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Never a good time

“I’m too busy”, “there isn’t enough time in the day”, and “I feel guilty”, are just some of the reasons people give me when I ask them why they aren’t doing anything for themselves on a daily basis. I’m a huge proponent of self-care and stress it with all of my clients. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, there’s no way you can take care of everyone and everything else. So I’ve created a list of self-care activities that you can start engaging in today.

Take the time

Before doing anything on this list remember that the most important part about engaging in self-care is that you stay mindful while doing it. You could go for a walk but if the whole time you’re stressing and thinking about how much work you have to do, you aren’t really making you a priority. Clear your mind and be fully present in the self-care you’re doing. Whether it’s breathing in the fresh air and taking in the sights while going for a walking, or quietly enjoying your warm cup of tea.

Self-Care Ideas:

When You’re Short on Time:Making you a priority doesn’t have to take as much time as one might think. Here are some self-care ideas that can be done in 5 minutes or less!

• Take a 5 minute walk
• Enjoy a hot cup of tea (preferably by a window or outside)
• Before you get up in the morning meditate for a few minutes
• Stretch
• Journal for a few minutes
• Read some inspirational quotes

Require Minimal Effort:The following suggestions don’t take a lot of effort and some don’t require a lot of time either. Win-Win!

• Be Mindful: The next time you do something be mindful while you do it. Mindfulness is the act of being fully in the present and immersed in whatever it is you’re doing. You can be mindful while going for a walk- focusing on breathing in the fresh air, taking in the details around you, and the feeling of the breeze and sun on your skin. You can also be mindful when eating or drinking- taking a moment to savor each sip of hot tea, the way it feels in your mouth, warming your belly and hands, the steam tickling your nose.
• Unplug: If you’re like me you can easily get sucked down the social media/internet rabbit hole. Make a commitment to yourself to unplug for a few hours, an evening, a day, a week or more! This will help you free up some time to engage in things that can bring you more pleasure than mindlessly scrolling on a screen.
• Color/Doodle: Let your inner child out with this self-care activity! Not only is coloring and doodling relaxing but you’ve got some great artwork to enjoy when you’re done!
• Listen to a podcastwhile you’re cleaning at home or driving to work. There are podcasts out there for everything from meditation to comedy shows.
• Read: Instead of mindlessly watching that TV series, read a book. Bonus tip: Read the same book with your partner and discuss it. This can be great for self-care as well as connecting!

Other ideas:

• Stress reducing:
  • Write down 1-3 things that are stressing you out and come up with at least 1 solution for each.
• Exercise:
  • Any sort of physical activity is better than none. Exercise releases endorphins, helps reduce stress and can help you sleep better!
• Take a Relaxing Bath:
  • Fill up the bath tub, add some bubbles, play some relaxing music while enjoying a glass of wine.
• Do Something For You!
  • Self-care comes in all forms. The best self-care activities are the ones that bring you feelings of happiness, peace, content, and self-love. As you can see from the above suggestions, self-care doesn’t have to be hard, you just have to be willing to change up your current routine and sprinkle in some you time. Take a moment now to think of some self-care activities you can start engaging in today.