Today people struggle to find the balance between their personal and professional life. Certainly, a significant challenge of modern living is finding time for self-care.
Digital technology has entered all spheres of life, and it's not hard to find yourself caught up in never-ending scrolling and clicking on your mobile or desktop. As per the latest statistics, an average person in the USA spends approx. 1,5 hours watching Netflix and about 2 hours on social networks daily. But often, people complain about having little time for family, personal development, and self-care.
In this post, I share 5 steps to maximize your time and squeeze in some self-care activities to stay energized and relaxed every week.
Let's see what self-care actually is.
A great definition comes form the National Library of Medicine :
"The ability to care for oneself through awareness, self-control, and self-reliance in order to achieve, maintain, or promote optimal health and well-being."
What are some of the most common self-care practices we are familiar with?
Physical activity such as walking, running, pilates, yoga, dancing, training a sport; spending time in nature; wellness (home bath, going to a spa, massage, etc.); meditation; breathing techniques; writing a Gratitude diary; reading books; painting; listening to music; preparing healthy and fresh meals and many more.
For example, writing a daily Gratitude diary for only 5 min a day has proved to reduce stress, induce happiness and create a positive feeling. How come? When a sense of gratitude is evoked, endorphins, "feel good" chemicals, are released into the bloodstream that strengthen our immune system. These endorphins are highly effective in helping us cope with stress and counter depression and anxiety.
5 STEPS TO IMPROVE YOUR SELF-CARE HABITS
This exercise will help you set up your self-care routine and improve your well-being and productivity.
List energy drainers and energy boosters. Divide a sheet of paper into 2 sections and list your biggest energy drainers and boosters. Consider your job, workplace, home, people around you, recurring situations, activities, and events. Energy boosters give you energy, inspire, and evoke a good feeling. Energy drainers deplete your energy and can cause stress, discomfort, muscle tension, tiredness, and sluggishness.
Review the list of energy boosters and choose 1-2 activities to do daily or at least 3 times per week. Set up a time for each activity in your weekly calendar. They are your source of physical, emotional, and mental balance. Very important for your health to choose at least one physical activity (walking just 15-30 min per day is an excellent choice if you cannot visit a studio regularly)
Filter what activities from step 2. include other people vs. what solely depend on you. Highlight the ones that rely solely on you. Determine whether they are always accessible. You decide when and where to do them, i.e. you don't depend on any external source to experience their benefits. Many studies showed that introverts charge their batteries being & doing something on their own, while the fuel for extroverts includes being & doing things in company.
Review the energy drainers list and try to minimize your weekly energy vampires. If possible, reduce at least 1-2 drainers per week.
Set up your sleeping routine. The total length of lying in bed does not necessarily mean you have a good night's sleep. Around 7-8 hours of quality sleep is optimal for regenerating and energizing body cells to wake up refreshed and keen to start your morning routine without pressing the snooze alarm repeatedly. It is vital to establish sleep DISCIPLINE and get your body used to going to bed and waking up more or less at the same time. Continuous repetition installs a new habit into the nervous system. Then a certain activity starts to happen automatically, becomes a part of you. It applies to sleep and any other activity you want to turn into a habit.
Each person is unique and needs to discover their way of unwinding and energizing the body.
To make steady progress and accomplish your goals, take care of your mind, body, and soul.
Feed your mind with beneficial thoughts, beliefs and habits.
Feed your body with movement and healthy & nourishing food.
Feed your soul with kindness, love and gratitude.
You have a busy schedule, and self-care is at the end of your priority list. A coach can assist you with managing your time efficiently, setting a plan, and improving your work-life balance.
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