Most of us know that self-care is important. We try to make it happen but it seems like we never have the time. Between working, raising children, managing a household, and all the other to-dos of life, often there’s not a minute of time or any energy left at the end of the day for self-care. Sometimes carving out time for self-care can feel like another chore that we can put off for a little while longer. When we’re in that cycle, instead of bringing joy, the thought of self-care can feel stressful.
Self-care doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If you’re in a particularly busy season of life, you don’t have to spend an hour at the gym every day, spend the day at the spa, or go on a night out with friends. Of course, these are great if they work for you and your schedule, but if you’re pressed for time for a while, it’s ok to cut back and find ways to build in little moments of self-care throughout the day.
For example, you can take a 5-10m walk in the fresh air during your lunch break or spend a few minutes reading a good book instead of scrolling through social media before bed. Smartwatches and several apps offer brief mindfulness/breathing exercises that you can do in between your daily tasks, or you can set alarms throughout the day to remind you to check-in with yourself and take a minute or two to breathe and come back to the here and now.
If you’d like to treat yourself to something that takes a little (or a lot) more time, it’s time to get organized and call in reinforcements. Plan out your self-care day in advance, or better yet schedule a monthly time on your calendar for a self-care day. Hire a babysitter if you need to, and go have some much needed, and well-deserved self-care time. Choose an activity (or several) that really fills your cup and recharges you. Time spent taking care of us at times seem like a luxury, but it is essential. We spend a lot of time working, taking care of our families, pets and our home, being there for our friends, but we often forget that if we’re not ok, we can’t do any of these other things well. Self-care are all the things we do that replenishes us so that we can be the best version of ourselves for us and for those around us.
Barbara Johns, LPC Associate
I believe that in order to heal, people need to have a safe space where they can explore what is contributing to their problems and how they can use their difficulties as fuel for personal growth in order to turn things around and live life the way they really want to. My goal is to provide you with that safe and supportive environment as well as with new tools and skills that you can take with you on your journey toward healing and growth.
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