Raise your hand if you have said recently, “I don’t have time!” Yes, you. And, you in the back there. We are all guilty of saying this at some point in time. On occasion, this may mean, “I don’t have time to both unwind and go out with you.” And that is great! You are setting some healthy boundaries for yourself. But, I would bet that more often than not, that phrase is used to excuse the fact that self-care has not been a priority.
Sitting in the office, even the busiest of individuals typically find an extra five minutes in their day to complete intentional self-care. Maybe it is getting up five minutes early or staying up five minutes later. Or, maybe it is packing lunch on occasion, so you have a few extra minutes for yourself. It may even be that your kids spend five extra minutes at daycare, so you can crank up your favorite song on the radio.
1. Find those few extra minutes each day.
2. Create a short self-care list to include ideas that take 1, 5, 15, and 60 minutes. When you find yourself with extra time (or have created the extra time), you won’t find yourself bored and wondering what to do.
Some ideas to get you started:
- Adult coloring books
- Reading
- Peaceful cup of coffee
- Music
- Hiking/running/walking
