
- Consider using a flexible cleaning service for a few weeks when life is extra demanding.
- Instead of cooking everything from scratch, order pizza for your family. Then spend the time you freed up reading a story to your children. Or take a bath.
- Ask for help.
Building a self-care routine
Small and easy steps of self-care can be built right into your daily routine. That way you’ve got your own back on busy days.
But what might a self-care routine look like?
- Use the blueprint of The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.
- Block a weekly appointment for self-care in your planner. (And consider them just as non-negotiable as a dentist appointment!)
- Get up 30 minutes before the rest of the family to enjoy the quiet.
- Take time for a walk in the morning.
- Or do some yoga during your lunch break.
- Try meditation at your desk – or, as a mom, on the loo…
- Or simply enjoy every cup of coffee with quiet pleasure.
- Listen to an audiobook or uplifting podcast on your commute.
- Set a timer to remind you of deep breaths throughout the day.
- Or do a few relaxing stretches before bedtime.
Simple Balance Self-care Tip #3
This all sounds great, doesn’t it? And yet it’s just before midnight as I’m writing this…
When that sort of thing happens, smile. And be gracious with yourself.
Because: Self-care may be crucial for your well-being, but it sure as heck doesn’t have to be perfect.
Any small steps will do. I promise.
Which step are you going to take first?
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