How can you add more self care to your routine?
So you’ve read about the benefits of self care and know that you need to prioritise it, but how?
It seems like an impossible task to find time to practice self care but it is possible.
Here are 5 ways to add more self care into you routine:
1. Put it in the diary
Yes I know we shouldn’t have to make an appointment with ourselves, but if that’s what it takes….. because if you decide you are going to wait until you have time for self care then guess what, it’s never going to happen!
Treat it like you would any other appointment and have little breaks throughout the day. For example taking a 15 minute tea break, a 10 minute power walk a lunch time, 20 minutes of reading before bed. Even stopping for 2 minutes to breathe counts!
2. Make a list of your favourite activities
Start by making a list of your favourite activities and things you like to do that help you relax and bring you joy. Break the list down into short, medium and long term activities so you can then choose what you do depending on the day and time available.
For example
- Short (5-10 minutes) self care ideas include: a cup of tea, some stretches, listening to a mini mindfulness exercise.
- Medium (20-30 minutes) self care ideas include: a relaxing bath, short walk, reading a book, a short yoga session, listening to a podcast
- Long (30 minutes +) self care ideas include: getting a massage, coffee with friends, long meditation, taking a nap.
This is not an exhaustive list, but simply to give you some inspiration.
3. Get your day off to the best start
First thing in the morning is a great time to practice self care. Rising half an hour earlier than everyone else to get some quiet time on your own. Maybe you can enjoy a cuppa, a meditation or short morning yoga session.
Implement a mobile phone rule first thing in the morning – no checking messages, email or social media. In fact, I would advise not checking any of these until you start your working day and allocate the first 15-20 minutes of your day to this.
2 Reasons:
- if you check messages then you will likely be tempted into responding, you lose track of time and the morning becomes a rush, not a great start to the day!
- There may be messages that you can’t deal with until you are in the office. All that happens is that the message plays on your mind spoiling your morning, you might not be present with family, you might be snappy and irritable with them. It just gets your day off to a bad start!
You can of course use your phone for something positive such as a guided meditation just make sure you aren’t tempted to check your messages.
One way round this would be to turn off all notification the night before so you can’t see those tempting red notification circles with numbers in them!
4. Learn to say no and set boundaries
If you are always saying yes to everything then you are never going to get any time to yourself. Think about your values, goals and priorities and anything that doesn’t fit with these you say no to!
It’s important that boundaries are also put in place to protect the time you have allocated for your self care. Make sure you communicate them and are consistent otherwise people won’t take them seriously!
5. Allow for one bigger self care activity each week
As well as all the small acts of self care throughout the day, it’s important to allow for one bigger indulgence each week. This really is about prioritising yourself and your needs. Maybe you meet with friends for lunch, go for massage, a long walk out in nature, time away from social media time. There’s no right or wrong here, just whatever works for you!
Remember if you prioritise yourself you will reap the benefits and so will your business!
You might like to read:
How to set boundaries