Self care is quite the buzzword these days. It seems like you can’t open a magazine or scroll through your Instagram feed without hearing about the importance of taking care of yourself. With the flood of resources out there, it can definitely feel overwhelming. Not only are there millions of options for self care, but it can begin to seem that self care needs to cost you an arm and a leg.
Even if self care has started to feel unattainable, costly or something you don’t have time for, we have some good news for you. Self care does not have to be difficult and it does not have to be expensive. In fact, taking care of yourself and giving yourself what you need to stay energized, effective and happy can be super simple and completely free.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, we’re going to share a few ways that you can get started easily, quickly and cheaply. For those of you who have minimal time to spare, these simple self care strategies can easily be implemented into your day with very little effort.
Five Simple Self Care Strategies
Set healthy boundaries.
The more we say yes to other people, commitments and responsibilities, the more we are saying no to ourselves. Self care can be as simple as practicing saying no to those things you really don’t want to do or those things that are total energy drains. For many people, saying no can be really hard, especially when it comes to our loved ones, friends or bosses. But in order to really take care of yourself, sometimes saying no is the best thing you can do.
Sure, the possibility of disappointing others can be a lot to handle. But if you think about the reasons why you are saying no, and the things that you can gain from it, you will begin to see that you were actually choosing what’s best for you. And that feels good!
Don’t do it all alone.
Part of taking care of yourself is to understand when you need help. For many people, asking for help is a sign of weakness or vulnerability – and this is something they try to avoid. The problem is this: if you don’t ask for help when you need it, you can get burned out, stressed out and unable to do the things you need to do.
When you feel that you could use some help, ask for it. Rather than weakness, see this as saying yes to yourself and being open to the support of others. Most of the time, when you ask for help people are more than happy to give it if given the opportunity.
Give yourself a tech break.
You might not even realize how much your technology can drain you. From the endless scrolling on social media to the slightly addictive puzzle games that have us staring at your screens, we could all use a little break from technology.
Even those things that seem pressing (like those email dings that never seem to end), can wait. Taking a breather from your screens can be such a healthy and caring act for your body.
Commit to avoiding screens first thing in the morning and right before you go to bed. Not only can this help you set the tone for a calm and productive day, but avoiding screen time before bed can help you get deeper and more restful sleep.
Bask in some fresh air.
Especially in the wintertime, we tend to be stuck inside all day. We go from our homes to our cars to our offices, without giving ourselves the chance to get outside and breathe some fresh air.
This doesn’t have to be a big to-do; in fact, just five minutes outdoors viewing nature, walking or just breathing deeply can have many beneficial effects. Not only can being outside have calming effects on your body, you can get that much-needed Vitamin D and alone time that can energize you for the rest of your day.
Get your rest.
Sleep is the number one thing you can do to set yourself up for good day. It’s the time when our body recovers and repairs from the day, so it’s really unwise to skimp on it. Rather than staying up late to respond to your emails, read one more chapter of that book or try to get ahead on your to-do list, practice self care by getting to bed at a respectable time.
Try your best to create a sleep ritual that will help your mind and body prepare for sleep and help you fall into sleep more easily. Get a full night of rest every night and you will see the benefits.
Which of these self care strategies will you try this month?
With the barrage of self care rituals, strategies and techniques out there, we know it can be overwhelming. We’ve compiled this list of five simple self care strategies that anyone can do with little effort and no financial investment.
We encourage you to try out one of these tips this week and slowly add in other strategies as they become part of your routine. A little bit of self care goes a long way, so be easy on yourself. Remember: self care is all about loving yourself so be gentle and do your best.