Too busy for self-care?
We often feel too busy to fit any more than is necessary into our days.
A recent poll I took on my social networks revealed that a majority of people struggle with taking care of themselves, and that they would like to prioritize themselves more.
“It’s hard balancing between being a mom and being a wife.”
“Long working hours mean that by the end of the work day, I feel like I don’t have enough time to decompress before my next work day.”
“Ideally, I would love to do more self-care, but when I do have the free time to, I want to do something else.”
“I sink back into some of my bad habits, and in that way, I feel like I’m not advocating for myself.”
Do any of these stories resonate with you?
If busyness is the bad guy, and self-nurture is the good guy, then it appears that for most of us, we’re losing the battle to busyness.
However, there are always, always certain things that, no matter how busy we are, we still do and execute, like brushing our teeth.
So why isn’t self-nurture more a part of our daily life, just as brushing our teeth is?
We were taught from a young age to take care of our teeth, but not taught the value of taking care of our mental and emotional well-being.
Having self-nurturing practices in your day serve as anchors for your life. It is hygiene for your soul and your mind just as brushing your teeth is hygiene for your teeth.
I call it “soul hygiene.”
You don’t have to include elaborate and time-consuming self nurturing activities. Three minutes each morning can do (perhaps you can “habit-stack”it by putting this self-nurturing activity right after brushing your teeth!):
🧘🏻♀️3 minute meditation
☀️stand outside and face the sun
✍️ write 3 things you’re grateful for
🙆🏻♀️ stretch and move your body (yes for 3 min only!)
😌 take calming breaths
These few moments for yourself is YOUR way of reclaiming yourself, rather than your day and time being dictated by somebody else.
So, for the individual who finds it a challenging balancing act between being a mom and wife, can you find a few moments in your day where you can put down those hats? During lunch breaks, the few minutes before the kids get home or need to be picked up, or that transitional time after putting the kids to bed before you put on the wife hat?
For the individual who finds herself sandwiched between long work hours, can you find moments during the work day for quick resets?
For the person who ends up wanting to do something else during her free time, can you dedicate even just 10% of that free time to something that you feel would be beneficial?
For the person who finds herself slipping back into old habits, are you able to make doing those bad habits harder and less convenient, and set up your environment so that following through with the good habits are easier and more convenient?
While all of this might some simple and logical, I also know how incredibly challenging implementing new habits can be, even if it only takes a couple of minutes.
Accountability can be a great way to inspire and motivate yourself to keep on track with your new self-nurturing habits, whether through private coaching or small group support.
Even just a few minutes a day makes a drastic difference between a person who is constantly depleted and struggling with pain, and a person who is resilient against setbacks in life and confident in progressing forward in her healing journey.
Being intentional with our day, with how we want to prioritize ourselves, is a key part in healing.
If you're looking for either private coaching or small group support to help you establish your own self-nurture + yoga therapy rituals, you can schedule a free strategy call with me to plan out your next best steps.