Recently, it dawned on me that we have a very limited view of self-care.
And after listening to this episode, on the Mel Robbins podcast, my theory was confirmed. People aren’t engaging in self-care not because they’re not interested – there’s actually a much simpler answer…
Time!
Work is demanding. The laundry is backed up. Dishes are piled in the sink. The kids are being wild, and you have no clue what you’re going to eat for dinner.
Am I getting close?
I mean, who couldn’t understand why someone would crawl in bed after a chaotic day instead of practicing self-care?
The good news is – engaging in self-care doesn’t have to be as complicated as you might think!
In fact, I created this article to prevent you from being last on your list, choosing between wants and needs.
These tips are practical and highly effective! They’re also perfect for busy folks and will actually promote your overall growth and happiness.
This article is about self-care.
5 THINGS EVERY BUSY PERSON MUST DO FOR SELF-CARE
#1- REDEFINE YOUR COMFORT WITH FAILURE
Regardless of what your self-care goals are, I GUARANTEE that you’re going to fail, or falloff, in some way.
And I PROMISE you, that’s a GOOD thing!
I know society tells us that failure is bad, or somehow reveals truths about who we are as people but…
We have to stop believing everything society says.
How can something that exists only to show you where a change is needed, be bad?
In fact, wouldn’t this be something you’d want to know before investing valuable resources like time, energy, and effort?
This is why my #1 tip for re-engaging in self-care is to redefine your comfort, and understanding, of failure.
Worst case scenario? You misinterpret failure and start engaging in self-defeating behaviors like negative self-talk, rumination, procrastination, and more.
The best case?
You shift your mindset to see failure as a hint, ultimately helping you succeed faster and with greater accuracy.
#2 – CHOOSE SELF-CARE THAT FEELS RIGHT FOR YOU
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of your self-care practice, or routines, mirroring what works best for you – not others.
As mentioned earlier, failure can sometimes be an indicator that we need to change something about our process or approach.
In many cases, the message is that what we’re doing doesn’t work for us right now. Something more aligned with who/where we are is needed.
With that said, I challenge you to think of self-care differently and to step outside of the self-management box.
Self-care is about the internal work while self-management is largely external.
And although external upkeep has tremendous benefits, doing it alone won’t improve your happiness or well-being.
As you begin thinking about self-care, explore what your inner self needs.
If you feel stuck, consider which areas of your life are creating the most stress, inconvenience, or are monopolizing your focus over others.
Then, use resources or convenience to address them.
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#3 – AUTOMATE EVERYTHING
One of the main reasons busy people do not engage in self-care is because there does not seem to be enough time.
Between full schedules, families, household duties, and other obligations, taking care of ourselves seems to be the least pressing of all.
But, self-care is a priority, not a luxury. And the better we are to ourselves, the better we’ll show up in other areas of our lives, including in our relationships.
One of the easiest ways to practice self-care at home is to think of anything that’s a stressor or causes you dread or inconvenience.
Some initial things that may come to mind are cooking dinner, doing laundry or the dishes, or even taking out the trash.
But don’t just stop there. Consider other things that can slowly impact your happiness or well-being if there’s no progress. (Your business plan, physical health, or relationships).
Then, research convenient solutions to solve the problems; ultimately, restoring time so you don’t have to choose between self-care and life.
#4 – AUDIT YOUR CIRCLE
As a busy person, you might know the feeling of delaying your self-care needs to fulfill those of, what seems like, everyone else.
And after a full day of managing stress and responsibilities, the last thing you want is to invest time, energy, and support into one-sided relationships.
This can increase the amount of frustration and overwhelm in your life and feel very isolating.
I believe that interactions like these are part of the reason why it’s easier to choose mindless activities over self-care.
When we feel drained, we might engage in mindless activities because they don’t require anything from us, and it seems like an easy way to recharge.
The best thing you can do for yourself, without giving up more time, is to do a complete audit of your relationships and make adjustments where necessary.
Trust, doing so can be challenging, especially when things like people pleasing, guilt, a lack of boundaries, fear of loss, and unhealthy family/cultural traditions exist.
But you deserve to be supported and loved too.
That starts with protecting your valuable time and energy and intentionally surrounding yourself with people who push you towards the life/goals you imagine.
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#5 – MANAGE YOUR TIME
If you’re still under the impression that there’s not enough time in the day for self-care, then we need to talk about time management.
In addition to automating everything and auditing your relationships, another way to get time “back” is to closely monitor where it goes in the first place.
Your time is valuable, however, it’s super easy to “lose” when you’re running from one obligation to the next unconsciously.
When you’re accountable for every hour of your day, you take an active role in guaranteeing time for the things you actually want to do.
Now, doing so may require more structure and feel robotic in nature, but believe me, it’s not.
And although things don’t always go as planned, having a regular schedule increases the overall likelihood that they will.
The nice thing is that there are tons of tools and ways to manage and structure your days.
By raising your awareness in this area, you will know exactly what guzzles your time and which convenient solutions should be prioritized so that you have more of it.
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CONCLUSION
By now you’re aware of 5 easy tips that will help you practice self-care asap, and in non-conventional ways.
Not only do they require little to no additional time on your part, but they’re easier to commit to than full routines and activities that may not align with your lifestyle.
Taking an active role in your well-being and happiness is exactly what self-care is about and, as you read, it does not have to be complicated.
I hope you found this article and resources helpful and that you take them with you as you start a new self-care practice or routine!
What are some other unconventional self-care ideas that this article reminded you of?