How do you break the cycle of busyness, especially when it impacts your self-care?
How would your life be different with less stress?
Busyness may be your middle name and as I watch how women add more and more to their schedules, I wonder how they are taking care of themselves.
Let me ask you, “How are you taking care of yourself?”
“What is your self-care routine?”
Would you like to reduce your stress, your anxiety, and increase your feelings of joy and happiness?
I’m sure you would. Here are a few practical ways you can build self-care into your busy schedule:
Take care of your body. Exercising and eating healthy is not just something we do to prevent illness — it’s an integral part of your self-care routine. Treat your body right by feeding it nutritious and delicious food, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep at night.
Get outside for some fresh air every day, even for just a few minutes. If you can take your exercise outdoors, even better! Taking care of your physical body also improves your mental wellbeing — so it’ll be worthwhile for you to emphasize getting this onto your daily schedule.
Speak kindly to yourself. The same way you compliment your loved ones, start complimenting yourself, too. The words we speak to ourselves hold so much value, and it’s essential that we speak kindly. You can do this by taking notice of your mental self-talk throughout the day.
In what ways can you flip any negative self-talk into something positive? Are there recurring negative thoughts or patterns you notice?
We can be our own worst critics, so it’ll take practice, but putting effort into giving ourselves grace and understanding while treating ourselves kindly and with compassion will make a tremendous impact on your health and outlook.
Make time for yourself. It’s so easy to get caught up with deadlines and work-life that we forget to prioritize ourselves and do things we love.
Schedule some time for yourself and make sure you’re doing something you love each day. Keep up with your hobbies, pamper yourself, or relax by watching a movie — do whatever it is that makes you happy, just make sure you do it! If you have a jam-packed schedule, start by scheduling just 5-10 minutes per day. Starting small is better than waiting for the perfect time.
Do the difficult tasks. Sometimes, self-care and self-love aren’t as pretty as face masks and movie nights. If you have a task that’s been looming over your head for weeks, get it done. If you need to do some difficult self-reflection, re-build or end relationships, study, or pay bills, do it. It might not be fun or easy, but you will feel so much better afterward.
These to-do’s lingering on our list weigh on us, so do yourself a favor and release yourself from those tasks by checking them off your list.
Build a positive social circle. Surround yourself with supportive people who want to see you do well in life. Building your social life can increase feelings of purpose and your sense of belonging. So make time for friends and family, build a weekly lunch date into your schedule (even if it’s virtual), and prioritize connecting with others.
Commit to a self-care routine to begin benefitting from the positive health outcomes that will be yours.
Take this quick Self-Care Assessment to learn where you may need to add more self-care to your daily routine. Click the image below to receive your free assessment.
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