When Did Self-care Become so Complicated?

In speaking with caregivers, they often share that time is the #1 culprit for not including self-care into their daily schedule.

They speak about going to the spa, playing sports, going for a walk, meeting friends and even playing musical instruments as things that they like to do as me-time.

I agree that these are all amazing activities – as I never judge people for which activities they choose to bring joy into their world.

My point is that all of these self-care activities take between 30-90 minutes and therefore are more challenging to schedule. Furthermore, they require leaving the house and thus the caregivers need to find someone to look after the kids in order to even do the activity.

What if caregivers focus on smaller activities that take 5-15 minutes and try to practice them daily?

Why do we as a society no longer value the simple things in life that can make us feel better? Why do we associate better with big-ticket activities?

I wonder whether we’re doing ourselves a disservice by focusing on the ‘society-approved’ self-care activities.

Don’t get me wrong, I get facials, attend yoga retreats and go out for nice dinners with my friends. My point is that these are not my main self-care activities, these are things that I may do once a month, once a season or once a year.

I believe that the real transformation happens when I steal moments every day just for myself. That has been the difference – consistent, simple, activities that bring me joy. For example, physical activity, cuddling with my cat, meditating & writing in my gratitude journal are all things that I try to do on a daily basis.

My self-care plan includes daily, weekly & monthly activities.

My wish for you is to consider anything that brings you joy as self-care. Now think about what activities you can start doing from the comfort of your home.

You might also be interested