There is a lot of talk about self-care these days, and thousands of blogs, articles and videos that will tell you the best way to do it – take that time off, relax with a bubble bath, get out of that toxic relationship – and the list goes on. However, a relatively unexplored facet of self-care that is not discussed often enough is the link between self-care and how you spend your time.
Self-care is about valuing yourself; and too often we diminish our self-value by spending time on activities that are not actually benefitting us. For example, self –care might actually mean deciding against an evening on Netflix in favor of spending that time working on your goals. The bottom line is that if you don’t learn to value your own time, you can hardly expect others to.
The time it takes to practice self-care might not be easy to find, which is why you need to prioritize it. Without prioritizing it, it can get lost in the multitude of responsibilities, work and relationships that make up our lives. Here are some tips to help you start carving out that time for yourself that you need.
- Write down a list of the things that make you happy. These can be hobbies, activities, future goals and aspirations, or anything really that makes you feel positive and content.
- Separate the list into two categories – things you can do daily, such as exercise, etc and things you can do monthly, such as a family getaway. Making it a part of your schedule will eventually make it a part of your habits & routine.
- Don’t stress about it. If you don’t manage to fit in exactly what you wanted to do on a certain day, let it go. If you find you don’t feel like doing it, don’t. Self-care is only self-care if you are listening to your needs.
- Listen to the people who care about you. They can often see things about us that we cannot see ourselves. Sometimes other people can see what’s working or not working for you, even before you can.
- Realize each small joy that occurs throughout the day. Taking time to “smell the roses” is a part of self-care that is easily achieved. It takes no big chunks out of your day or time, and it doesn’t require any planning; simply the decision to live in the moment when you find an enjoyable one.
