I came across this list and thought I’d share it with you here…. I know some of these things help me get through the day, week, month and thought some of you would find it useful too. Visit her page here for more detailed description of each. Its important to take care of ourselves if we want to take care of our babies and loved ones!
We all have times in our lives when we just have too much stuff going on. There are always deadlines, exams, due dates and just too many priorities to juggle. And when everything is going wrong, the world is screaming for your attention and you just don’t have time – the last thing you need to hear is to “just take a day off”. So here are gentle ways you can take care of yourself when you’re pressed for time and attention. Enjoy!
- Say no to anything that is not important to you
- Ask for help
- Get enough sleep
- Drink some tea
- Listen to your favourite music
- Eat healthy clean food
- Take 5 minutes in the morning to just stretch and breathe
- Walk everywhere
- Take 5-minute mini-breaks every hour
- Break your self-care habits into smaller tasks and do one each day
- Make a plan of everything that needs to be done
- Keep in touch with friends
- Make room for rest
- Write a gratitude list
- Spend your lunchtime as sacred you-time
- Write a worry-list
- Go for a run or long walk
- Keep a planner and schedule no-appointments time
- Keep track of your achievements
- Wear your best clothes
- Go to a yoga class
- Take a hot bath
- Light some candles
- Write support-thoughts and affirmations
- Craft an emotional emergency plan
- Breathe
- Do something silly
- Tidy up your workspace
- Create some routines
- Write things down
- Accept a little clutter and mess
- Allow your emotions to come to the surface
- Honour your limits
- Take the weekends completely off
- Gather your support group
- Outsource
- Delegate
- Get some sunlight
- Take your vitamins
- Use scented oils in the shower
- Resist the urge to be productive all the time
- Limit your media consumption
- Meditate in the morning
- Block out distractions
- Compliment yourself
- Do your dreaded tasks first
- Brighten your day with colourful pencils and pretty stationery
- Reward yourself
- Postpone a major decision
- Accept yourself as you are