Self-Care: How to Fit it In
Self-Care, who's got time for that?! I get it, we all are busy. That's one thing I've learned as I get older, everyone and their mother has a lot going on and a lot on their to-do list. So, how in the heck are we supposed to squeeze in time for self-care? Where in the schedule could it possibly fit? I used to ask myself the same thing. I get it! I am going to share my tips and tricks for fitting it all in, but what it really boils down to is; make self-care a PRIORITY!
Self-care should be just as important as your work, your social time, and even your tv time. The best part is, you're probably already doing some things that constitute as self-care right now. Do you workout? Self-care. Do you journal or read? Self-care. Do you cook yourself healthy meals? Self-care. This brings me to tip #1...
Reframe How You Think of Self-Care
A lot of people consider self-care to be things like getting a manicure or a massage. Taking a spa day with the girls or meditating and practicing yoga for an hour. Yes, those are forms of self-care, but it's not ALL you can do for self-care. Taking a walk outside can be self-care. Not sleeping with your phone in the same room can be self-care. Washing your face (if it's something you struggle with) can be self-care. I invite you to consider that self-care can be small things too, things that cost nothing and take little time or effort in the grand scheme of your life.
Start Small
It's so easy to get scared away thinking you have to spend an hour a day on self-care. So, start small. Start with washing your face twice a day, or taking a calm bubble bath. Make small efforts until you create a habit of self-care, then slowly build up to the bigger things. Keep in mind that the more you practice self-care, the easier it'll be and the more creative you will be with coming up with inexpensive self-care ideas.
Make it Routine
Face Masks have become essential to my self-care routine, but some days I just don't have the time. Instead of ditching the mask, I combine it with something else. For example, I've just come back from the gym and I want to do a face mask, but there's no time considering I still have to cook and eat before heading out for our nighttime plans. So I take a deep breath because I'm clearly feeling rushed. Then wash my face, apply the mask and start cooking. News flash - you can do other things while wearing your face mask. If you think about it, a face mask really takes 60 seconds of actual effort. It's about 30 seconds to apply it and 30 seconds to wash it off 10-20 minutes later. The rest of the time can be spent doing things on your to-do list.
I hope this helped someone out there! I know how overwhelmed I can get trying to fit it all in, and changing my thinking and creating these habits have truly helped me!