Of course, it may seem most apparent that self-care should be done either with/by yourself and that it should be a relaxing, no interruptions sort of time… Well, ideally, that would be fantastic —actually all the time! However, for some folks, it’s just absolutely a complicated process to survive the day, let alone their morning start and evening wrap-ups.
Whether you are pulled by those you care for but don’t have control of their schedule, or you are on call for your multiple jobs, there can truthfully be some pretty gnarly justifiable reasons as to why a person just absolutely feels they have no time for self-care.
Don’t give up just yet! There are absolutely ways around wishing and only wishing that you could have more of that perfect fabulous pampering that you only read about or see on social media posts. First off, if you are spending time on social media, you know pretty well that if you cut the time in 1/2, you can gift yourself 50% of the time to do something for yourself and spending less time on social media, which can in many cases be detrimental to your mental health.
Social media aside, and anything else you can identify as “time-wasters.” I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and imagine that it is pretty nearly impossible to fit in any kind of a more traditional sense of self-care anywhere in your schedule on any day of the week… Here are a few ways that you can incorporate self-care into your already busy day rather than stress over how you’re going to implement it where there is no room to squeeze it in:
Practice Mindfulness.
You know everything you’ve got to do in a day. And for everything you do, there is always prep before you start. This here is key. Take driving, for instance; you can’t just jump into your car and expect it to go. There are steps you take to safely get going, get the engine running, oh and let’s not forget the all-important “check if I’ve got everything” moment! Just as you take steps to get on the road, there are steps to making your bed, starting your day at your desk, prepping the table before dinner… Here’s my point. With every step you take in the process of preparing for what you are about to do when you’re about to do it, be mindful. Be alert of what is going on; however, take notice of the details and not just of your overall surroundings.
The details don’t mean overwhelming your mind with everything you’ve got to do right now but instead just getting to it and while you’re doing the steps of each task, pay attention to the task and the sensory triggers while you’re doing it. When you take a moment to sit back because you need to think of the next thing you’re going to say on that memo, sit up straight, take a deep breath, and as you exhale, think about what you will write. For that split moment, before you start writing and even before you start thinking about it, you’ve just achieved some self-care, my friend!
It’s all about giving yourself credit, “Period”! To succeed at feeling accomplished, you must practice being more aware. You must practice mindfulness. By noticing every movement, breathing in the goodness, hearing the pleasant sounds around you, smelling that favorite candle you bought for your desk as you slowly open the canister and take in the fragrant joys… Getting my point yet? Or when cooking and opening that jar of sauce with anticipation, you smell, but instead of skipping into autopilot, you ensure that you take notice of how you can truly enjoy that moment as you’re smelling the sauce and not just putting your mind to eating already. You can enjoy the meal once you are actually enjoying your meal!
Give yourself credit that you made that for yourself or that you served it with care. You are taking care of yourself at that moment and those little moments, each and every single one. If you are aware of them, you can appreciate them and be grateful that you have taken care of them at the end of your day.
Until the day that you can block out some time to do more traditional self-care, enjoy your prep moments. Until the day you can be most consistent with beautiful self-care rituals, enjoy the beauty that is being mindful.
Hello, my name is Elizabeth Morales. I have been a Self-Care advisor for over 10 years and a Talent Acquisition professional for over 20 years. I derived people’s performance to match them with their most incredible life opportunities. Now I enjoy combining my talents and experience with practicing self-love and establishing healthy boundaries while incorporating self-respect and self-care into even the busiest of schedules and demanding lifestyles.