3 Steps to Help You Follow a Self-care Routine Even on a Tight Schedule

You have a full-time job that demands 40 hours a week. As if that isn’t too much already, you often find yourself working overtime. You grab what is nearest and probably the cheapest, for lunch to save energy and time.

You did set New Year goals to work out. But, you keep skipping your workout to meet deadlines. By the time you get around to starting out, it’s late November, and you have no idea how time passed by so quickly.

Does this scenario sound familiar? You aren’t alone.

We all seem to be struggling to get some free time for ourselves. At least enough time for a healthy self-care routine.

Here are a few ideas you can try, no matter how busy your schedule is.

Meditate for 10 minutes every morning

If you are not careful, you’ll miss what your body is telling you. Mindfulness can help you hear your inner self and understand.

Carefulness is a sure way to increase self-awareness, improve performance, reduce stress, increase compassion, help keep emotions in check, protect against mental illness, and lower feelings of loneliness.

However, to see notable changes when practicing meditation, you need to be consistent. If you meditate daily for 15-20 minutes, you will get the results you need.

Ensure you meditate first thing in the morning. Avoid all distractions. Fight for these 15-20 minutes with the madness of a mother trying to save her baby from a ferocious lion.  The good thing is that no equipment or app is required. Just you.

Just sit in a comfortable position, keep quiet, and be in a calm place with no external disturbance. Then, close your eyes and let your mind relax. Also, you do not require a mediator.

If you need to, you may use an App such as Insight Timer to give you a guided meditation to help you get used to it.

Audio or written materials can also come in handy when you are first starting.

Before you know it, you will meditate independently. The practice will significantly help to strengthen excellent communication between your mind and your body. When something goes wrong in your body, you'll pick the cues quickly, act accordingly, and avert serious problems.

Try More Than Once

You are a unique human being. What failed for another person may perform excellently for you. In your struggle to find the perfect stress management for you, there is a chance in hell that you’ll fail terribly.

But this should not dampen your spirit. You have to keep trying to follow the routine suitable for you.

Research states that it takes twenty-one days for a new habit to form. You’ll be fine if you don’t give up. To help you remain motivated, get a couch, a close friend, or a mentor. 

They will give you moral support. Also, a therapist can help you hold yourself more accountable in your quest to get the results you desire.

Before you know it, your routine will become second nature to you, and you'll wonder why you struggled so much when you began. Change is difficult, but you have to keep going strong.

Be patient with yourself.

Do something that makes you happy.

Instead of committing yourself to something that needs you to invest money and hard work, try something that brings you joy.

Laughter and joy are the best medicine. Laughter replenishes the lungs, eases tension in your body, lowers stress, fortifies the immune system, and works the same way with a good work out.

Hearty laughter relieves your daily worry and stress, increases resilience and a positive attitude, and drives away fear and anxiety.

So, what is it that can make you laugh? Is watching a comedy movie, is it listening to crazy jokes or is it laughing at some old memories? If doing any of the above things make you fall over yourself with joy, do it regularly.

Play with your dog or your cat. Take weekend getaway occasionally. Do fun things with your partner, and be happy together. Hook up with an old friend, listen to your favorite music. Entertain yourself.

Life is long if you know how to use it. So, live your best life now by doing things that make you happy and alert. Find that elusive balance between working and taking good care of yourself. It's hard to find, but your pursuit of it will depend on how badly you need it.