Do you struggle to find time for yourself? Are you too busy for self-care? It’s time to make time for you!
Perhaps one of the toughest challenges you face with self-care is finding the time for it. When you have a busy lifestyle, it can seem almost impossible to find extra time to look after you.
But why put yourself first and practice self-care? Here’s why:
A lack of self-care can lead to an unhappy life.
And who wants that?!
Here are some signs that are shouting from the rooftops that need to take care of yourself:
You feel stressed and exhausted
When you aren’t taking care of yourself, you’ll often feel stressed and exhausted. This can lead to burnout and a feeling of resentment. For example, maybe you’re exhausted from taking care of everyone else’s needs. Over time, if you don’t factor in self-care, you could end up resenting your loved ones. You’ll become irritable and snappy, or retreat into yourself and withdraw from others.
When you’re constantly exhausted and stressed out, it’s impossible to maintain a positive outlook. Self-care helps to combat stress and boosts your energy levels. Win-win, eh?
Personal hygiene suffers
A side effect of not following a self-care routine is that your personal hygiene could suffer. This is especially true if you’re going through a ‘feeling the blues’ stage. When you’re depressed or feel low, self-care can be the last thing on your mind. In severe cases, you could spend days in bed, failing to do even basic self-care tasks, such as taking a shower or brushing your teeth.
The trouble is, failing to take care of yourself leads you to feel even worse. Maintaining self-care is crucial for your personal hygiene and mental health.
You’ll seek unhealthy distractions
Another thing that happens when you lack self-care is a tendency to seek unhealthy distraction. You could overindulge in junk food because it makes you feel (temporarily!) better. Binge watching Netflix. Endlessly scrolling through social media. Scoffing the entire chocolate bar. Or extra wine or too much gin, which is not so much ‘cheers,’ but definitely more tears.
When you turn to unhealthy habits for comfort, it’s going to lead to additional issues. You’ll feel unhappier, particularly if you drink in excess. Alcohol is a depressant which can leave you feeling a l-o-t worse than you started. And frankly, you’ll look a mess too, which will leave you feeling like crap.
Plus, let’s be honest here, all these distractions can take up so much time, right?
You never feel good enough
Self-care is something you do because you are worth it. Therefore, if you fail to take care of yourself, you can end up feeling like you’re never good enough. As you’re constantly tired and juggling life’s responsibilities, you may feel you’re a failure, or you simply don’t measure up to others.
Even worse, if one of your distraction habits is scrolling through Instagram, seeing other peeps showing their best sides, best slides and best lives can compound the sense of not being enough. It’s as if you’ve done ten boxing rounds of lack of self-care with yourself, then look at the Insta-lies or Fakebook and beat yourself up even more. Enough already!
These are just some things that can happen when you don’t follow a self-care routine. The effects can be severe, causing you to lead an unhappy and unfulfilled life. If you’re looking to lead a happier life, now is the time to focus on your needs and making self-care a priority.
So, how can you balance practicing self-care with a busy lifestyle?
Schedule it in
A good tip you can follow to ensure you can fit self-care into your busy routine is to schedule it in. Think about it, you schedule in everything else, so why not self-care? When you set a time to focus on yourself, you are much more likely to stick to it. No matter how busy you think you are, there’ll always be time for self-care somewhere in your schedule.
Establish a morning routine
If you are struggling to find the best time of day to practice self-care, you might find it easier in the morning. If you’re super busy, you might disagree here, but think about it. In the morning, you could just get up just 20 minutes earlier - and voilà! This can be the perfect opportunity to practice self-care.
Alternatively, if you’re definitely not a morning person, you could focus on self-care in the evenings. It doesn’t take long to practice self-care, so you should always be able to squeeze it in somewhere.
Look at automating daily tasks
There are all kinds of tools and gadgets that can automate various aspects of our lives. If you are constantly busy, you’ll find automating certain tasks can be a total game-changer.
For example, you could switch from driving to the grocery store and order groceries online. If you have items you frequently purchase, add these to your favorites list, making it easier to add them to your order next time. Doing your grocery shopping online can free up a lot of free time during the week for self-care.
Have a think right now. How can you automate – or delegate to someone else – some of the daily tasks that seem to take over your day?
Start small
You don’t have to start by completely overhauling your lifestyle. Instead, you can start small with self-care. Begin by taking just 10 minutes out of each day to focus on a self-care activity. Focus on developing one positive self-care habit at a time. Once you have mastered that, you can move on to the next task.
By starting small, it makes it easier to fit self-care into your busy life. Many people mistakenly think they need to begin with at least 30 minutes a day. The truth is, however much time you can free up for self-care is enough.
Once you get started, you’ll find it easier to focus more on self-care because of the benefits you experience. The self-care habit becomes easier the more you practice it!
Overall, balancing practicing self-care with a busy lifestyle isn’t easy. However, the tips above can really help.
