Self-care, for those who don’t know, is the practice of looking after yourself. A few years ago, you might be forgiven for having never heard of self-care, but now, it’s everywhere. You’ll find it casually thrown into Instagram captions, or more officially on the NHS website.
Despite its popularity, so many people are still struggling to prioritise self-care in their everyday lives. In fact, when I wrote a post about self-care earlier this year, lots of people said they simply didn’t have time for it.
I completely understand where those people are coming from. Up until August, I was very much one of those people who thought self-care wasn’t for me. It wasn’t until I overworked myself to the point of burning out that I decided to reassess my situation and realised that my initial observation may not have been completely correct.
After taking a week away from freelancing to recover, I realised that self care was the last thing on my priority list. There were so many things that came higher, and I knew that needed to change. How am I any use to anyone, or myself, if I’m not looking after myself?
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not perfect. I’m autistic and suffer from two mental illnesses, so mustering the energy to engage in self-care isn’t always possible.
In saying that, I am so much better at self-care than I used to be now I’ve made it a priority in my life. Here are some ways that I readjusted my priorities that I think will be helpful for you, too.
Find Out What You Enjoy
I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of self-care used to end at the pretty pictures I’d see on Instagram. They’re completely valid, don’t get me wrong, but a lot of the things I saw I could never imagine myself doing. I’m sure you’ve probably found yourself in a similar boat, too.
While feeling pressured into following the crowd is completely normal, where self-care is concerned, this can be highly counterproductive. At the end of the day, self-care is something that makes you feel good about yourself. How good can you really feel if you’re doing something you’d rather not be?
Instead, take a few moments to think about what interests you. What makes you excited when you think about devoting a certain amount of time to it?
I have a list of 10 inexpensive self-care ideas if you need a starting place, but if they don’t appeal to you, there are many others on the internet. Equally, if you start something and aren’t enjoying it? Stop. Nobody will judge you for it.
Additional Tip: Self-care isn’t just about making time for the things you enjoy. Make sure you’re making time to fulfil your basic needs, too.
Start Small
The easiest way to become overwhelmed when starting something new is to try and do everything at once. It can be tempting to do, but it’s a lot harder to start something after failing the first time around.
Instead, try starting small and building up your self-care routine slowly. Like with anything self-care related, this means different things to different people.
You may decide to spend longer on an activity you’re already doing, like reading. It may involve taking up something new and only spending twenty minutes on it to begin with. It could even mean starting with one activity, and introducing more as time goes on.
Regardless of what self-care means to you, make sure you’re listening to yourself. This isn’t a race; you’re welcome to take things at your own pace.
Schedule Specific Self Care Time
When I first started taking self-care seriously, I decided I’d engage in self-care whenever I felt like I needed to. Spoiler alert? I failed. Miserably.
The main reason for this is because I didn’t have to take time out when I was feeling exhausted and run down. Instead, I was pushing through it, and I felt myself falling back into old patterns again. Was taking care of myself really more important than working on a client’s deadline? Did I really have to reply to 10 emails right that minute?
No. I didn’t. But I did anyway.
I don’t know about you, but I find things so much easier to stick to once I’ve scheduled it into my week. Introducing self-care into my life, and prioritising it, has been no different.
By inserting self-care into my calendar, I was creating a period of time where I could spend time on myself, completely guilt-free. I hate double booking myself, so this method has worked quite well for me. There have been moments where I’ve had to remind myself that I’m as important as my other commitments, but those occasions have lessened as time has gone on.
For me, a few hours on a Sunday work best. I might spend the morning working on freelancing or other admin tasks, but in the afternoon, I stop myself. Then, I’ll take time to engage in self-care in whatever way I see fit, and it does differ. Sometimes it’ll mean spending the afternoon reading, whereas other times I’ll have a Netflix binge. Sometimes, I even make an effort to spend more time around other human beings.
Remember: Self-care is an individualised practice, and it will take trial and error to schedule it into your life at a time that works for you.
Assess your schedule, find out when you can fit it in, and book the time slot. Whether it’s ten minutes, an hour, or an entire day, don’t let anyone or anything convince you that they’re more important than self-care. You cannot be your best self unless you’re taking care of yourself, after all.
Stop Making Excuses
This is something I’d probably roll my eyes at if I had been reading an advice post, but hear me out. I know it’s difficult. Stop making excuses is an incredibly easy thing to say, but executing it involves changing your entire mindset.
With that being said, taking the time to change your mindset regarding excuses can be extremely empowering. Not only has changing my mindset helped with prioritising self-care, but I’ve also found myself thinking twice about other things in my life, too.
As I’m sure you’re aware, however, excuses are a part of life. We’re going to try and talk ourselves out of everything given half the chance. I’m definitely guilty of it.
One thing I’ve done to help with this is to consciously look out for excuses I’m making, and then challenge them. One of the common ones I tell myself is that I don’t deserve self-care, but why not? Have I really done something that awful that I don’t deserve to do something I enjoy?
I also think about what I’ll gain from engaging in acts of self-care. This differs for everyone, but for me, the benefits include increased productivity, higher creativity levels, and a general feeling of refreshment.
Have you done anything to make self-care more of a priority in your own life? Are there tips here that you’re going to use going forwards? Let me know what you thought down in the comments below.
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Angelie Marie Santana
Very easy read which makes it ten times better. Love the point about starting small. You can’t skip all the tedious hard work and get to the big outcome. Starting small is key – and of course making excuses is not going to help.
Rebekah Gillian
Thank you so much; I’m glad you enjoyed my writing style. I love what you’ve said about skipping the work and expecting the big outcome; it describes what I was saying so easily!
