There Is Only One You – So Take Time For Self Care

Do you ever feel like you are going from bed to work, to school runs, to home, to cook, to bed and back to work? Rinse, repeat, and no breaks? No time for joy or relaxation? It can feel like this crazy hamster wheel. After a while, your body and mind will start screaming out for you to slow down, to stop. You’ll get up late once or twice. Your joints will begin to ache, and tension headaches will begin to make a more frequent appearance. 

Your body, mind, and emotions all deserve a break from time to time. But, yes, you are right – it isn’t always that simple! What with needed to clean on the weekends, run errands, and everything else – there is no time to make time! Well, with that attitude you’re heading for burnout. 

So how about, instead of chunking out vast pieces of time – we go for smaller things you can do every day or week. Little things that can make your week light and brighter. Little things that increase your health and happiness levels. Small things that add up to a huge thing – you taking care of you. 

Lumps And Bump

No matter how old you are, you should be checking at least once a week for lumps and bumps. If you are lucky, you might never find a single thing. Sometimes however you find a breast lump or a protrusion on your stomach that should be checked out. So many people put off heading to the doctors – but don’t be tempted. The quicker you get things checked out, the quicker you can get yourself back to fighting fit. And, that protrusion on your stomach is likely nothing more than a hernia that SD Hernia can fix in no time at all – it is never worth waiting for things to get worse. 

Journaling

Writing has long been the creative outlet that allows people to explore their feelings and thoughts in a more profound sense. Writing is a therapy that we can all afford to indulge in too. Some people like to write their thoughts and feelings down before bed, others like to do it first thing in the morning – and for some, it turns into a blog! However you tackle it, you should be trying to write a few paragraphs each day. This will help you process how you are really feeling about something too. 

Reading

Much like writing, it has long been something people enjoy doing. It provides some escape for a few hours. Rather than stick with magazines that are filled with celebrity news and articles about how to be thinner – try and opt for a range of books. Some that give you something to mull over for a while, and other things that you can just get lost in. The great thing about books is that you can take as long as you need to finish them – and once you are done, they can head off to a new home. Perfect. 

Calls

In the age of the internet, many people rarely pick up the phone to their friends and family. However, if you have relatives or friends that live some way away the occasional text just doesn’t cut it at all. So, make some space to make a weekly phone call to someone that makes you feel great. Save up all your news for the week, and exchange your stories. Rather than relying on facebook to keep you updated – call and ask them how they are. 

Unplug

Put your phone down and walk away. You might be surprised about just how productive you can be when you don’t have your phone or tablet glued to your hand. If you struggle with putting the technology down, then try getting an app that helps you along. 

• Calm
• Pause
• Offtime

They all have different options, so think about what it is that you want to get out of your unplugged time. 

Rest

Unsurprisingly the more rest we get, the better we feel. So if you are really not getting enough quality sleep, it will begin to have an impact on your mood and productivity. If you struggle to switch off in the evenings, then it might be time to start putting a plan in place. Start to wind down an hour or two before you want to go to sleep. So if 10 pm is your ideal sleeping time, then from 8 o’clock only have decaf drinks, put your mobile phone down and try to just read and relax. A warm bath or shower is one of the best things to get your body ready to sleep too. Sleep stories and calming sleep music from the Calm app is a great choice. 

Weekends

If you can get everything done on a Saturday morning, try to do that. Rather than spreading chores out over the whole two days, set timers on cleaning, get the people in your household involved and tackle more things in a shorter space of time. It is essential that you have some time that isn’t spent running errands or working. Most people who work, no matter if it is in an office or as a freelancer will take their work home with them, and be tempted to finish things off. 

Walk

If you have somewhere nearby, that is great for walking, or maybe some places that you haven’t explored it might be time to head out and start walking. Most of the time, within 30 minutes of walking, you will feel pretty good. The green that you are surrounded by does wonders for your mental health, you are breathing more deeply and really upping your oxygen levels and getting in that all-important exercise too. 

There is only one of you, and even though you might have people who do try to take care of you, you really need to take care of yourself too. You are essential and fabulous and deserve to feel your best too. Your body, mind, and emotions are your most valuable assets, if you let them slide because you are too busy to take care of you, the effects are catastrophic. So, love yourself as much as you can. 

How do you unplug?