In my last post, I asked if you thought you had time for self-care.
For those of you who do think you have time for it, and you act upon it, I congratulate you.
For those of you who DON’T think you have time for self-care, I hope this is a wake-up call. Because I’ve seen too many people burn out physically and emotionally because they didn’t take proper care of themselves.
I’ve seen too many people with anxiety and depression. I’ve seen too many people with preventable bodily illnesses. I’ve seen too many people hating their lives and wishing things could magically get better one day.
Now, you could win the Powerball (which was recently around 2 BILLION dollars), but even if you did, that wouldn’t necessarily fix your problems.
What WILL help your problems is self-care.
I cannot speak enough about it.
As a society, we are not well, because we do not take care of ourselves. We push and push and push, until something breaks. And I don’t want that to happen to you.
So, if you believe that you don’t have time for self-care, let’s take a look at your daily schedule.
Where in your day do you do things that REALLY are NOT necessary?
Do you scroll through social media when you could be exercising?
Do you binge watch an extra tv show when you could be meditating?
Do you work or study an hour into your bedtime when you could be sleeping?
If any of these sounds familiar, or if you have a different habit that could be cut out of your day, I urge you to cut it out.
FOMO (the “fear of missing out”) will not kill you; you won’t miss anything life-altering online.
That tv episode will still be there the next day, or the next week, whenever you get to it (unless watching a tv show to relax is part of your self-care).
And that extra hour or so of work or study? That is a BIG issue to tackle. I know the importance of accomplishing tasks so that you can succeed, or so that you can just get by in life. BUT, I promise you that by cutting out unnecessary actions, and adding in self-care actions, you will create more space in your life.
Somehow, when our minds and bodies rest and recharge, it allows them to work faster and more easily. So, for instance, if you go to sleep instead of doing extra work at night, you may just be able to accomplish that work task more creatively, and more quickly, the next day. I’d call it magic, but it’s just simple science.
So, the next time you wish you had time to do something relaxing, fulfilling, joyful, or otherwise beneficial to your mind and body, remember to cut out what you don’t really need.
Prioritize.
Schedule what MUST be done, and make self-care a non-negotiable.
Then you’ll be sure to live healthier and happier.
Good luck!
All my love and hugs,
Steph
Ps. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
-Anne Lamott
And thanks to Green Day for reminding us to make the most out of our Time!:
