Day in and day out we take care of others. We work, we make sure our friends are okay, we care for people in our household, and if you have kids, the responsibility of taking care of your babies is never ending! With all the roles we take on, it’s very easy to forget about Self Care and making sure we are taken care of. Yes, we love taking care of others. For a lot of us, being nurturing comes naturally out of love and care for those in our life. While there is nothing at all wrong with taking care of the people we love, there is something wrong with forgetting to care for ourselves. When I’m going a million miles a minute every day I constantly remind myself that I cannot pour from an empty cup. I can’t be what I need to be to those in my life if I am not properly caring for and being what I need to myself. I try to practice self care a few times out of the week as often as I can! With a busy schedule, my personal needs change from week to week depending on what I have going on. Sometimes I want to read as an escape, sometimes I want to pull out my spa kit and give myself a Mani/Pedi, and other times I just want to sit in peace and quiet and unplug. No matter what your needs or schedule, you can fit self care into a busy life! Not sure how? Below I share my top 5 tips for practicing self care!
1. Reward Yourself Some Peace. One of my favorite things to do after a busy day is to unwind in peace in and quiet. It sounds so simple, but the 30 minutes to an hour I take after work is vital to me relaxing and not carrying the weight of the day. It also helps me get a good night sleep! Now, I do understand that this is harder for a lot of people, especially parents. When you come home from work you’re immediately cooking, cleaning, helping with homework, picking up after little ones, and before you know it its 9pm and you’ve barely had time for yourself. Parents deserve quiet time too! When they kids are finally down and settled, try unplugging a few nights our of the week – no TV, no phone, no social media what so ever. Even if it is just 30 minutes, it is enough time to wind down, process your day, and prepare for some good sleep! YOU DESERVE!
2. Break Up The Day. Work! It is the one thing that takes up all of our time and the place where we put majority of our energy on a daily basis. Whether you like your job or not, we have to do it to provide for ourselves and our loved ones. Even entrepreneurs and small business owners have to put the work in on a daily basis. And don’t get me started on teachers! No matter what your profession, work days are long and draining. This is why I believe in breaking up the day. I am thankful to say that I enjoy what I do so I rarely dread going into work, but, I take my lunch break very seriously. It is my time to get away from the office. Many people spend their lunch eating in the work break room, in their office or even in their cubicle. This is a major No for me. It’s important to use that time to process, to not think about work and to just step away and clear your mind, especially if your job is demanding and busy. Believe it or not, a lot can be done in an hour. I live close to work so I often times go home, kick off my shoes, eat and just relax. Of course everyone does not have the luxury of doing that, but, there are many other things you can do to reset for the second half of your day! Many jobs and companies are surrounded by malls, businesses, gyms and even parks in close radius. These are great places to spend your lunch break to clear your mind and not think about work. Every so often my friend and I will go walk around the mall. She and I will bring our running shoes and get a few laps in on the second floor and will even grab lunch while we are there if we did not bring lunch from home. Before the summer heat kicked in, we also worked out during our hour lunch break. This was actually amazing! We both have memberships at the gym nearby and when timed correctly, we were able to get a 30 minute workout in while still having time to freshen up and make it back to work on time. If there is a gym near your job or your company has a workout facility on sight, I highly suggest this, especially if you sit at a desk on a computer all day. It will give you energy to finish out the send half of your workday, help keep you active and healthy and maintain a positive attitude in the office. Trust me, you’ll love it!
3. Pamper Thyself. This tip goes without saying! We all love treating ourselves to things that make us feel good. We love being pampered! Whether it’s a manicure, pedicure, getting a massage or anything that you love that you would consider pampering. It makes you feel good and depending on how you pamper yourself it makes you look good too. Looking and feeling good are important parts of Self Care. When we forget to do little things for ourselves it can sometimes mess with our confidence and self esteem. It can also make us feel like we do so much for others and nothing for ourselves. This is why Self Care and pampering yourself is vital. This can even be done on a budget! While I do go to the salon from time to time, I give myself mani’s and pedi’s at home. I do this to save money and to spend time with myself. I buy a new nail polish color, mix together a sugar scrub and pull out my foot spa. Not only am I saving money but I always love the end result! I also love getting a massage. Of course I cannot do this myself, but I do find ways to save on this as well. Groupon is one of the best places to find deals on things like facials, massages and even full spa packages! Nothing feels better than finding an amazing deal for a 60-minute massage for $35 or less! Check out Groupon deals in your area and treat yourself!
4. Unplug. With all that is going on in the world, on social media, in the news and even in your life it is important to give yourself a break from technology from time to time. It is so easy to get mentally and emotional wrapped up on what is going on around us. We easily get upset at what we see on our timelines and sad about what we see on the news. This can bring you way down, can take away your peace of mind and can alter your entire mood and almost ruin your day. Give yourself a break! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, CNN…it will always be there. Sometimes it’s not enough to block or mute things you don’t want to see or read. You think it is and the next thing you know you’re knee deep in a Facebook debate with someone you don’t even know. Stop. Log out. Put the phone down. It’s draining and tiring! If you want to share your thoughts, start writing in a journal. Set up hang out time with your friends to see one another instead of using social media as the primary means of communication. When you are with your friends, put the phone down and engage – yes, it really did happen even if you didn’t post it on social media. I went one day without my phone and when the day started, I panicked! I had no idea how I was going to make it through the day. I was so used to always checking for text messages, social media notifications, and emails. By the end of the day I realized that I did not miss my phone one bit. Since I have been unplugging, checking my phone less and engaging more with those around me! Give it a try!
5. Love yourself. Self care is about loving yourself. It’s about making sure you feel as good as you make everyone else feel around you. Now, no one is perfect. The same way we can fall short being there for those around us, we fall even shorter caring for ourselves. Believe it or not, putting caring for yourself first is the first step for caring for your loved ones. If you’re not fulfilled, not taken care of, drained, and lacking confidence and not feeling like yourself, you can only give but so much to those around you. So, love on yourself. Speak goodness and positive things over yourself. Don’t look for it to come from anyone else! It’s great to hear nice words and receive kind gestures from others but it is more rewarding fulfilling when we do it for ourselves. It sets the standard for how you want others to care for and to treat you.
Self care is the best care. It sets the tone for how we care for others. When we are felling our absolute best, we are able to put our best foot forward out into the world. Remember, you CANNOT pour from an empty cup!
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