Potent Self-Care Tips For Busy People
“Do less.”
“Simplify your life.”
“Stop being so busy!”
This advice might be given with good intentions, but it isn’t always realistic. Sometimes, modern life is busy. Many of us are juggling work or study commitments, meaningful relationships, fun hobbies, looking after our physical health, keeping tidy homes, and doing thoughtful things for others.
Being busy isn’t always a choice — it’s what can happen when we value a variety of different things that all require some effort and time.
However, I believe there are different types of “busy.”
There’s busy, overwhelmed, rushed, distracted, stressed out, and drained.
And then there’s busy, productive, empowered, present, supported, and balanced.
For example, I used to feel busy and, usually, not in a positive way. I felt like I was always a few steps behind where I needed to be. I woke up in the mornings, feeling worried about the day ahead because my to-do list was long and filled with tasks I didn’t particularly enjoy.
Whereas now, I still feel like my life is relatively busy. But, I use self-care and mindfulness to create more balance. I’m productive, rather than overwhelmed. I ask for help when I need to. My days are full, but they include restful activities that help me recharge.
Sometimes, it’s okay to be busy, as long as you’re taking good care of yourself and cultivating a balance that feels right for you. Below, you’ll discover potent self-care tips that help you nourish your wellbeing so you can achieve your goals and complete your to-do lists without becoming too overwhelmed.
Self-Care Tips For Busy People
Tip 1: Enroll in my free online mini course, Self-Care For Busy People!
Ready to find out exactly how to practice three powerful self-care activities that can help you feel less stressed and more clear-minded and calm? Check out my FREE online mini course, Self-Care For Busy People!
The three self-care activities covered in this mini course include breathing techniques, quick journaling methods, and mindfulness — effective self-care activities I use myself nearly every single day (even when I’m short on time)!
The videos in this course are super short and packed with value because I know your time is precious. You’ll even discover a 5-minute Self-Care Routine incorporating the three activities in the course, and I’ll guide you through it from start to finish! If you’ve been looking for a quick and meaningful way to invite more self-care into your day, this routine will be perfect for you.
Find out more about my FREE online course, Self-Care For Busy People, here and grab your spot today.
Tip 2: Reduce procrastination
Procrastination is the act of delaying tasks, despite potential negative consequences. According to Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology in the U.S., around 20% of U.S. adults are chronic procrastinators. And a study of 865 office workers in the U.K. found that employees spent an average of two hours procrastinating during their working days. The most common form of procrastination involved browsing social media.
And while procrastination might be common at work, I believe it has a potentially negative impact on self-care, too.
Do you often find yourself saying something like, “I’ll do a yoga class after I watch an episode of Stranger Things,” but then you decide to watch a second episode, and you run out of time for self-care?
Or maybe, you set your alarm for 6.30 am so you can have 30 minutes to yourself to meditate, drink a cup of coffee mindfully, and watch the sunrise. But, you turn off your alarm, open your emails app, and accidentally spend those 30 minutes on your phone.
Procrastination can be a tricky challenge, but there are some straightforward ways to overcome it. For example, you could schedule self-care into your daily planner. Even though this strategy sounds simple, it’s exactly what I use to ensure I incorporate self-care into my days.
Each morning, I spend about ten minutes creating an outline for the day ahead to give myself structure, set realistic goals, and prioritize self-care. It sounds like a lot of planning, but it helps me balance out my working days with important tasks and nourishing self-care activities.
Tip 3: Focus on micro self-care activities
Maybe, you don’t have an abundance of time to spend on self-care. That’s okay! Self-care doesn’t have to be a huge commitment every single day.
Instead, you might find it helpful to focus on micro self-care activities.
Spend two minutes taking deep, intentional breaths when you wake up in the morning.
Listen to short podcasts, like The Mindful Kind (with me!), Practicing Human with Cory Muscara, or Small Things Often from The Gottman Institute.
Do some simple stretches before you go to bed at night if you don’t have time for a full yoga class.
Read a book for ten minutes during your lunch break.
Put on your favorite song and sing or dance when your energy dips in the afternoon.
There are so many little things you can do that add up. If you completed all of those short self-care activities in a day, you’d be spending about 30 minutes on self-care.
