Whether you are busy with college classes, a job or both, you still need to make time for self care. Taking time to do something for you is a nice way to boost your health-mentally and even physically. Self care does not need to be difficult or time consuming, but it is a necessary part of our lives.
In this post, I am going to talk about how people with busy schedules can still maintain good self care. While it is harder when you have less free time, you also should not use that as an excuse for not practicing self care.
Here are some ways of practicing self care for busy people.
1. Schedule it.
If you are already super busy, putting self care in your weekly (or daily) schedule will help you to make time for it. Having a lot to do means that it can be easy to forget the small stuff. So write down in your planner the self care you plan to do.
Scheduling in self care can also help you get in the habit of it when you are starting out. It’s almost impossible to go full force into something, so having it written down can help you actually follow through.
2. Start with Something Easy.
If you have never given any self care before, it can be daunting. There are so many different ways to pamper yourself that you will probably be overwhelmed. Don’t let that deter you. Start by doing something small. Pick something that you know you will enjoy and that won’t take much time or effort.
That could mean ordering a small dessert with your meal or opting for a special solo date night. You could take a nice, relaxing bath or cook your favorite meal. There are loads of options for basic self care.
3. Do Something You Enjoy.
Self care does not need to be overly fancy or expensive. It doesn’t have to take a long time. So find something that you really enjoy and make it a point to do that thing regularly. It could be as simple as reading a book before bed or as complicated as a spa day. The point of self care is to do something that will make you feel better, whatever that may be.
4. You Don’t Have to Choose One Thing.
if multiple methods of self care interest you, then do all of them. some might be a daily activity while others would be better saved for once a week or once a month. You can do something small each day and save some of the bigger self care activities for the weekend or for when you have the time.
Self care is different for everyone, and it can vary from one week to the next for a single person. If something stops working, you can switch things up. As you have different stressors, different activities will calm that stress. Your first choice might not always work. So evaluation is important.
5. Listen to Yourself.
If you find that what you are doing to practice self care is no longer working, change it. Your body and its response to self care can tell you a lot about what you need to do to improve. If you have lost interest in reading every day, take a break. Find something else (an audiobook, perhaps?) to fill that time.
Also, if your first self care session doesn’t yield great results, keep at it. Figure out what worked and what didn’t so that you can have more success in the future.
6. Be Accountable.
You can set an alarm on your phone, write in your planner or have an accountability buddy to keep you on track. Self care is important to do more than just once or once every so often. It should be done regularly to get results.
Being accountable to yourself or a friend will motivate you to actually do what you say you are going to do. If you have a method of staying accountable, it will be much easier to not get off track.
7. You might Fail.
In the beginning, you might not know what kind of self care you need. That’s okay. Just know that you can do whatever you set your mind to. If self care is important to you, you will keep up with it.
There might be a day when you forget to read or a week where you don’t have the time to cook a nice meal. Don’t beat yourself up about it. But also, come back with a bigger desire to keep going.
8. It Can Fit Your Schedule.
Self care doesn’t have to take all day. You can treat yourself in less than thirty minutes, depending on what you choose to do. Being busy and leading an “on the go” life doesn’t mean that your needs come second to what else you have going on.
If you don’t take enough time for yourself, it could compromise your work. I know that’s the case for me. If I am constantly going and going, I will burn out. I will have to take a break, so I might as well make time for those breaks before they become urgent.
So…
Those are some of my tips for self care for busy people. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Do you take time to do something for you? What are your favorite ways to treat yo self? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter (@HannahHaefele)!
Thanks for reading!
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