We don’t know about you, but for us, it’s somehow a whole lot easier to take care of others than it is to take care of ourselves. A friend has a stressful week at work, we take them out for a nice dinner; our one pregnant friend can barely walk, we buy her a massage; but when it comes to us, we struggle to give ourselves a break.
Here are a few simple tips on how you can be better at taking care of yourself:
1. Check in with yourself
You know how you ask others how they’re doing, do you ever stop and ask yourself? Taking even just a minute at the end of every day to evaluate your energy level, your emotions, and your overall health is a good way to take your own proverbial temperature and find out if you really do have a handle on things, or if it’s time to take a break.
2. Plan your rest
It’s easy to treat rest like an optional extra, but the truth is, without it, everything falls apart. Schedule your r&r, and don’t let cost be a reason why you don’t do it. Rest and relaxation don’t have to mean heading to a spa or going on vacation. They can mean choosing to sit with a book instead of doing the dishes, or taking a long walk instead of driving from place to place running errands. Block out a few hours, an entire day, or even a weekend in your calendar and plan for it; if you don’t it will be easy to fill it up with things that just ‘have to be done’.
3. Get moving and be still
Self care isn’t just about doing nothing, it’s about doing the right things. Regular movement and sufficient sleep are two of the keys to feeling at your best. Find something you enjoy that gets you moving, and try and build a routine for going to bed and waking up around the same time each day. You’ll feel the difference.
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