Paulette
This is so necessary! Thank you for putting this out there, self-care is vital. I recently touched on the subject as well, and starting is as easy as taking one deep breath. Just stop and breathe.
Rebekah Gillian
Thank you. I completely agree with you. Self care can seem daunting, but once you get started, you realise it’s not as bad as you thought it was going to be.
Kayla
This is such a much needed post! So many people forget to make time for self care but it is so important to make time for yourself!
Rebekah Gillian
Thank you! It really is important. Taking time for yourself can make the world of difference.
Sarah Jones (@Sarah_ElizaJ)
Self care is something I tend to forget about on a daily basis and tend to find it hard to switch off. I think it’s definitely something I should try and prioritise this next year! I find reading and art the most relaxing so maybe I should find some more time for things like that.
Sarah x
http://www.saraheliza.co.uk
Rebekah Gillian
I think we’re all guilty of it from time to time, but the fact that you’re trying to change your ways is a great start! I definitely recommend prioritising it, and the habits you want to dedicate more time to are great! Best of luck.
A-mistletoe🤶 (@acurvyvegan)
Self care is so important, and like you said – start small!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
Rebekah Gillian
Yes, it definitely is!
glowsteady
These are such great tips! I feel like a lot of people take on self care a lot like changing a diet or exercise, start really full on then ditch it after a few weeks. Starting small and figuring out what you enjoy is so important x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
Rebekah Gillian
Thank you! I’ve definitely been guilty of doing it that way in the past, and like you said, it just doesn’t work. Starting small and working things up from there is a far better way to do it.
blacktulipbeauty
It is honestly so difficult to make the time for self-care in todays society where we seem to be completely overworking ourselves and spreading our time extremely thin! Scheduling time for yourself sounds really great and like something I really need to do. It’s so easy to get caught up in pleasing and looking after everyone but yourself!
Alice Xx
Rebekah Gillian
Oh I completely agree, and I think we’re all guilty of spreading ourselves too thin from time to time! Scheduling time has honestly been a lifesaver. I’ll make moments to look after myself for ten-twenty minutes each day, but squirreling away those few hours on a Sunday is a god send after a difficult week!
irena_bookdustmagic
I think self-care is so important and I don’t know with my schedule how I’d survive if I didn’t spend some time alone with myself, taking care of myself.
What I like the most is reading, taking a bath, and just chilling out.
Rebekah Gillian
I’m glad you understand the importance of it, and have taken the steps necessary to step back and take some time for yourself. It really does make all the difference, doesn’t it?
debbiehipster
I’ve started self care more, body badly needs it. And I took up reading again, pockets of Me time where I don’t feel guilty x
Rebekah Gillian
I’m so glad that you’ve started to take more time to look after yourself; it’s great to hear! Reading is one of my favourite self care activities, too. Those pockets of time where you can take a step back without feeling guilty are super important.
The Vegan Zebra
You bring up an excellent point with starting slow. Oftentimes people don’t want to start practicing self-care activities until they are beyond frazzled and things just aren’t good. They compile a huge list of things they want to do- journals, baths, exercise, water, etc. etc. etc. and then just get burnt out trying to tackle them all at once, winding right back where they started (if not in a worse position after the failure and disappointment of not succeeding in their plans). Great piece, thank you!
Rebekah Gillian
You make a brilliant point, and it’s something I can definitely relate to from the times I tried to start self care in the past. A life preserver doesn’t work if you’ve already drowned, after all. Thank you for your lovely comment!
Kelly Figueiredo
Great read! Thanks for sharing. I agree, self-care is very important!
Rebekah Gillian
Thank you; I’m glad you enjoyed reading it!
Rachel
It is so important as a mother especially to schedule time to take care of ourselves! Great tips 👍🏼
Rebekah Gillian
I can see how that would be; parenting involves a lot of self-sacrifice, so taking time where your sole focus is yourself is so important!
Ivan
Doing a 30 day self-care challenge helped me to take care of myself! Plus, like you I learned that’s important to schedule a little self care step each day! Where I consciously took actions into that direction!! Thanks for the reminder and also amazing blog posts !!!! Love what you said in stop making excuses!!
Rebekah Gillian
I’ve heard a lot about those 30 day self care challenges. A lot of fellow bloggers have started their own challenges, too, which is great! I definitely think they’re a great introduction in what can transpire into a longer term hobby, as you’ve well demonstrated. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
joyfulantidotes
I really love these tips. Reading is my thing and I feel so relaxed when I do it.
Rebekah Gillian
Thank you. Reading is one of my favourite self care methods, too!
Tina
Great post. I’ve found that once I scheduled in two workouts a morning and I feel so much better about things. Plus, my busy schedule finds a way to make room for it once I make it a priority.
Rebekah Gillian
Thank you. Working out is a great self care method! And you’re totally right–you will always find time for the things that you consider a priority in your life.
Chloe Chats
This is a great post and so important! I always tell people to schedule in self care time, because we are often so busy if we actually schedule it in maybe we’ll be more likely to have that time for ourselves. I always like to give myself a pamper morning every few weeks, that really helps me to feel relaxed. I also love your mug by the way!!
Chloe xx
http://www.chloechats.com
Rebekah Gillian
Thank you; I’m glad you enjoyed reading it. A pamper morning sounds amazing; as someone who is self-employed, I imagine using one of them to start my day would feel amazing. Definitely adding it to my list of things to try. & Thank you; I got it from a friend for my birthday this year! It sums me up perfectly.