Tip 4: Make screen time a lower priority
Watching television and spending time on our phones has become a popular way to spend our downtime. But, I’ve done plenty of little experiments over the last few years, especially when it comes to self-care, and I’ve reached an important conclusion.
Screen time can help me switch off and relax, but it shouldn’t always be my first priority when it comes to self-care.
When you arrive home from work, and you feel depleted, try not to turn on the television straight away. Instead, engage in a self-care activity that helps you have fun, feel calmer, or recharge your energy. For example, you might go for a mindful walk. You could listen to a meditation. You could have a meaningful conversation with a loved one.
Once you’ve completed the self-care activities you want to do, then you can enjoy some screen time. There are two main benefits of this habit — first of all, you won’t get engrossed by a compelling show or fall down the rabbit hole of social media and run out of time for other self-care activities. And the second benefit is you’ll probably reduce your overall screen time. Excessive screen time can lead to a variety of problems, including bad posture, less physical activity, vision issues, back pain, and poor sleep.
A little bit of screen time can be part of your self-care routine, but it might be more beneficial to include a variety of other activities in your routine, too.
Tip 5: Simplify your social life
Strong social connections can lead to a 50% increased chance of longevity. Our immune systems become stronger when we feel well-connected. People tend to experience lower levels of depression and anxiety when they have stronger support systems.
There are some huge benefits when it comes to building social bonds, but especially as an introvert, I’ve found it helps to keep my social life simple.
I generally don’t go to large social gatherings where I feel overwhelmed, because I feel like I don’t get to spend quality time with people one-on-one.
I’ve been scrolling less on social media and, instead, putting in more effort to message or call my close friends.
Over the last few years, I’ve focused on cultivating relationships with people who are kind, emotionally mature, and open-minded. I’ve learned to let go of relationships that don’t feel reciprocal or regularly put me in a negative headspace and drain my energy.
The benefits of a simpler social life include being able to focus on meaningful relationships, having deeper conversations, and feeling well-supported. Plus, you’ll have more time for self-care when you’re not rushing to keep up with your hectic social life!
Tip 6: Engage in self-care mindfully
There’s a big difference between engaging in a self-care activity while multi-tasking and feeling distracted versus engaging in a self-care activity mindfully.
When you engage in self-care mindfully, you’re paying attention to the present moment. You’re curious and open-minded about your experience. You’re taking the time to tune into what’s happening, rather than being distracted by other tasks or unnecessary thoughts about the past or future.
I’ve noticed that mindfulness enhances my self-care activities and helps me slow things down, and feel calmer and more joyful. I get to experience the pleasure of the self-care activity and appreciate it.
Why is this tip important for busy people? Well, when life gets busy, you might not have much time for self-care. You might be particularly tempted to multi-task during self-care activities.
But if you can be more mindful, this can increase the quality (and therefore, the benefits!) of the self-care activities you do have time to complete.
Tip 7: Set realistic self-care goals
Big and exciting self-care goals can be fun to set, but they can quickly become overwhelming and add to your stress rather than relieving it.
Try setting realistic self-care goals you can achieve fairly easily! For example, you might like to set a goal to read a book for 30-minutes each day. But if you have a busy schedule, it might be challenging to find enough time to complete this activity. Instead, aim for just 10 minutes each day, or 30 minutes three times a week.
The aim is to set goals that feel meaningful without putting too much pressure on your shoulders.
Tip 8: Write a list of self-care activities
This tip might be the simplest one I’ve shared, but it’s a powerful one!
Think about how you feel when you’ve had a long day, you’re too drained to make decisions, you don’t have much motivation, and you’re ready to switch off and start relaxing.
Do you have the mental capacity to come up with a self-care activity, plan out how you’ll do it, and then find the motivation to get started?
Maybe not!
That’s why a list of self-care activities can be super valuable. When you’ve had a busy day and you feel depleted, you can easily pick up the list, scan the ideas, select your favorite, and take action. It’s a fun and easy way to ensure self-care is accessible to you, even when you’ve had a busy day.
Self-care doesn’t have to be another task on your to-do list that adds pressure to your already busy life. There are fun, simple, and meaningful ways to engage in self-care, even when you’re short on time! I hope you enjoy trying these tips out for yourself. And don’t forget to enrol in my FREE online course, Self-Care For Busy People, to discover quick self-care strategies that can help you feel calmer, more clear-minded, and less stressed.