Remember, self-care is essential to your health and wellbeing. So, no matter how busy you are, you should always make time for self-care daily.
Start now. Create a ‘to-do’ list each day and put a ‘self-care task’ right at the top.
“Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause.”— Cecilia Tran
Journal Questions for You:
Where did the belief that your self-care should come last originate?
List 20 ways in which taking good care of yourself will benefit others.
What daily tasks do you carry out that don’t really need to be done daily?
List 10 self-care items you could do for yourself that would only take 10 minutes each - but would x10 your happiness levels!
Did you like this blog? You know, sharing is caring, right?
So please share the love and share this blog with your friends!
And there’s more…
Want to show the world you're a Spiritual Badass? Need a special gift for friends, family or your loved one? Love all things Law of Attraction and Positive Vibe?
Well, helloooo.... It's time to take a peek at the Ruthy Baker Shop on Etsy
Want to learn about Self-Help with a Sprinkling of Magical Thinking? Then take a peek at my Amazon page and learn my secret sauce magical life hacks to create the life you want!
Please click on this link: Ruthy Baker Author Page
Do you want to create a life filled with feel-good vibes and work that makes your spiritual soul wiggle? Do you want to work less hours, have a better work-life balance, and create a life you love? Then take a look at the Brilliant Biz & Life Academy - it's simply pure gold and the deets are here! Please click on the link: Brilliant Biz & Life Academy
Want to simplify your life and create more time for self-care - but need some ideas and help? Take a look at these resources to help you minimize the distractions and free up your time!
Minimalism can be a beautiful, enriching and life-transforming practice that, at its core, is all about re-establishing what holds value in your life and letting go of what does not. It’s a way of life that allows us to strip away the clutter that stands in the way of us achieving our goals. Simplify Your Life is about exactly that: bringing simplicity back into your life, and with it, joy in the everyday. Dispelling the myths that minimalism is for either hardcore environmentalists or the privileged few, this book shows how minimalism is more relevant and necessary than ever, not least because it’s the most accessible way to achieve a state of contentment in all aspects of life. Buy this book! Click on the link below: Simplify Your Life: Waste Less, Value More, Go Minimalist – Mary Conroy:
Is your life lacking purpose? Are you often stressed and overwhelmed? If so, then it’s time for a crash course in the skills that will lead to a more meaningful life. Let successful businesswoman, coach, and author Sarah O’Flaherty be your guide. This book contains a simple, yet effective, four-part process that will provide you with the skills and confidence you’ll need for a happier life. Each section is presented in a simple style, with tips and easy-to-adopt strategies that will teach you how to unlock your potential. And the best part is, you’ll enjoy reading it! Buy this book! Click on the link below: Simplify Your Life: Tips For Developing A Purpose Driven Life And Unlocking Your Potential – Sarah O’Flaherty:
Are you overrun and overwhelmed with the demands of digital technology. Does your phone bleep, ding and demand attention every few minutes and you can’t help yourself… You just have to look at it? Ugh! This book has the effect that Marie Kondo has on your wardrobe – it teaches you to streamline your digital world and eliminate the distractions and unnecessary crap that barges into your world uninvited. If you find yourself endlessly scrolling through social media or the news while your anxiety rises, then this book is for you. Buy this book! Click on the link below: Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World – Cal Newport:
If you find saying ‘No’ to others impossible and end up feeling resentful that your time is taken up with the demands of others. But you’re worried that others won’t think you’re ‘nice’ if you decline, and you’re concerned about possible repercussions, then this book was written for you. Don’t delay, get it today and make ‘No’ your answer (with no excuses or explanations required!) Buy this book! Click on the link below: The Curse of Lovely: How to break free from the demands of others and learn how to say no – Jacqui Marson:
Why not cozy down on the sofa and listen to a great book! Want some inspiration on the go? Take a look at Audible and take inspiration and motivation with you wherever you are!
Take a peek here - please click on the link: Audible - Audio Books, Podcasts and more!
Did you like this blog? You know, sharing is caring, right?
So please share the love and share this blog with your friends!
To be updated with my latest blogs, books and courses – please click on the link here: https://www.ruthybaker.com/about-me
Do you have a secret desire to write a book? Then everything you need to know about writing a book is right here - click on the link: 40 Days To A Finished Book!
Want to create big change in your life and have yourself some freedom from the daily 9 to 5 grind? Click on the link: Learn how to step into your best life by gaining the skills that you need!
Did you like this blog? Please share it with your friends!
Do you love crystals? I'm crazy about crystals! They are one of my secret self-care hacks to lift my mood and help me keep my focus.
Check out my fave online crystal cave at Crystal Wisdom the fabulous Dawn and Sarah can help you pick the right one for you. Oodles of knowledge about all things crystal healing - it's a must see - please click on the link:
© Ruthy Baker 2022