We all have 24-hours in a day, but it seems that with our busy schedule — there’s never enough time.
With 40 hours of your week already reserved for work (sometimes it’s even 50 or 60 or more), taking time to pamper ourselves doesn’t seem like an option.
Does that sound familiar?
I used to have this lifestyle about two years ago. I was literally swamped with work that my kids barely saw me on weekdays. When I came home from work, they’ll all be asleep. When I leave for work – you guessed it – they’ll still be asleep.
My weekends, which I was always looking forward to, would sometimes be compromised because I was on call. It was brutal, to say the least. To sum it up, I didn’t have a social life or a balanced life.
I simply didn’t have time for myself and my family anymore until it came to the point when I was really stressed out and just didn’t have the motivation to get up and enjoy work.
Self-care is essential if you want to stay sane and live life to the fullest. While “not having the time” has been many people’s favorite excuse, it is our duty to find time for ourselves because it’s detrimental to both our physical and mental health.
With that said, here are some of the best self-care practices that you might want to consider including in your daily life:
1. Exercise
No matter how hectic your schedule may be, squeezing in even an hour of exercise will go a long way. You owe it to yourself to keep your body in tip-top shape, especially given the tasks that you face everyday.
Whether you go for a quick run in the morning or spend an hour in the gym during the afternoon, sweating it out should be a priority because it keeps us healthy and reduces the risk of contracting diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.
Exercise can extend your lifespan. If you’re having trouble pushing yourself to do it, ask a friend to be your accountability partner. They might be that extra push you need to get out the door.
2. Meditate
A demanding work life can overwhelm and stress you even more, which can get you out of focus and feeling helpless. One of the best ways to keep your focus and relax at the same time is to meditate regularly.
All you’ll need is a quiet place that’s free of any form of distraction and it doesn’t matter whether you do it at home or in the office. You’ll be amazed how a good 10 to 20 minutes of listening to your every breath can get you back on track.
Here are five free mindfulness apps recommended by Mindful.org
3. Allot time for personal development
Finding meaning in everything we do is crucial to our well-being which is why having a dose of personal development on a daily basis is something we all must strive for.
With technology on our side, getting access to self-help resources has never been this easy. You can either listen to audio books or podcasts, watch inspiring videos on YouTube, or do it the traditional way by reading a personal development book every month.
Enduring the daily grind is difficult without a positive perspective. If you want to be positive and stay positive, you have to feed your mind with positive thoughts, something you’ll get a lot of from personal development.
4. Indulge
With all the challenges we face every day, don’t you think we deserve to give ourselves a break from time to time?
Just do something you love and reward yourself for working hard. Treat yourself to a night of binge-watching your favorite show, a hot bath with essential oils, or a last-minute weekend getaway.
Pampering yourself is not only a good diversion, but it’s also an excellent way of recharging your batteries and getting your “groove” back.
5. Unplug
More than our careers, one of the things that keep us occupied is technology. For most of the week we’re always face-to-face with our computer monitors and by the time we’re off work, we’re on our smartphones and tablets until we fall asleep.
Allotting a “no gadgets rule” for 30 minutes to an hour will help give you a much-needed break from technology and spend time enjoying nature through hiking or camping instead.
If you’re not a fan of the outdoors, engaging in worthwhile activities like gardening or playing board games with your family would be a good alternative.
Final Thoughts
There’s nothing wrong with working hard and being the best you can at work but you have to make sure that you are setting healthy boundaries when it comes to yourself.
Self-care is essential to success and happiness and how you’ll pull it off depends entirely on you. As Buddha once said, “You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserves your love and affection.”
