Self-care: To some women, prioritizing it is easier said than done. My advice? Try not to make it more complicated than it has to be.
The smallest acts of self-care are what often make the biggest impact on our mental, physical, and spiritual well-beings. You’d be surprised! I would know because I’m a former workaholic who successfully recovered from burnout, and self-care was a contributing factor to that.
It’s a woman’s nature to put others’ needs before our own. What can I say? We’re nurturers. It’s a superpower that we can’t deny. On the other hand, we run the risk of neglecting our needs altogether when we fail to prioritize them the way that we should. That’s what happens when you add too much to your plate and you’re too selfless for your own good (literally!).
It’s not actually that time consuming
If you feel that you’re too busy for self-care, I understand why. I used to believe that myself when I thought that self-care was a luxury. When you approach it that way, you automatically think that you have no time for it.
Here’s what happens when your needs are constantly placed on the backburner, though: You eventually go from being the little engine that could to the little engine with an empty tank that can’t go anymore.
Hard Learned Lesson
Before I reached burnout, I remember being on-the-go 24/7 with little time to rest. I spent four hours of my life commuting four hours a day. I worked and I went to college in the Downtown Los Angeles area, and if you know LA traffic, then you know that the struggle is real!
That commute ate up a lot of my time. I sometimes wouldn’t get home until 7PM, and I didn’t prioritize self-care because I spent a bulk of my free time on homework and/or passion projects. Self-care was an afterthought during that period, and before I knew it, I just burned out.
One thing I can tell you about burnout is that it sucks. When you are physically and mentally drained, it becomes difficult to focus, be present, and live life to the fullest. It’s also hard to come back from if you ignore your needs for too long. That’s why it’s important to prioritize self-care daily.
I had to learn that even during the busy times, you can still practice it in small ways. And guess what? You can do that starting today. These 30 acts of self-care make it possible for you to show up as your best self every day.
30 simple ways to practice self-care
- Stretch
- Meditate
- Journal the things that you’re grateful for
- Practice positive self-talk with daily declarations
- Eat healthy
- Work out
- Get glammed up
- Listen to your favorite podcast while commuting
- Simplify your to-do list. Don’t put too much on your plate
- Take breaks during work
- Nap while you’re at home
- Get some fresh air by going out for a walk
- Treat yourself to a sweet treat
- Watch the sunset
- Declutter your home (Sign up for Taffeta’s declutter challenge)
- Listen to some relaxing music
- Take a nice hot bath or shower
- Plan your day the night before
- Curl up to a good book and a cup of tea (or coffee)
- Unwind with a glass of wine
- Get 8-10 hours of sleep
- Unplug in the mornings and evenings
- Pick up a new hobby or creative outlet
- Set boundaries
- Say no
- Give yourself grace. Don’t be so hard on yourself
- Learn to laugh
- Don’t watch the news
- Take off work to tend to your mental health
- Binge watch your favorite shows (or have a movie marathon)
A little self-care goes a long way! As you can see, there are plenty of ways that you can put it into practice on a daily basis. My hope is that this article inspires you to do just that.
