Hey guys!
How's your week going so far ? Busy? Feeling like there aren't enough hours in your week to fit in self-care. I get it. As a blogger and entrepreneur, I know how hectic your week can get, with what seems like endless articles, promotions and orders to fill , these minutes honestly do fly by quickly and it can be super difficult to find the time to fit in self-care activities as much as you would like to .
There is this common misconception with the idea of self-care and what it actually means. People tend to think that when a reference to self-care is made that it's a spa day or sipping on Pina Coladas on a this island getaway, getting your nails done. Now, I am not saying that it can't be but that's not what it's all about. Self-care is about taking the time for yourself to just breath, to relax and take your mind off of everything that's going on. Many of us have busy lives and it can seem like it's totally impossible to squeeze in self-care especially during the week but trust me it's possible. Over the last 5+ years I have learned how to squeeze in self-care activities during my week and I can definitely say that I am so much happier because of it.
So, how can you fit self-care activities into your busy week? In today's post I will be sharing with you some tips to prioritize self-care during a busy week.
Being an entrepreneur and having your own business has its own perks which I absolutely love but it can be really exhausting especially if you fail to manage your time correctly and practice healthy habits to alleviate the stress that comes with the territory. Now, don't get me wrong, I love what I do and I am happy that I was able to create a routine for myself that allows me to get things done while making the necessary time for myself but before I became proficient at managing my time and mastering my to-do lists, I was constantly overwhelmed and stressed and I even started to get these really bad migraines which I must say were absolutely the worst to deal with. This is why I stress the importance of self-care, even if you can only schedule it twice a week.
My weeks are never the same and I am sure each week is different for everyone. The one thing that I do make sure remains a constant regardless of what I have to get done during the week is my self-care routine. I make sure to keep certain slots of time available each week to practice self-care as often as possible. Now, everyone's schedule is different and yours may only allow you to practice self-care a few minutes each day or a few days each week but during the time that you do have there's so much that you can do to practice self-care. For me, I take advantage of being able to work from home because my self-care routine tends to revolve around meditation, journaling and bubble baths.
So, how can you squeeze in self care activities during a busy week? Here's how:
EARLY MORNING FACE MASKS
In the morning, many of us don't have the time to factor in self-care due to our busy routines, however, the morning is one of the best times to practice self-care activities as you are fresh out of bed and your body has not had the time to be burdened by life's expectations. At the beginning of the year, I had made the decision to focus more on self-care because in all honesty, it wasn't my biggest priority at the time and because of it, I found myself feeling really stressed out and exhausted.
After a friend of mine had taken a trip to South Korea and returned with some beauty products she knew I would love, {btw, I have fallen in love with Korean Beauty products thanks to her:) } I decided that I would take the time to really look into products that would not only make my skin feel amazing but improve my overall mood and that's when I became hooked on face masks. I absolutely love the way the just hydrate my face and leave me feeling refreshed, radiant.
Now every morning after an episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu's , I take a nice long shower to just rid myself of bad energy from the day before and prepare my mind for what's to come apply my clay mask by L'Oréal: Purify and Mattify Face Mask and read a chapter from latest book (currently obsessed with The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson) or finish planning out my day for the next 12-15 minutes.
Over the last year my skin has maintained a noticeable glow and I am attributing it to the amazing face masks by L'Oréal Paris that I have been using literally three times a week. You don’t have to do it as often as I do but you can pair it with a mid-week soak and just have the complete spa-day package at home.
MEDITATION
Carving out time for meditation with a busy schedule can be super challenging and if you aren't someone who has meditation as an active part of their schedule already you may not think it's for you. However, it's definitely something worth trying. There are so many hidden benefits that surround meditation from calming stress and anxiety to bringing about a sense of clarity and motivation meditation is a practice that I can definitely attest to!
In order for it to work though it must be practiced regularly. Now with your busy schedule, you may think it's going to be impossible to master but there are so many ways you can fit meditation into your daily schedule. For me, I practice meditation daily but when I first started out it was really difficult to find the time to do it, so I started small - just 10 minutes twice a week.
In the morning, as soon as I finish brushing my teeth and just before I shower, I take a seat in the middle of my room and meditate for anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending on how much time I have . After, I feel so - free. I am grounded and my mind is clear and I am honestly motivated to just tackle my activities for the day. Another plus that comes with meditation is that it can really improve your mental health and personal development.
I follow the same routine in the evening too, and I have found that it is also a great mindfulness technique to introduce feelings of gratitude into your life and really helps with meditation
Remember, meditation is about allowing your body to be fully present, focus on breathing and quieting your mind. If you are a beginner, here is a quick how-to on how you can start meditation today!
Sit up in bed and take 10 long slow breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. As you breathe think of 10 things that you are grateful for in your life. Think of each item for a couple of moments carrying the feeling of what it is like to have this person, item or circumstance in your life.
EVENING SOAKS
If you know me personally then you know that I prefer showers to baths for a number of reasons the main one being that I am always on the run and well baths aren't exactly the quickest. Besides when I take a bath I want to thoroughly enjoy the experience, that's the point isn't it?
That's why I would recommend baths for the evening after a long and stressful day an evening soak affords you the luxury sit there and just decompress.
I always soak in the bath on those days that allow me to get into my self-care, so while mid-week evening soaks are rare unless it's one of those then I just leave it for Sundays. If I am lucky to get a soak in during the week it's going to be a Wednesday, another day I can really unwind.
The thought of just soaking in the bath with a nice bath bomb, light some candles, a good romance novel or my favourite series makes my day!
LUNCH
Food!!! Sigh, it truly makes everything better. Lunch time is a time to be enjoyed to the fullest but having a busy schedule can mean easy meals and quick lunches. Instead take it as a time to eat mindfully, no more shoving food into your mouth just to get it over with so you can move on to your next task. Slow down! Enjoy each bite, taste each flavour and to make it fun, try out something new and see if you can identify what ingredients are in the meal.
By chewing and enjoying your food longer you're actually your body to digest food better!
LISTENING TO A PODCAST/READING
Take 15 minutes out of your day and read a book or listen to your favourite podcast!
When I started listening to Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu, one of the things I learned is that it is important to quit procrastination you need to set up systems that support what you need to do rather than what you want to do in order to achieve the end goal. After setting up a system to focus on my self-care and what makes me feel like me, I started reading as much as I used to when I was younger and this is something that due to the busy schedules we lead and I love to read so trust me it hurt me to know I couldn't make time to do it. Making this decision had lead me to now allocate a small amount of time each day to reading a chapter of whatever book I was on and the number of books I have gone through this year has allowed me to almost exceed my goal.
By allotting just 15 minutes, I have managed to read a lot of the book that are on subjects I enjoy and I am super excited about sharing with you guys here on the blog. Decide when the best time might be for you to allocate a few minutes out of your day to read or listen to your favourite podcast.
There you have it, my super simple ways to add self-care to your busy schedule. These 5 steps are an amazing way to ensure that you are taking care of your mind and body even with a hectic schedule. If you want more ideas on how to prepare for a productive week --> check out more here 🙂
Do you practice self-care often?
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