3 ways to find time for self care

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​Why is it, just when you carve out that moment for some self-care, someone needs your help.
I remember it used to take me ages to find a time to meditate and then, when I finally sat to connect within myself, I wouldn’t be able to settle as I’d have an ear open for that “MOM!!!” call.

But, you’ve probably heard “You can’t give water from an empty well” more times than you can count so you know that taking time for self-care is essential for your mental health and wellbeing.

So, how do you find that time when it feels like there’s never enough?

These seems to be a common challenge amongst many of this community so I want to share with you a few tools I’ve developed over the years that have kept my “well” topped up even in a busy schedule.
I can’t tell you how to stretch a day to 25 hours, but I have found a few “hacks” to having time to take care of YOU.

First though… The Time Perspective Shift.

Be aware of the story around not having any time for self-care. The more attention you give to not having time, the less time you will seem to have. (Law of attraction 101! Where Attention Goes, Energy Flows.) Self Care isn’t trips to a spa or long baths. (oh those are lovely, but they don’t necessarily fill your bucket as the time is often spent on what you “should be doing” rather than taking care of yourself.) 

Self-Care is Caring for Yourself.

It takes less than a minute to Love Yourself Intentionally. 

1. So first, Love Yourself: Put your hands on your heart, breathe into it and tell yourself “You are Loved.” Take a moment in the morning, a second at night, or maybe promise yourself to tell yourself you are loved at every traffic light. Refuel yourself by just letting Love in. It’s energetic therapy.
   This is why I love the mantra: I open to Love, I Receive with Love, I Give Thanks with Love and I connect with Love.
   You are made of Love, so by letting love in you are caring for your deepest self.
2. Get Outside:  It’s winter. I get it. Who wants to get outside? But a mere moment stepping outside, or sticking your head out when you let out the dog can change the world if you are consciously aware of it. Let the fresh air fill your lungs, look at the sky, listen to the birds and shift your view to the world around you. You are part of nature, so let it nourish you.
3. Look for the little moments when your mind has time to wander and use that time to nourish yourself. These moments can include:

 

•  When you are nursing your baby or putting a child to sleep (I often tell clients to focus on their own self care when lying down beside their child at bedtime. As you let your thoughts nourish you it actually can help your child relax.)

 

•  Doing dishes, being stuck in traffic, folding laundry or riding an elevator. It’s amazing how many times we’re just focused on rushing somewhere, or needing to get something done. Take the space of these times and focus on your breath or practicing appreciation. Let the Love in!

Care for yourself instead of SCROLLING! We can all do it, but it’s amazing how much time is lost in that semi-conscious state. You feel busy, but are just lost in the thread. Turn the phone off and focus on your breath instead. 

The truth is that when you develop a quick practice of self-care and spiritual connection, you can pull it out whenever you get a chance. It just starts with the initial step of shifting your perspective from seeing the lack of time, to being open to changing what self-care time looks like to you. 
That doesn’t mean you don’t take the long baths or self-care trips out when you can, it just means you’ll feel more present in those times as well as in the day to day, because you’ll be loving yourself on a steady stream rather than in random bursts.

In fact, by claiming the time for self-care during your day to day, you’ll no longer feel you NEED the escape trips, so you’ll be able to enjoy them so much more when the opportunity arises.

If you don’t have a personal spiritual connection practice in place, or would like to learn how to create one, I want to invite you to sign up for the wait list of my upcoming group program. This is one of the first things we’ll be covering so you can create a strong foundation in being present and aligned to your whole self.
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